Talking ticks with Dr. Vett Lloyd
Even though Vett Lloyd spends a good amount of her time studying ticks and the diseases they carry around, she’s a strong proponent of getting outdoors this spring and summer.
The Mount Allison professor and researcher runs the Lloyd Tick Lab studying vector biology, primarily focusing on ticks.
Hear an interview with Vett Lloyd from Tantramar Report on May 28:
“The ticks are here,” says Lloyd. “They’re not going anywhere. We just have to get used to them and practice some really easy things to keep ourselves safer.“
With that in mind, Lloyd shared some ‘best practices’ when it comes to keeping yourself safe from ticks.
BUG SPRAY
“Bug spray is really designed for mosquitoes,” says Lloyd, “but there are some sprays that say they’re good for ticks. They will give you partial protection.” Lloyd says just “follow the instructions on the label.”
TICK-REPELLENT CLOTHING
“If you’re working in the bush, if you’re hunting, camping, that sort of long exposure, you can get clothing that has permethrin—a tick repellent—embedded in it. That works quite well,” says Lloyd.
RUBBER BOOTS
“If you’re just tromping around in long grass, and you’re not particularly worried about being fashion-forward, rubber boots work remarkably well,” says Lloyd. “Something a farmer once said to me when I started this work is ticks don’t like rubber. I haven’t tested that scientifically, but from my experience, it actually does seem to work.”
DAILY TICK CHECKS
“Probably the most important thing you can do is a tick check,” says Lloyd.… Continue