What to Wear to Avoid Ticks While Hiking?

Ticks can be a real nuisance while out on a hike. Not only do they bite and cause itching, but they can also transmit diseases such as Lyme disease. To avoid ticks during your hikes, it’s important to wear the right clothing and use tick repellents.

Long Pants and Long Sleeves – Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts is one of the most effective ways of avoiding tick bites. When hiking, you should wear clothes that cover your entire body, including your wrists and ankles. Make sure to tuck your pants into your socks and wear light-colored clothing so you can easily spot ticks that may have crawled onto your clothing.

Treated Clothing – Special treated clothing is available that has been designed to repel ticks. These clothes are coated with permethrin, which is a chemical insecticide that kills ticks on contact. This type of clothing is often found in outdoor stores, so if you plan on spending a lot of time outdoors in tick-infested areas, it’s worth investing in treated clothes.

Light Colors – Light colors make it easier to detect ticks on your clothing as they are more visible against lighter fabrics than dark ones. If you’re wearing lighter colored clothes, you’re more likely to spot any ticks before they attach themselves to you and start feeding on your blood.

Tick Repellents – Tick repellents are another way to protect yourself from ticks while out hiking. There are several types of repellents available such as sprays, lotions and oils that contain DEET or Permethrin as active ingredients for repelling ticks and other insects. Be sure to read the instructions carefully before applying any repellent products to your skin or clothing for maximum protection against ticks.

Conclusion: To avoid getting bitten by ticks while out hiking, it’s important to wear the right clothing such as long pants and long-sleeved shirts that cover your entire body including wrists and ankles. You should also consider investing in treated clothing which has been designed specifically for repelling ticks or using light-colored clothes so you can easily spot them crawling onto your body before they start feeding on you. Additionally, using tick repellents with active ingredients such as DEET or Permethrin will give an extra layer of protection against these pesky creatures while out enjoying nature!

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Alex Wright