It was a bright May weekend when Catherine, who lives in rural Vermont, took her family and their golden retriever, Benny, for a hike through the woods. The kids were chasing butterflies through the tall grass, and Benny bounded through the shrubs with joy. Back home that evening, as Catherine prepared dinner, she noticed a tiny dark speck on her 8-year-old son George’s leg. On closer inspection, it wasn’t mud—it was a tick, firmly latched onto his skin.
What seems like a small and harmless dot can turn into a serious health concern. Ticks are not insects, though they often get mistaken as such. With eight legs and a body built for stealth, they are arachnids, closely related to spiders. Ticks feed on the blood of humans and warm-blooded animals, and they’re masters of ambush, hiding in tall grass, fallen leaves, and brush. In many parts of the U.S., especially during the warmer months, they’re just waiting for a person—or a pet—to brush by.
Most people first hear about ticks in relation to Lyme disease. The name may sound like it belongs to a charming New England town, but it’s actually the most common tickborne illness in North America. Early symptoms can mimic a simple flu: fever, chills, muscle aches, and sometimes a red rash shaped like a bullseye. What’s dangerous is that symptoms may not appear right away. Some cases manifest weeks or even months later with more severe issues like joint pain or neurological complications.
Luckily for George, Catherine spotted the tick early and removed it properly. Using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, she grabbed the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulled upward with slow, steady pressure. No twisting, no yanking. If a tick’s mouthparts break off and remain in the skin, they can cause irritation or infection. Fortunately, she got the whole thing out cleanly. She then cleaned the area with alcohol and kept a watchful eye on George for the following days.
But Lyme disease is just the tip of the iceberg. Hank, a retired engineer in Texas, learned this the hard way. After a summer BBQ last year, he began developing strange allergic reactions. Hours after eating steak, bacon, or even a hamburger, he’d break out in hives and have trouble breathing. The culprit? Alpha-gal syndrome—a rare red meat allergy triggered by a tick bite. Unlike most food allergies, this one kicks in hours after eating, making it even harder to diagnose.
Ticks can strike even in urban areas. Lisa, a nurse in the San Francisco Bay Area, recalls a case where a middle school teacher developed a fever a few days after a picnic in the park. A black dot on his leg turned out to be a tick. He was eventually diagnosed with ehrlichiosis, another tickborne disease that starts with flu-like symptoms and often goes undiagnosed for too long.
The real challenge with tickborne diseases is that the early symptoms—fever, fatigue, aches—are so nonspecific. It’s easy to shrug them off as just a virus or stress. That’s why a history of outdoor activity and a sharp eye for detail are crucial for diagnosis.
So how do we protect ourselves? Awareness is step one. You don’t have to be deep in the woods to encounter ticks. They’re found in suburban yards, local parks, and even on neighborhood sidewalks where grass isn’t trimmed. Protective measures don’t need to be extreme. Take Amy, a mom of two in Georgia. She always sprays her daughters’ clothes with EPA-approved repellents like DEET or picaridin before letting them out to play, and she favors light-colored clothing to easily spot ticks. She tucks pants into socks, shirts into pants, and makes daily tick checks part of the bedtime routine.
Pets are another common way ticks enter the home. Catherine’s golden retriever Benny, for example, loves the outdoors but needs regular tick prevention treatment. After every walk, she checks his fur thoroughly, especially around the ears, neck, and belly.
If you do find a tick on your body, stay calm. What matters most is removing it quickly and correctly. If you're not sure how, take a photo of it before removal and consult your doctor afterward. The CDC has excellent visual guides online to help identify the tick species and the associated disease risk.
Avoiding tick bites doesn’t mean avoiding nature. In fact, getting outside is essential for physical and mental well-being. With some simple precautions—like Catherine’s vigilance, Hank’s awareness, and Amy’s prevention habits—we can enjoy the outdoors while minimizing the risks.
Staying healthy isn’t just about kale smoothies and 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes, it’s about noticing the tiny things—like an eight-legged hitchhiker on your sock. Because good health starts with paying attention to the small stuff.