I always opine of tick as bugs that would dribble out of tall trees to bite you . I fancy if you stayed out of the woods , worebug spraywhen hiking , and kept a lid on while camping you would be dead safe from contract Lyme disease . Was I ever wrong . Last twelvemonth I heard Vanessa Farnsworth talk of the town about ticking and Lyme disease prevention at the Master Gardener ’s Spring Seminar . I make out home preaching my new find cognition about tick habitat , size , and Lyme disease because as it turns out , the tick that can cause Lyme can be found in grassy urban areas ( playgrounds , parks , and home garden are the consummate habitat for these tiny troublemaker ! ) .
Like me , Vanessa lives in British Columbia , Canada . She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2007 , becoming the first mortal in her small community ever to have a confirmed case of Lyme . Unfortunately , Vanessa was name late so she end up suffering from grievous symptom ( partial palsy , capture , tremors ) that lasted for many age during which she struggle to happen good treatment . She vowed that if she ever get better she would make certain that no one would ever have to go through what she went through . you’re able to record more about her story in her book , Rain on a Distant Roof : Personal Journey Through Lyme Disease in Canada .
Over the last year I ’ve often thought about what I discover in Vanessa ’s public lecture : how to prevent check bites , how to do a tick check , and how to remove a tick . I ’m thrilled that she has agreed to join us on Garden Therapy to share this entropy for Lyme Disease Awareness . While this article is written for nurseryman , it is also an significant read for parent , frump - owner , or anyone who spends time outdoors . As someone who has a toddler , Canis familiaris , and garden , I know that this information could very well have saved me from a long battle with a terrible disease . I hope that it is as meaningful and as helpful to you as well .
A Gardener’s Guide to Ticks and Lyme Disease Prevention
by Vanessa Farnsworth
I commemorate a time not too long ago when gardeners did n’t demand to give ticks any more thought process than they gave blowball or grasshoppers . pain , yes , but unity that were well dealt with or disregard . As Lyme disease spreads rapidly outdoors of its traditional nursing home bases in the American northeast , Midwest , and California , gardeners throughout the United States and Canada postulate to be progressively wakeful to avoid a test - in with this enfeeble illness .
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a multi - system inflammatory disease because of the chomp of a tick infected with one of several nearly related species ofBorreliabacteria . And gardener , because of the large amounts of time we spend outdoors , rank among those most probable to contract it .
Tick Habitat
Ticks flourish in coolheaded , moist , disconnected landscape painting where grass pushes up against shrubs and trees . repeated delimitation make fantabulous tick home ground , as do school day yards , Rosa Parks , playgrounds and golf courses . Living in an urban or suburban surroundings does not automatically mean you live in a safe geographical zone . bird have proven very adept at bear infected ticks into the heart of cities and town and many sufferers have found that out the laborious way .
As a lifelong gardener , I would never recommend giving up such a fulfilling interest because of the increase risks of contracting Lyme disease . It makes more gumption to focus on how to keep check bites from occurring and what to do if you do one daytime find that you ’ve been prick .
Ticks that CarryBorreliabacteria
First , let ’s discuss the check mark themselves . Throughout most of North America , blacklegged ticks are the primary carriers of Lyme disease ( unless you live due west of the Rocky Mountains , in which case it ’s the Western fink tick you demand to worry about . )
These are flyspeck tick . unfledged blacklegged check – the I most likely to give you Lyme disease – are roughly the sizing of a poppy seed , while mature ticks are no larger than sesame seeds . Their diminutive size makes them exceedingly difficult to see , as does their habit of attaching themselves to hidden and often intimate surface area of your body . The groundwork of the neck is democratic , as are armpit , belly buttons , hairlines , and inguen .
The share of ticks infect with Lyme bacteria deviate wide from region to region and even from backyard to backyard . Your local health building block can give you info on the level of hazard in your area , but keep in judgment that risk of infection horizontal surface can change quickly , so even if you know in an area that is presently sort as small risk that may not be true tomorrow and with Lyme disease , as with most things , it ’s always better to be safe than bad .
How to Avoid a Tick Bite
you’re able to often stave off a tick - bite altogether by using a repellent contain DEET , shower within two hours of coming indoors , and placing your clothes in a dryer on high for as long as an hour .
How to do a Tick Check
If a tick does prick you , the longer it rest attached , the slap-up the chance it will kick the bucket on a Lyme infection , so always do a tick check as soon as you come indoors . Ticks incline to hang out within a few foundation of the ground , so start your ticking chip at your feet and move upwards from there .
How to Remove a check mark
If you find an attached ticking , move out it immediately by grasping it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pulling it directly out . Do not test to choke it with creams or gels or burn it off , either of which can cause the check mark to expel the contents of its gut – include any Lyme bacteria – into your body .
What to do if You ’ve Been bite by a Tick
Once transfer , site the tick in a sealable moldable bag or crushproof container and if you develop any symptoms in the wake of being bitten , take yourself and your tick to a doctor ’s business office as presently as potential .
The symptom of Lyme disease can change dramatically from one patient to the next . Common other symptoms include headaches , chills , feverishness , weariness , joint and muscle pain in the ass , and sometimes a blizzard . However , everyone ’s resistant organisation responds differently to a Lyme infection , so if you develop any symptoms in the wake of a tick - raciness , make certain you have a MD check you out .
Diagnosed and deal early , Lyme disease is easy exterminate with antibiotic . Delays in treatment can result in cardiac and/or neurological complications that can take many months or years to resolve . That ’s not something you require to deal with so remember this : Lyme disease is a preventable illness . By making a few slender changes to your day-by-day routine , there is no reason why you or any other nurseryman needs to constrict the disease .
Additional Resources for Lyme Disease Information in Canada and the US
Vanessa Farnsworthstudied both news media and originative writing , get the TJ Allen Memorial Award for Journalism from Sheridan College . Her literary fiction has come along in journal across Canada and the US , and has been nominated for the Journey Prize . She has published more than 100 columns and article in home and regional publications , include Canadian Gardening , Canadian Living , and Harrowsmith Country Life .
Her first full - length book , Rain on a Distant Roof : Personal Journey Through Lyme Disease in Canada , ( Signature Editions ) , is a timely call for attention to a withering disease that is becoming more and more dominant in this county . Farnsworth lives in The Kootenays in southeastern BC .
UPDATE : Vanessa is extend a subscription email newssheet calledThe Lyme Reportin which she covers the up-to-the-minute Lyme - related research in Canada . You cansign up for basic mailing list , which will keep you up - to - date on the Lyme - related topics she ’s continue , for free .
