An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.
The arrival of summer — and, along with it, all sorts of outdoor activities — also ushers in the arrival of ticks. This guide covers what to do in the event that you find a tick that has already bitten you and embedded itself in your skin. However, the best thing to do is to take a few precautions that’ll increase your chances of not having to extricate a tick from your person to begin with:
- Wear long-sleeved clothing — especially pants, as it’s often our legs that are most exposed to the grass and plants that we brush up against when outdoors.
- Ticks are particularly prone to moist and humid areas, so be especially careful in those conditions.
- Use repellent with DEET.
- When you’ve come indoors after spending time outdoors, check your clothing for ticks.
- After you’ve checked your clothing, shower soon after, and inspect yourself (including those hard-to-reach areas) for the buggers.
Ticks typically don’t transmit their disease-causing bacteria for 36-48 hours, so even if you are bitten by one, if you promptly identify and remove it, you’ll likely avoid a bad outcome.
While you must be vigilant when it comes to ticks, following the tips above will ensure you’re always safe rather than sorry.
Illustration by Ted Slampyak
