Prevent mosquito and tick bites

Mosquitoes

Mosquito and tick bites can happen anywhere, even in your own backyard. Some mosquitoes spread germs that can make you sick. For example, some mosquitoes carry West Nile virus. Some mosquitoes don’t spread germs. Because you can’t tell which mosquito could be spreading germs when it bites, it is important to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

Mosquito protection tips

  • Use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – registered insect repellent, containing one of the following active ingredients:

    • DEET

    • Picardin (also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel or icaridin)

    • Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD)

    • IR3535

    • 2-undecanone 

  • Follow these tips from the CDC for insect repellent application 

  • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants

Protect your home from mosquitoes

  • Reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and property by getting rid of all standing water at least 1 time per week and scrub out any containers that were holding standing water.

    • Tip and toss or cover any buckets, bird baths, and barrels

    • Clean your gutters

    • Check inside tree stumps or hollow trees

    • Check pool covers

    • Check toys

  • Fix broken screens where mosquitoes might be able to get inside

  • Tightly cover any water containers. 

  • Use wire mesh small enough to keep mosquitoes out on containers without lids

  • If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps. Cover open vent or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Symptoms of mosquito diseases

Most people don’t get sick after being bit by a mosquito. Talk to your doctor if you have 1 or more of the following symptoms after getting a mosquito bite.

  • Fever

  • Headache and neck pain

  • Muscle and joint pain

  • Rash

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

Learn more about mosquito-borne illnesses

Ticks

Tick bites can give you serious and potentially deadly diseases. Many of these diseases can be treated when caught early, so talk to your doctor right away if you think a tick bite made you sick. Not all ticks have diseases so a tick bite doesn’t always mean you will get sick.

Tick prevention tips

  • Use an insect repellent with a minimum of 20% DEET, picaridin or IR3535

  • Wear long sleeved shirts and pants outside when possible

  • Avoid tick-infested places such as brush, tall grass, wood piles and leaf litter

  • When hiking, stay in the center of the trails

  • After going indoors, do a self-body check, change clothes, and take a shower. 

  • Check your pets for ticks regularly

Symptoms of tick diseases

Your symptoms and the severity can be different depending on the disease. There are some common symptoms among all tick-borne diseases. Talk to your doctor if you have 1 of the following symptoms after being somewhere ticks could be present:

  • Sudden high fever

  • Rash

  • Sudden flu-like symptoms

What do I do if I find a tick attached to me?

  1. Grasp it with a pair tweezers as close to your skin as possible

  2. Pull the tick straight up and away from your skin, being careful not to twist or jerk

  3. Get rid of the live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag, or flushing it down a toilet. 

Never crush a tick between your fingers!

More information about tick-borne diseases

*Lincoln County Health Department does not spray for ticks and mosquitoes

Last reviewed 8/7/2023