Increasing your knowledge about ticks and tick encounters will make you better prepared to protect yourself and others.

Increase your knowledge to prevent tick-borne disease Think TICK... Take ACTION || Tick Identification || Tick Testing || Tick Removal || Patient Profiles || Tick Biteology || Diseases

Think TICK... Take ACTION! Toolbox

Think TICK...Take ACTION Toolbox T

Tweezers

 I

Inspect

 C

Clothing Repellent

 K

Kill the critters

Use pointy tweezers for safe removal.

How to remove a tick?
Which kind of ticks transmit disease?

Check your body for ticks at least once a day.

Watch our documentary
Consider tick testing if you find a tick on yourself

Use repellents with permethrin on clothing, not skin.

Permethrin Facts
Clothing with repellent built-in

Spray the tick habitat around the perimeter of your yard.

How do I protect myself and family , my yard , my pets against ticks?

Do you know how to prevent tick bites and disease?

  • Be sure to purchase a pointy tweezer (CVS carries them in the Northeast U.S.A.).
  • Get into the habit of checking yourself and family members at least once a day for ticks.
  • Treat the clothes you wear when venturing into tick habitats while gardening or playing outside with permethrin repellents.
  • Or purchase clothes already treated with permethrin.
  • Don't forget your pets- treat them with topical products (like Advantix) at least once a month and keep their Lyme disease vaccination up-to-date.
  • Finally, make arrangements now to have a professional pest control applicator do tick killing perimeter sprays in late May & June.

    • Not quite ready to take action? Watch our documentary film

    Hidden in the Leaves, directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Healey Jamiel, is the story of University of Rhode Island entomologist Thomas Mather and his team's efforts to help people see the risks for serious tick-transmitted disease lurking in an increasing number of rural, suburban and even semi-urban landscapes in the eastern United States.

    Purchase Hidden in the Leaves on DVD%

    Think TICK - Take Action Award 2009 Recipients

    The Tick Encounter Resource Center and NBC10 WJAR were pleased to present two awards at the Big Tick Gala 2009 to Peter Lord and Nate Miller. These awards are given to individuals who have shown outstanding efforts in the fight against tick-borne disease and tick bite prevention.

    Recap of the Big Tick Gala 2009

    2009 Award Recipients || 2008 Award Recipients

    Future Nominations

    The past two years we have asked people in the community to submit nomations to recognize individuals or groups who best demonstrate an effort or commitment in raising consciousness about ticks, their associated diseases, and especially taking action to prevent tick-borne disease. It's never too early to bring such people to our attention. If you would like to get involved in our mission, or make us aware of people who are contributing, we urge you to contact us TERC@uri.edu

    Read our past news story about nominations here.

    Make A Gift Today

    Are you concerned about the serious health threat caused by ticks?

    Would you like to make appropriate tick-borne diseases prevention programming more widely available? If you answered yes to these questions, please consider supporting the Tick Encounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island. Proceeds help support tick-bite prevention programs.