Prevent tick bites by wearing pants and long sleeves when heading into shady, wooded areas. “There are so many myths around ticks, especially when it comes to how to remove them,” said Fake, wildlife research coordinator at the Lincoln Park Zoo. “People say to put perfume on them. Or to burn it off. You’re actually more likely to hurt yourself if you try that.
To get a sense of the current state of the tick population, researchers from the zoo have taken their flannel drag cloths to 15 sites in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties, scraping vegetation to mimic the movement of animals as a way to lure the ticks. Any ticks they snag are removed and placed in vials of ethanol to preserve for pathogen testing.
These ticks tend to hang out in woody areas, forest preserves, parks or places with tall grasses, and they prefer humidity and shade to keep from drying out between blood meals. People should check for ticks whenever they’ve been hanging out in tick-friendly habitat but finding one is not a cause for instant panic, she said, contrary to popular opinion. “Try to remove within 24 hours. It’s not going to affect you immediately,” Fake said.