A Guide to Ticks in Maryland

While often called insects, Ticks are arachnids—meaning they are related to spiders and mites—and can be found in grassy and wooded areas worldwide. Adult ticks are approximately 0.1 to 0.2 inches in length, depending on their age, sex, and species, and reproduce each fall, with females laying up to 3,000 eggs.

Ticks survive by feeding on animal blood, including humans’, and have adapted to feed for long periods—their teeth are curved to remain securely attached for days. If that wasn’t bad enough, after having latched on for 24-48 hours, ticks could start to transmit dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick paralysis, and many more.

After playing outside or hiking through the woods, it’s crucial to check for ticks. As ticks like warm, dark places, check along joints, such as behind the knees or inside elbows and armpits, behind your ears, and anywhere covered in hair, including your neck. If found, ticks must be handled carefully and removed as soon as possible.

1. Remove the tick from the skin: If a tick is crawling along your skin but has not latched yet, remove it using a gloved hand or tweezers. If the tick has been on, use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Try to capture the animal’s head instead of its body and carefully pull it away from the skin. Be sure to completely remove the tick, as its mouthparts can sometimes get left behind, causing infections.
2. Clean the area: Once the tick has been removed, thoroughly wash the area with soap and water and then shrub it with iodine or rubbing alcohol.
3. Identify the tick: As some types of ticks are associated with transmitting specific diseases, if you can, try to identify which species it is to make it easier to identify potential infections.
4. Dispose of the tick: The most effective way to kill a tick is to drop it directly into rubbing alcohol, though some people will also flush it down the toilet or wrap it tightly in tape and throw it into the trash.
5. Monitor the bite: Make sure to watch the site of the bite for several days after the tick has been removed and look for any localized rash, redness, or swelling.
6. If needed—see a doctor: If you start showing any symptoms, such as fever, chills, body aches, or a rash near the bite location, go to a doctor immediately.

• Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves when outdoors and especially in wooded areas.
• Use bug spray containing at least 20% DEET
• Avoid sitting on logs, stumps, or the ground in brushy areas.
• Put clothing in a hot dryer for 10 minutes before washing to kill any lingering ticks that may be attached to clothing