With summer comes a variety of unwanted bugs, and one of those is ticks.
The tiny blood-sucking insects are common across the world, including in the UK and the US, and they particularly enjoy warm weather.
They usually live in grass, shrubs, trees, and leaf piles and like to attach themselves to humans as well as dogs.
Ticks are often harmless, but can carry Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that a tick can pass onto humans after feeding on an infected animal.
Although rarely fatal, the symptoms, which can affect joints as well as the heart and nervous system, sometimes continue for years.
In the UK about 3,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, while in the US it's around 470,000.
How to spot a tick bite
Ticks will usually attach themselves to a person or animal's skin then stay there for up to 10 days if not removed. You may not feel it bite, so if you've been walking in long grass, for example, it's worth having a scan of your body.
An unfed tick can range in size from 2-6mm, while a fully fed tick can measure up to 10mm, so the longer the tick has been attached to its host the bigger it will be.
If a tick has dropped off, it often doesn't leave much of a mark, if any, but there might be a raised bump, like a mosquito bite. Ticks typically only bite once, instead of in clusters or lines.
Symptoms of Lyme disease.
If a tick has passed on Lyme disease, a bullseye rash can appear anywhere from three to 30 days after you've been bitten, according to Healthline. You may also see more than one rash. The rash may get larger over the course of several days, reaching 12 inches in width.
Other symptoms include fatigue, joint pain and swelling, muscle aches, headache, fever, swollen lymph nodes, sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating.
If you suffer any of these symptoms and you suspect it could be Lyme disease, seek medical attention.
How to remove a tick
If you spot a tick you should remove it with tweezers or forceps, pulling the tick straight up with even, steady pressure, rather than twisting the insect, recommends Live Science. Then clean the bite wound with antiseptic or soap and water.
How to avoid tick bites
Cover up
One of the best ways to avoid ticks is to cover as much skin as possible when you're in environments, like long grass, where ticks tend to live.
"Tucking pants [trousers] into socks is a totally nerdy-looking thing, but in this case, it can save you the suffering from a tick-borne disease later on," Holly Donohoe, an adjunct professor at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida told Live Science.
Wear insect repellent
Sometimes it's just too hot to cover your arms and legs. Instead, you could try insect repellent. Permethrin, the insecticide found in anti-malarial bed nets, kills adult ticks as well as those in their larval stage, called nymphs, which are the likeliest to carry Lyme disease. DEET meanwhile, often used in mosquito spray, is not toxic to ticks but can help repel them.
Put your clothes in the dryer
Ticks love humidity and need it to survive. They can actually live through a machine wash but should die in the tumble drier.
Check your dog
Ticks can often attach themselves to dogs. If you regularly check and remove any ticks from your pet, it's less likely your family will be bitten.
Avoid walking through long grass
Try not to walk through long grass if you can help it and regularly mow your lawn and rake leaves.
