As a tick repellent, use an EPA approved DEET-containing product with 20 - 30% DEET as directed on the label. Though a good product, DEET should be used with caution as it is absorbed through the skin. It is best to use DEET sparingly and on clothing instead of skin, if possible. Avoid inhaling or ingesting DEET, and avoid using it on sunburns, cuts, or other damaged skin. Be particularly careful with DEET on children, and don't use this chemical on infants.

When returning indoors, do a full body inspection (with and without your clothes) to be sure there are no ticks on you or your pets. Also, wash off any chemical repellent with soapy water.

Be sure to check your pets, as cats and dogs commonly carry ticks from their habitat to yours. Pets can easily catch Lyme disease as well. Warning signs in pets include a fever, poor appetite, intermittent lameness, and one or more swollen, warm, and painful joints. Using a tick repellent such as Frontline monthly on your pet will markedly decrease your pets risk of catching this illness.

Summary of Lyme Prevention:

1. Avoid tick habitats (tall grass, bushes, brush, and woods).

2. Dress properly if you must go into a tick habitat.

3. Check for and remove ticks on yourself or family members as soon as possible after leaving a tick habitat.

4. Check pets for ticks and use tick-control pet products.

5. Consider getting vaccinated if you live in an area with a lot of Lyme disease.