Let's Talk About Ticks!



Author:  Paula Jackson Jones
Published:  04/15/2017


When I give a talk on how to prevent having a tick encounter, I touch on five basic points:  Skin, Clothing, Pets, Homes and Yard

There are the many ways that we come into contact with ticks and other insects and we want to make sure, as we enter into the seasons when ticks are most active, that we are taking the necessary precautions. By ignoring any one of these basic points, allows for an opening for a tick encounter, sometimes without us even realizing it until it’s too late.

In the four short weeks that I’ve been sharing my Lyme Time column, I have been getting a lot of phone calls and emails from folks asking a lot of great questions and who have stumbled upon my website to gather further information.  This is great!  We need to be talking about prevention. We need to be aware of just how easy it is to come into contact with a tick and possibly contract a tick-borne disease.  We need to be vigilant with our prevention practices.



The Maine CDC stated last summer that over fifty percent of all ticks are carrying some sort of tick-borne disease.  FIFTY PERCENT! And the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has identified fourteen species of ticks living in Maine.  So, fourteen species of ticks with fifty percent of them potentially carrying a tick-borne disease raises our risk every day. By having conversations about things that we didn’t know about (statistics) or learning about new things such as treating our clothing with Permethrin, a product that kills ticks on contact, we are taking control of the environment that we exist in, that we work in and that we play in. 

And by paying attention to the five basic points of prevention, we can continue to enjoy all the outdoor activities that we once did without fear of a tick encounter.  Sometimes it’s as easy has having a conversation. We fear what we don’t know so it’s time to get educated about ticks.


               LET’S TALK ABOUT TICKS! I want to personally invite you all to
              attend the 3rd Annual Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education
              3rd Annual Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education conference 
              that is being held on Saturday, April 29th at the Wiscasset Community
              Center from 8a-5p.  This is a FREE community event with lots of
              educational information and resources to help push us past our fear
              of tick season and enable us to really enjoy life in Maine as it should
              be.  // UPDATE:  OVER 600 ATTENDED OUR CONFERENCE!!

IF YOU MISSED OUT ON OUR CONFERENCE ~ DO NOT WORRY!  We had the entire day professionally recorded and have dvd sets containing 2 dvds with over 8 hours of conference coverage and a 50-page full color conference booklet that you can order for a limitied time ~ all for $30 including free shipping.  To place an order, send an email to info@mldse.org requesting a conference dvd set and we will be in touch! 

 ~ Paula

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