Avoiding bites is the best defence.
Unfortunately, ticks enjoy the same outdoor habitats as children do! Leafy, well-planted parts of the garden and shaded areas that are perfect for cubby houses and imaginative games are also ideal for ticks. Lush, well-watered lawns and richly mulched garden beds are also ideal tick territory.
1. Use an insect repellant
The first line of defence is to use an insect repellent. It must contain either Picaridin or DEET as the active ingredient to repel ticks. To be effective use it like sunscreen by applying evenly and carefully to to exposed skin. The product we use on ourselves when we’re treating a tick infested gardens is Aerogard Odourless in the pump pack from any supermarket
2. Cover kids with clothes and shoes
If you have a tick-prone garden then getting kids well dressed with shoes and socks, long sleeves and pants before playing outside will definitely help
3. Check your child for ticks
It is important to understand that ticks don’t bite immediately. They crawl around on our skin for up to two hours before they bite so a thorough check of your child – in the bath is ideal – after they’ve been playing is strongly advised. The neck, scalp, ears, eyes, armpits and genital areas should all be carefully checked along with the more obvious areas. Remember that a juvenile tick may be as small as 1mm long
4. Kill ticks on clothes in the tumble dryer
Putting clothes that have been worn while in the garden into a hot dryer for 15 minutes will kill any ticks that are attached to them.
5. Get rid of ticks in your garden completely
Of course, you can also make use of a specialised service that can expertly rid your garden of ticks, which is what we do at TickSafe and The Mozzie Team.
To find our more and book in your TickSafe service, visit www.ticksafe.com.au
TickSafe & The Mozzie Team
