Pests to look out for outdoors

A lot of people are taking advantage of the warm weather we’ve been having. But you need to be sure you’re being safe.

Make sure you’re protecting yourself from ticks.

“They’re coming out from their winter dormancy and looking for that first blood meal. So make sure to cover up as best as you can. Stay away from brushing up against trees and bushes where ticks kind of hang out. And double check yourself when you’re finished with your day’s activities,” says Mike Taylor, Epidemiologist for Eastern Idaho Public Health.

Mosquitoes are also out…With some being carriers of the West Nile Virus. There are some precautions you can take.

“Don’t leave standing water around, also check the screens around your house. Make sure you don’t have any holes in your screens. And when you are going outside, use some kind of mosquito or bug repellant, that will help with ticks as well,” says Taylor.

They say there haven’t seen much of the virus but it’s important to know the symptoms.

“It’s typically like a flu-like symptom so it might be a bit of a fever, some discomfort in the body, some aching joints or muscles. And if you feel like you have that, maybe a rash on the neck and the chest area, contact your physician.”

Bats could also be carriers of disease so stay away from those too.

“Make sure to never touch a bat, if you can pick up a bat or see a bat and it’s not flying away from you it’s either sleeping or trying to sleep or it could be sick. We know that in Idaho, bats are our primary reservoir for rabies, so don’t ever touch a bat, a bat can transmit rabies to you and rabies can be a fatal disease.”

So next time you head out to enjoy the outdoors, make sure you’re on the lookout.

If you do come into contact with a bat you can call Eastern Idaho Public Health and they’ll let you know what to do. That number is 208-522-0310.