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Tick Prevention

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Indiana Lyme Connect

Do you
Know…

Ticks can be an urban problem too?

Ticks are quickly multiplying and spreading across the US, including into suburban and urban areas. You will find blacklegged ticks most readily in shady wooded areas, near water sources, on low brush and in tall grasses. People living in or near such areas are much more likely to come into contact with ticks in their yards, and on their household pets.

Found a Tick? Don’t Panic

If you’ve found a tick, don’t panic! We’ve created a one-stop resource webpage to help you walk through the next steps of removing, identifying, and testing a tick as well as keeping an eye out for signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and, if needed, seeking medical assistance.
See the step-by-step guide here

Before You Go Outdoors

Before you go outdoors in the months when ticks are
active, you should ask yourself all of the
following questions!

  • How can I make my clothing and gear repel ticks?
  • What skin repellent should I use?
  • How should I safely remove a tick?
  • How big (or small) are ticks?
  • Where do ticks live?
  • How do ticks find hosts?
Learn More

After Coming Back Indoors

While some might feel that these last preventative steps are inconvenient, routinely taking the 20 minutes or so after coming back indoors to do all of them might save you the heartbreaking experience of a potentially debilitating illness, in the long run.

Even if you have taken all of the possible prevention precautions before going outdoors, immediately upon returning indoors, you should:

  • Put Your Clothes in the Dryer.
  • Do a Tick Check.
  • Take a Shower.
  • Know the Symptoms.
Learn More

Discover 5 simple TickSmart™ actions that will help you stay safe as you live, work, and play this year. Learn how to avoid and identify ticks so you can stay healthy.

This webinar is presented by Thomas Mather, Ph.D (a.k.a. the TickGuy). He is a professor of public health entomology at the University of Rhode Island. He is director of URI’s Center for Vector-borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center. His research interests include the ecology of blood-sucking arthropods and dynamics of tick-transmitted diseases. His outreach through the nationally prominent website TickEncounter includes a variety of platforms for tick prevention education aimed at increasing tick literacy and preventing tick-borne diseases.

Dr. Mather has an impressive résumé, and we are grateful for his “edu-taining” TickSmart™ presentation!

Read more

Tick-Safe Environment

You do not have to be out in the woods on a nature hike to encounter ticks. Many people encounter ticks in their own yards. So, prevention does truly begin at home!

The following actions will help you manage the outdoor spaces on your property to reduce the tick population.

  • Spray the property perimeter with insecticide sprays or granules.
  • Remove leaf litter.
  • Separate wood piles from your lawn.
  • Station Tick Tubes around your property.
  • Keep bird feeders and bird baths out of recreational areas.
  • Keep paths and walkways clear of brush and tall grasses.
  • Create tick barriers between your lawn and wooded or grassy areas.
  • Create recreational spaces that are away from any tall grass, shrubs, or trees.
  • Choose plants that do not attract deer.
Learn More

Protect Your Pets

Lyme disease is on the rise throughout the country with more ticks in more places, including Indiana as well as suburban and urban areas. Just in 2023, over 12,000 Indiana dogs have tested positive for Lyme disease according to Companion Animal Parasite Council. So, we know Lyme-carrying blacklegged ticks are a problem. Therefore, protecting dogs from ticks, and the illnesses they carry, is a crucial aspect of your overall prevention strategy.

See below three actions which can limit your dog’s exposure to ticks, their bites, and the diseases they carry.

  • Consult your veterinarian about tick repellent options for your dog.
  • Minimize Your Pet’s Exposure to Tick Habitats.
  • Groom your pet after coming in from outdoors.
Learn More

Your Support Matters

Was the information on this page helpful to you? Please consider making a financial gift to Indiana Lyme Connect to enable us to continue our work in providing tick bite prevention and Lyme disease education to citizens, patients, and medical professionals throughout Indiana.

Indiana Lyme Connect is an all volunteer 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit. 100% of your donations advance the mission of ILC.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Permethrin safe?

Permethrin is a manmade chemical compound that behaves similarly to the natural extracts from the chrysanthemum flower. The substance is commonly found in lice treatment shampoos (in a 1% concentration), and in creams used to treat scabies (in a 5% concentration), and has been used for years without any known health risks. (Source: Insect Shield)

Can ticks live indoors?
The good news is that blacklegged ticks can not survive very long indoors as they dry out and die quite quickly. On the other hand, the American dog and lone star ticks can maintain their body moisture a little longer, surviving a few days to a few weeks.
When are ticks most active?
In general, ticks are most active in late spring through mid summer. However, ticks are also active at other times of the year depending on the type of tick. While the American dog and lone star ticks are generally only active in the spring and summer, the blacklegged tick which carries Lyme disease can be active year round. In general, the blacklegged nymph (poppyseed size) ticks are active in late spring to late summer, and the adult ticks are active fall to late spring. As these ticks can survive even in zero degrees and become active when it’s just above freezing and after a snow thaw, tick preventive measures are needed year round.
Do deer ticks die in the winter?

No. They are resting under leaf litter waiting for warmer temperatures to become active and find their next blood meal. (Source)