With warmer weather, tick activity is on the rise in Utah. Spending time outside could bring you in close contact with ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, and wooded areas, or even on animals. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood. Long-sleeved clothing and certain insect repellants can help keep the ticks away. Light clothing also makes the ticks easier to spot.
Summit County Health offers free tick species identification only. Put the tick into a plastic baggie with your contact information and bring it to any of our Health Department locations, and our Environmental Health staff will identify it for you. *Keep in mind that the specimen will not be tested for disease. In the past, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services offered specimen disease testing in individual ticks collected, but they are not offering that service at this time.
Tips to stay tick free when spending time outdoors:
- Wear long sleeves
- Tuck pants into socks
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent
If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove the tick as soon as possible. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers works very well.
Some quick tips for removing ticks:
- Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Grab close to the skin. Pull upward with steady, even pressure.
- Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
