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For the most part, as long as you check yourself at the end of everyday you should be fine. Most tick-borne diseases take some time to transmit to the host. Lyme takes at least 48 hours of being embedded to transmit. There are dozens of different strains of Lyme too and only some of them cause symptoms (though this is still being researched).
The less time the tick has been in your skin the easier it is to pull out.
Ticks follow a specific life cycle. Spring time is when you need to be most vigilant because that’s when nymphs are seeking a host. Nymphs are the second smallest stage and are much harder to find than adults. Nymphs are also the first stage of the cycle which able to carry Lyme because they revive the disease from a host. It is not passed down from mother to eggs so larvae cannot have Lyme. Larvae are also rare and normally localized to one area. You’ll know when you find them because after walking through a nest of larvae you’ll have several to a few dozen on you. Adults can carry Lyme if the nymph’s host is infected they’re so large that it’s hard NOT to feel them when they’re crawling on you unlesss you’re really oblivious.
Weather also effects the activity of ticks. Once the temperature has gone below freezing for at least two days, most adult ticks will have gone to ground and be significantly less active. However, on days where the temperature stays above freezing, the ticks come back out. Snow cover also forces the ticks to go to ground. Rain will also decrease their activity.
Tldr; only have to worry about nymphs from spring to early summer and then adults in the fall. Check yourself everyday and you’ll be fine.
t. Tick research assistant
