Ticks love the wet weather this spring in the Three Cities area.
They thrive in humid conditions, said Jody Peyton, an environmentalist with Benton Franklin County Health.
She had her first experience with the spring crop of ticks, discovering them as early as March on her dogs and on herself. She suspects they picked them up on Finley’s pasture.
Residents of the area of the three cities are also using social media to report a large number of ticks this spring.
One person on Reddit said that 10 minutes later on Bateman Island in Richland they spotted two ticks on their dog’s head.
When they returned to the car, there were dozens of ticks on the dog’s fur.
Another man found 40 on himself, his dogs and in his home after visiting Bateman Island.
It seems that not only on the island of Bateman there is a particularly bad season of ticks. Others reported seeing many mites in the Chamna Nature Reserve in Richland and in vegetation in West Richland.
They are commonly found near rivers in three cities, but they are also found in wooded areas and in areas with dense shrubs, Peyton said.
They sit on the edge of grass and other low vegetation and grab animals and people by running past.
Once on board, they find a good place to eat – usually somewhere, for example, on the back of the head, groin or armpit, – said Peyton.
Save this check mark
The territory of the Three Cities has Rock mite forest mites and western dog mites.
But it is not known about western black-footed mites that carry Lyme disease. They are found in Western Washington as well as on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains.
However, a tick bite found in the Three Cities area can cause rare cases of mite paralysis with symptoms of weakness or paralysis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which causes fever, headache and rash.
But ticks need to attach to the body for 24-48 hours to transmit the disease, Peyton said.
“The sooner you find them and get rid of them, the better off you will be,” she said. “If they’re not tied up and you find they’re crawling around, you’ll get horrible, but that’s about it – not a disease.”
If you find a tick on your body, you can save it so you can identify the species when you get sick, which can take two days to two weeks to cause symptoms.
You can also put it in an invalid container and send it to the Washington State Department of Health for identification. Find instructions at bit.ly/WAticks.
Avoid, remove ticks
You should not use folk remedies to remove ticks, such as using hot matches or covering them with Vaseline or nail polish, says the Washington State Department of Health. An irritated tick simply secretes more saliva, which can transmit the disease.
Use instead tweezers to capture the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up with steady uniform pressure. Then clean the bite site and hands with alcohol or soapy water.
To avoid ticks, wear long light-colored pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck your pants into socks or boots, and your shirt into your pants.
Use tick repellents, but do not place them on the hands of young children who may put them in their mouths.
Check your clothes and gear, such as day bags, when you get home, he says Washington State Department of Health. The shower makes it possible to check for ticks and wash away unattached ones.
Check it out ticks on your dog gently running your fingers over your pet’s fur.
Look in and around the ears, around the eyelids, under the collar, under the front legs, between the hind legs, between the toes and around the tail, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
