With temperatures in the 80’s, it’s time for our annual Tick post.  It’s getting warm and late spring/early summer is the peak of tick season.  With the nice weather, you will probably be spending more time outside looking for fossils, minerals, etc. in the woods, fields, and quarries.  Or at least, that’s what we hope… after all, this is the ESCONI website.  One creature you may encounter is a tick.  Ticks are arthropods, that unfortunately are vectors for a number of serious diseases.  In Illinois, American Dog (Wood), Brown Dog, Lone Star, and Deer ticks are some of the more common species in Illinois.

Get a tick removal tool.  Here’s the one I’ve used.

Another nice kit for removing ticks.

Here are some resources to learn more about avoiding ticks, treating bites, and getting medical attention if you get do come down with any disease symptoms.

• Ologies Podcast with Alie Ward has a great episode on Ticks.  BTW, it’s a great podcast to learn more about any type of science.
• There’s an app to help you avoid ticks!
• VOX has an interesting post about why there isn’t a Lyme Disease vaccine.  Spoiler, there is!  Unfortunately, anti-vaccine sentiment has led to it being pulled from the market. 
• The University of Rhode Island runs the TickEncounters.com website with great information about all things tick!  Check out their blog Tick Notes.
• The Illinois Department of Public Health has information about ticks in Illinois.  Check for information in your state.  Check out the tick flyer.
• Camping Cooks has an excellent guide on Lyme Disease.
• LymeDisease.org is another great resource.

Recently, there has been a bunch of articles about ticks in the news.  Here are a few.

• Lyme disease and Ticks, how ti recognize the symptoms
• After An Absence, New England’s Ticks Are Back – And Hungry
• The Ticks That’s Becoming More Prevalent in RI Could Cause a Red Meat Allergy
• Rise in tick-borne disease in Midwest due to relocation, climate change says study
• Consumer Reports: How to protect yourself from ticks
• Check for Tick Bites Often While Outdoors, Illinois Officials Say
• Some Tick Bites Are Deadly, Illinois Agency Offers Safety Tips