Officials say it’s ‘prime time’ for ticks. Here are ways to protect yourself and your pets

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — If you do a lot of hiking or walking outside — especially with your dog — you probably are familiar with tick bites.

“We’ve dealt with ticks every year,” said Paul Winters of Robinson. “He’ll [his dog] get a few ticks on him, but they’ll die before they do any damage.”

Even though they never really go away during the winter, Phoebe Prince with the Beaver County Conservation District said right now is prime time for ticks.

“They’re out all-year round, they can be out in the wintertime even if there’s snow on the ground, if it gets above freezing, they can be out and about,” Prince told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek. “But now is prime time. It’s beautiful weather out, so they’re going to be out and about questing, looking to find some hosts for them.”

The most common tick in our area is the blacklegged tick, also known as deer ticks. They’re extremely small from larvae stage through adulthood.

But, they can look bigger if they bite you or your pet and become engorged.

Winters, who was walking his dog at Brady’s Run on Monday, said he and his wife use an all-natural spray for their dog with things like witch hazel, lemon oil and sage oil.

“When we’ve got that on him, he rarely gets a tick, and when he does, they generally fall off,” Winters said.

Prince said you can buy those sprays and others — including ones with DEET — at the store. You can also buy a spray that goes directly on clothing and not skin. All are good options to repel ticks.

“And they’re usually good for a few wears before you have to wash them,” she said. “So, it’s a long-term. It’s a good thing to use.”

Prince said it’s best to wear long sleeves and pants if you’re out hiking. It makes it harder for the ticks to climb and get tor your skin.

If you’re not a hiker, ticks can still be found right in your own backyard, especially in leaf piles. They’re also found on white-tailed mice, so cleaning out wood piles, rock walls and other areas around your home can help deter ticks.

“You can always put, like, a border around the house with mulch or something like that, and that can help as well,” Prince said.

And after every walk, Prince recommends checking your skin and your pets when you get back home. If you find a tick and later feel you or your pet is getting sick, you can call your doctor or vet.

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