UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Steven Jacobs, extension entomologist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, offers these tips for avoiding tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever:

• Avoid high-risk (brushy, wooded) areas and trails, especially in April, May, June and July.
• If you are planning to be in a high-risk area, wear light-colored clothing so you can more easily detect dark-colored ticks.
• Check your clothing for ticks every few minutes.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
• Use a tick repellent containing "DEET" on your skin and clothes, unless you have a known allergy to this compound.
• Inspect your clothes and body carefully after returning from high-risk areas.
• Inspect pets if they have been in a high-risk area. On dogs and cats, ticks often are found around the face and ears. Many shampoos, sprays and dusts are available to eliminate ticks on pets. Tick collars are less effective, but are helpful as a repellent.
• If you find a tick on a person or animal, remove it by carefully grasping it at the mouthparts with fine point tweezers and firmly pulling it off.
• To learn more, contact your county office of Penn State Cooperative Extension or your local health department, or visit the Web at http://www.ento.psu.edu/Lyme/default.htm.

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EDITORS: Contact Steven Jacobs at 814-863-3963.

Contact: Chuck Gill cdg5@psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-865-1068 fax