LEWISBURG -- Because of the mild winter we had this year, experts say there could be an overabundance of ticks.
Kyle Bray and Matthew Varner manage the Lewisburg Community Garden. They are always getting their hands dirty.
Bray said, “One of us is out here at some point every day."
Because the two men spend so much time outside, they are aware of insects, especially ticks. Because of the mild winter, experts say ticks will be out in full force. Varner and Bray know how to protect themselves.
"When I wash my gardening clothes, I tend to wash them and put some Borax in the laundry with it as well and wash it on a really really hot temperature,” added Bray.
Varner said, "You don't want anything to make it into your laundry and somehow live through that and reattach itself to you as soon as you put those pants back on."
The biggest thing we heard from everyone we spoke with when it comes to ticks and other insect bites is to cover yourself up.
"I don't care how hot it is, I want the protection from whatever,” said Bray. “We do have people who come out and prefer to be in shorts, though. But we recommend that people wear long pants."
Varner added, “The best thing that we can really do is wear long pants, wear jeans when we're out here."
"Using tick repellent when you're going to be in the woods especially," said Dr. Lisa Esolen.
Dr. Esolen is the Infection Prevention Specialist at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. She says there is a misconception about Lyme disease.
She explained, "For the most part, Lyme disease is very treatable. The testing can be difficult to interpret, depending on the stage of the infection."
Dr. Esolen agrees that wearing long pants and long sleeves can help keep ticks away.
She also recommends wearing light colors so that it's easier to see if a tick lands on you.
