It’s time to watch out for ticks in the Mid-Columbia

The area’s ticks have ended their winter torpor and are hunting for a meal.

The critters tend to begin looking for a host during the spring and finish feeding by the early summer months. They have left people searching themselves and pets for hours after otherwise pleasant strolls through the park.

“In March, we’ll start to see tick activity,” said Liz Dykstra, a state Department of Health public health entomologist. “In April and May, it’s at its height. ... Right now is the time to be on the lookout.”

Glen Scoles, a USDA research entomologist, said generally two breeds, the Rocky Mountain wood tick and the American dog tick, are found in the Mid-Columbia.

While the relatively large ticks look similar, they inhabit different areas. The Rocky Mountain variety tends to live in range lands, the edges of forests and grassy areas. The dog tick is more common in places where dogs spend time, including parks and green areas around the rivers.

Scoles and Dykstra said the critters can take days before they cement themselves in place for the full seven or eight days of feeding. So the time to start searching for them is within a couple of hours of returning from tick habitat.

Once you’ve checked to make sure the insects haven’t latched on to you, the next step is to check your dog. Have them lie on your lap while you run your fingers through their fur.

You can take some simple steps to make sure ticks don’t find a home, Dykstra said. Tuck your pants into your socks and wear long-sleeve shirts. DEET, the active ingredient in some insect repellents, turns ticks away. Clothing treated with the pesticide permethrin works as well.

When it comes to removing ticks, Scoles said there is a lot of folk wisdom that is incorrect. He recommends using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Then pull up steadily. Don’t yank or twist the tick. Once it has been removed, clean the area.

While Lyme Disease is prevalent in New England and the northern Midwest, it’s normally not seen in most of Eastern Washington. Dykstra said it has been found in Catherine Creek area near Lyle.

Both breeds of tick can carry either Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Tularemia. But Dykstra said the diseases are not common, and transmission usually happens when a human is exposed to the blood of an infected animal, such as a rabbit.

If you find a tick, note the date you found it. You can find out more at the state Department of Health website, doh.wa.gov/ticks.

“If you were to start feeling ill, you can go to your health care provider and tell them when you found the tick,” she said. “There is an incubation period.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "It’s time to watch out for ticks in the Mid-Columbia."