Central Coast health officials are urging residents to take precautions as tick activity ramps up this time of year.
Ticks are active year-round in grassy, wooded areas like hiking trails and riverbeds, but spring and early summer are peak seasons for bites.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Epidemiologist Jessie Burmester said this is when tick larvae develop into nymphs– old enough to bite but small enough to go unnoticed.
“It can be really hard to spot them, especially in nymph season, when they are really tiny– the size of a poppy seed– and can bite,” Burmester said.
Ticks can carry diseases such as Lyme. Though Burmester said infections are rare in SLO County, she still recommends precautions including tick checks.
“It's a good idea to just be mindful of where they like to hide, especially when you have clothes on,” Burmester said. “They like to go toward the groin area; they like to go on the waistline; they'll work their way up higher to armpits, behind the knees, the hairline.”
Wearing long sleeves and tucking pants into socks are other protective measures. If bitten, Burmester advises using tweezers to grab the tick straight out from the head without twisting.
The county’s public health lab accepts live ticks for disease testing.
