In the world of pests, ticks pretty much take the top spot. They are notorious arachnids, infamous for making being outdoor during summer a punishment of sorts. This applies both to you and your pets. Keeping your pets safe from ticks should be an integral part of your summers outdoor plan.

More than a simple nuisance, tick bites are also the leading cause of Lyme disease all over the world. About 300,000 people in the country get Lyme disease each year, all due to tick bites. To add to that, they’re ubiquitous through the nation – this means wherever you are, you’re going to need all the tick prevention tips you can get.

Here are a few you might not have heard of, and a few classic ones all compiled in one place. In the case of ticks, prevention really is better than cure.

Stay under the sun
Avoiding tick nymphs is just as important as avoiding adult ticks – more so, considering they’re the potent carriers of Lyme disease. So one of the best tick prevention tips is to stay in direct sunlight since you’re least likely to encounter tick nymphs. They cannot survive high temperatures without humidity so even if you have any on you, the sun is likely to do away with them.

Repel is better than cure
With the many insecticide sprays available today, you would think that ticks wouldn’t even get inside people’s home. But alas, that isn’t the case. This is because the most common of bug sprays aren’t toxic or dangerous to ticks. They can simply avoid them or go around them. So, what are you to do? Get all of your clothing, shoes, socks, and bedding treated with permethrin. Or simply stock your summer closet with purely permethrin-treated clothing.

Uproot the landscape
Wooded areas are a tick haven, so if you have a wooden shed in your yard, getting it treated should be your first priority. Any and all tick prevention tips will be useless if ticks make a big enough home for themselves. Piles of leaves, huge shrubs, damp undercovers, mice/rodent-friendly habitats are all places ticks can make a home in. Keep your yard open to the sun and place all playthings in direct sunlight. Placing a wooden barrier around the home at an ample distance can help.

Keep these and a few other tick prevention tips in mind: such as checking your kids for ticks when they come back home, and treating all clothes with the appropriate cleaning methods. You can be sure you’ll be tick free this summer!