Ticks, mosquitoes and stinging insects on outdoor jobs

Landscapers, fence builders, surveyors and anyone else working in woods, brush or tall grass spend their days where ticks and mosquitoes are, and they carry diseases from Lyme to West Nile virus. Bees, wasps and hornets add the risk of a sting, which for a worker with a venom allergy can be life-threatening. In the U.S., ticks are most active in spring, summer and fall.

Ticks

• Know the sites. Woods, brush, tall grass and leaf litter have the most ticks. Where you can, clear leaf litter and cut back tall grass and brush before the work starts.
• Cover up. Wear a hat and light-colored long sleeves and long pants, with the pants tucked into boots or socks.
• Use repellent on skin. Apply an EPA-registered repellent and follow the label. The registered active ingredients include DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD and 2-undecanone.
• Treat clothing, not skin, with permethrin. Products with 0.5 percent permethrin on clothing and gear kill ticks on contact.
• Check after every shift. Shower as soon as you can after work, and check the skin, hair, underarms and groin.
• Remove a tick right. Grasp it with fine-tipped tweezers as close to the skin as you can, pull straight out with steady pressure, and wash the spot with soap and water.
• Dry the work clothes hot. Wash them, then dry them in a hot dryer to kill any ticks.

Mosquitoes

• Get rid of standing water. Mosquitoes lay eggs in or near it. Cover or move equipment, clear debris from ditches, fill ruts, and empty or drill drain holes in buckets, tires and other containers.
• Cover exposed skin. Wear clothing over the arms, legs and hands, and a hat with mosquito netting where they're thick.
• Repellent after sunscreen. Put sunscreen on first and repellent second.
• Treat clothing and gear with permethrin.
• Report symptoms. A worker with symptoms after bites should tell a supervisor and get medical attention.

Bees, wasps and hornets

• Dress smooth and light. Wear light-colored, smooth-finished clothing that covers as much of the body as possible.
• Skip scents. Perfumed soaps, shampoos and deodorants, cologne and banana scents all attract them.
• One insect: stay still. Stay calm, since swatting can make it sting.
• Several at once: run. Get indoors or into shade, which is better than open ground. Don't jump into water, since some insects hover over it.
• After a sting. Have someone stay with the worker to watch for an allergic reaction. Wash the site with soap and water, and wipe gauze over it or scrape it with a fingernail to remove the stinger, never squeezing it or using tweezers. Ice it for swelling, and don't scratch.
• Severe allergies. A worker with a history of severe reactions should carry an epinephrine auto-injector and wear medical identification. A severe reaction, called anaphylaxis, needs emergency care right away.

Ticks and mosquitoes around the house covers the yard at home.

An annotated example

What to do next

Stock EPA-registered repellent in each truck, apply permethrin to the crew's work pants and boots, and walk each new site for standing water and brush before the work starts.