Tick Season Survival Guide

Like mosquitoes, ticks are vectors. They are transmitters of disease, and with so many people in San Mateo County working and playing outside especially during the summer months, the risk of tick exposure is high. 

Yet according to the San Mateo County Health System, the transmission of diseases like Lyme Disease in San Mateo County is very low. Residents of San Mateo County are lucky because the microorganism that causes Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is not common in the ticks of this region. Young ticks, or nymphs, are more likely than adults to be infected; the nymphs often clear the infection by the time they reach adulthood. 

Still, it’s not too uncommon to come home from a hike and find a tick crawling on you, your child or your pet, especially this time of year. The ticks of greatest concern in the U.S. are the blacklegged tick (also known as the deer tick in the eastern U.S.), the Lone Star tick, and the dog tick. Typically, they transfer to hosts by waiting on tall grass and crawling aboard when a mammal happens by.

If it’s a deer tick carrying Lyme Disease the chances of getting the disease is very low since the tick must be feeding on you for 24 to 48 hours in order to effectively transfer the microorganism from its stomach to your body. 

If you find a tick attached to you or your pet, don't panic. Carefully remove and save the tick. The San Mateo County Mosquito Abatement is currently sampling ticks throughout the county to find out what percent are infected. Expectations are that it will be anywhere from 1 to 5 percent of all ticks. For $25 the County Public Health Lab will test your tick to see if it's a Lyme Disease Carrier. 

Here's how the San Mateo County Health System recommends removing ticks and transporting them for testing: 

Removing and Storing Your Tick 

Grasp the tick with tweezers or tissue as close to the skin as possible. Gently pull the tick straight upward from the skin- no twisting or unscrewing. Do not attempt removal by using nail polish remover, kerosene, or Vaseline.  Be careful not to get the potentially infectious tick blood on anyone. 

Another option for tick removal is to loop some sewing thread around the tick and as close to the skin as possible (2-3 loops is enough). Basically you will be looping the thread around the tick's mouthpart, which is embedded in the skin. Once you have it tightly wound around the tick gently pull upward. You will have lassoed the tick around its mouth and it'll be forced to come out! This method is a good way of insuring you don't pop the tick — a very bad thing, considering that if it is infected, you come into contact with infected fluids. 

The tick must be kept moist. Place the tick in a small container with 1 or 2 drops of water or saline solution. A small piece of damp cotton or tissue inside the container is also acceptable. Do not use other liquids such as alcohol or formaldehyde solutions. In fact, if you use alcohol, your tick may absorb it and explode, making it impossible to test. 

Tick Testing 

Bring the tick to the County Public Health Lab at 225 West 37th Ave., Room 113, San Mateo, during the hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday. For more information call (650) 573-2500. 

Your tick must first be identified to determine if it is the Western Black-legged Tick, the species that transmits Lyme Disease. If so, the next step will be to test for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the microorganism that causes Lyme Disease, in the tick's stomach. The tick must be intact in order for this test to be performed. 

Here are tips from the Tick Borne Illness Prevention Program to protect your family and pets from tick-borne disease: 

• Reduce your tick exposure through landscaping. Deer ticks tend to concentrate in moist, shady, leaf-littered areas, often at the perimeter of yards. Avoid tall grass to help avoid tick infestation. 

• Dress appropriately. Long pants tucked into socks, long-sleeved shirts, a hat or scarf; clothing impregnated with a tickicide can also prevent tick exposure. 

• Check your pets and yourself for ticks after being outdoors. 

• Use insect repellent. DEET is the most commonly recommended pesticide but if you’re looking for off-the-shelf and homemade natural insect repellents, The Daily Green offers a bunch of safer nontoxic alternatives. Click here for a list of their homemade and natural food store insect repellents.   

• Treat family pets. Contrary to fleas, ticks do not jump but rather directly attach on our pets. So make sure to speak with your veterinarian regarding using an appropriate flea/tick preventive. If you still find ticks on your pet or your take your dog hiking in a highly infested area then talk with your veterinarian about getting your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease and getting your dog tested annually for Lyme disease. 

• Remove ticks promptly. If you do find ticks, remove them promptly. Since it can take up to 36 hours for some pathogens in a tick to transfer, early tick removal may allow you to remain disease-free.