'They're pretty much everywhere': Tick sightings on the rise in Bay Area and Northern California

I once went camping in an area known for ticks. I learned that they like to latch on around the hair, armpits, the groin, in the butt crack area, and the belly button area. Do a check of those areas, or have a friend check for you. If you find a latched tick on you, put it in a sandwich bag, and keep it. It can be tested for Lyme disease later.

Here are my tick tips.

• Do not wear denim or yoga pants. Wear some kind of water repellent type of polyester hiking pant from REI. Ticks can’t jump they have to grab on. They can’t grab onto slick pants that don’t have holes.
• Use trekking poles to whack any grass before you brush your leg against it. They get really excited when something touches their blade of grass and they let go and fall to the ground. You don’t have to whack it hard. Whack it gently.
• Keep your eyes open. They aren’t too hard to spot on a blade of grass. They don’t jump. Take a close look.
• Ticks can be higher up than grass. When you see ticks don’t walk through manzanita or other shrubs, getting stuff in your hair.
• Should go without saying but stay on the trail.