By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Send us your tick! That’s the message from the Washington State Department of Health today as we move into what is considered tick season in western Washington.
It’s easy to not think about ticks at all. This reporter was born and raised in western Washington, is an avid hiker and camper, and has never been bitten by a tick (except in California).
Health officials describe tick habitats as wooded, brushy, or grassy places. So, everywhere, basically. You’d think we’d get more ticks. But Washington has relatively few cases of tick-borne illnesses such as the dreaded Lyme disease, which is far more common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper-Midwest regions. (By the way, other unsavory diseases you can get from ticks include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, and tick paralysis). Still, each year a few cases are diagnosed and reported to the Washington State Department of Health.
For that reason, health officials are asking anyone who gets a tick to safely remove it, (click here to learn how) and send it to them. To do that, they’re asking that you first fill out and submit an online form. They’re collecting data on when and where it was found, whether it was on a person or an animal, and what you were doing, such as dog walking or gardening, when you got it. When you send in a tick, it will go straight to the office Public Health Entomologist Dr. Liz Dykstra.
“We ask people to put the tick in a pill bottle. You know, those orange pill bottles? Something like that. Freeze it for about 24 hours so it’s dead, and then send it in a padded envelope. And the email that you receive has the address on where to send it.”
Submitting a tick helps Dykstra track species distributions, seasonal activity trends, and determine the risk for tick-borne disease in your area. Dykstra says there are roughly 15 species of ticks in Washington but, happily, not all ticks are interested in humans.
If we haven’t given you the heebie-jeebies yet, you can visit the DOH website to learn more about the different ticks in Washington state, how to submit a tick to DOH, and ways to enjoy the scenery in our state while also protecting yourself, your family, and pets from tick bites.