Exploring Wyoming’s beautiful outdoor landscapes is a popular summer pastime. It also, however, increases one’s risk of tick bites. While tick bites are often harmless, they have been known to cause allergic reactions and infect people with serious illnesses such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. In fact, bites from certain ticks can even make you allergic to red meat. To decrease your chance of developing tick-related infections, follow these tips for tick bite prevention.

Use bug repellant

Chemical bug repellants that contain DEET, permethrin, picaridin, or IR3535 are ideal for preventing tick bites. You can spray these repellants directly on your skin and you can even treat your clothing with permethrin for added protection.

Wear protective clothing

Wearing protective clothing that covers your skin is one of the best ways to prevent tick bites. When spending time outside, try to wear long sleeves, pants, and high socks for optimal protection.

Choose light-colored attire

The contrast between light-colored clothing and a tick’s dark body will make them easy to spot. By noticing a tick early on, you can brush it off right away to prevent it from biting you in the first place.

Tuck your pants into your socks

Tucking your pants into your socks will make it more difficult for ticks to crawl up your legs and latch onto your skin. For additional protection, you can also tape down the opening where your pants and socks meet.

Avoid areas where ticks often reside

Ticks typically live in moist and humid environments and often reside in wooded or grassy areas. If you’re taking a walk through the forest, try to stick to the center of trails where ticks are less likely to crawl.

Even if you follow all these tips for tick bite prevention, it’s still important to check yourself for ticks every time you return from an area where they may have been present. By catching a tick early on, you can prevent dangerous diseases from reaching the bloodstream.