Each kind of tick carries a potentially deadly disease. The wood tick carries the bacterium responsible for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The deer tick carries the spirochete responsible for Lyme disease.

However, don't be fooled by the names of the bacteria. Rocky Mountain spotted fever was so named because that's the region where it was first discovered, as was Lyme, Connecticut for Lyme disease. Yet today, each is either widespread or becoming so.

Lyme disease is by far the most debilitating primarily because its symptoms still remain improperly diagnosed by the medical profession. The circular rash shown above is typical of Lyme Disease that is carried by the Deer Tick.

If possible, stay clear of high grass or woods during endemic periods (May through September).

Wear clothing that fits snugly or buttons at the wrists, ankles, and waist. Tuck trouser legs into socks, boots, or shoes if possible and make sure your shirt is tucked in.

Search your body often ... very often. Remove as much clothing as is prudently possible to check skin and clothing.

Use insect sprays that contain DEET or permethrin.

The ONLY safe way to remove ticks is with a pair of tweezers. Grasp the head of the tick close to the skin. Pressing the body of the tick may do more damage -- flushing the bacterium into the blood stream if it has not aready done so. Gently tug at the head of the tick and it will usually draw out it's embedded mouth parts as you pull. Treat the wound with anticeptic, and see a doctor if infection occurs.

Never use a match or oils (expecting to cut off its oxygen supply). Both methods are ineffective. You will most likely only burn yourself with a match, and covering the tick with an oil is useless since insects are very resilient and can survive for long periods without air.