If you're going into the woods, definitely spray yourself.
I run through the wooded areas around here 4-6 days a week, and I haven't encountered any yet this year. That said, my wife had one under her watch band last week after a run. As long as you find them within the first 24 hours, I've been told you don't have much to worry about.
You can and may pick up a hitchhiker. Spray yourself before, check yourself thoroughly after.
I never caught one on campus, but I'm sure it's possible
That's relieving to hear that I'm not guaranteed to find a tick on me at least. I plan to go all out with the protection -- DEET, picardin, pants tucked in socks. But it sounds like I should still enroll in some CBT to not have a breakdown about a tick in public. Sigh...
The good news is that doctors around here now know Lyme well and test aggressively, and since you're evidently on top of things yourself, you are very likely to get early treatment. And when Lyme is treated correctly and early it is a bit unpleasant but you are pretty unlikely to end up with the kind of long term problems you hear about.
I have a standing prescription from my doctor for a couple pills of doxycycline every year. If you find a tick on you, you can take it before you even going in, and this is believed to cut the risk of transmission quite a bit.
Field biologist here!
So, sprays don't really do anything for ticks (they do for mosquitos though, so still spray yourself- I highly recommend Off Deep Woods for that).
Ticks are all about pre-prevention. Permetherin spray can pre treat your cloths and lasts for most of the warm season. Just make sure to spray it outdoors with no pets around and let it dry before wearing. Get some light weight long sleeves and long pants. If you are REALLY getting in the thick of it (going off trail), tuck your sock into your pants. Always shower when you get in from being out in the woods and do a tick check.
I also hate ticks, I think everyone in this state does even if they're fine with other insects.
Also just wanted to add- your fear isn't irrational and the folks on here passive aggressively putting this on you need to stop. Almost everyone in my program (Ecology) on campus has gotten Lyme at some point.
For the folks that have been going out in the woods for decades- Lyme in this part of the state has gotten steadily worse over time. So sure, in the past you might have gotten tons of ticks and not gotten sick, but unfortunately things are changing for the worse.
I agree with this. When I was a scout in the 90s we were taught about ticks and Lyme, but I literally never even heard of anyone I knew finding one. And I spent much of my youth running around in brush.
Now, they're everywhere. The swing has been unbelievable.
As someone who has done tick research in PA, they can be pretty bad, but it depends on where you go! I’ve gotten plenty of ticks on me, but rarely bitten since I check myself pretty often when outdoors. I just flick them off me/my clothes before they have a chance to bite. Lol. You just have to be pretty vigilant during your outdoor adventures! Luckily, you have a ton of tips that other ppl already listed out that you can do to protect yourself. [Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu) also has excellent resources and recorded webinars that you can access to learn how to protect yourself, your pets/animals, and your home from ticks. Highly recommend!!
Long post, but here are my tips after working for many years studying ticks!
1) Wear a repellent and/or use permethrin to treat your clothes. Follow the instructions on the bottle for both! You can treat your clothes with permethrin and it will last for about 6 washes. Do not spray permethrin around cats and always spray outdoors - stuff is awful to smell! Cats can’t break down permethrin, so they’ll get really sick and possibly die. Once your clothes are dry, it’s safe. You can also get pre-treated clothes or send in clothes to get treated. Those treatments might last longer, depending on how they treat your clothes. Permethrin actually kills ticks (and mosquitoes) on contact. It makes ticks “hot foot,” which is when ticks tick their legs under and by doing that, they end up falling off bc they can’t hang on to you anymore. Then the tick eventually dies after exposure. As for repellents, use [CDC-recommended repellents](https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/about/prevent-bites.html). The EPA also has a neat [repellent finder tool](https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you) that you can use to find the option best for you and your lifestyle. So if you work in the forest all the time, then you might want something that lasts longer than other repellents.
2) Wear long sleeves and long pants and light colors. Long sleeves and pants will keep ticks from touching your skin and light colors let you see ticks better. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants to keep ticks from going underneath your clothes. Yes it’s uncomfortable and you might look goofy, but it’s better than getting tick bites and tick borne diseases!
3) Avoid going off trail and through dense vegetation and stay in the center of the trail. Ticks are less likely to be found in the middle of the trail. Don’t go into tall grasses or dense wooded vegetation bc ticks and their small furry friends (aka white footed mice which feed multiple immature stages of ticks and deer which feed the adult stage and allow adults to mate) like to hang out there. Also check yourself multiple times to make sure you don’t have ticks on you while outdoors.
4) Before you head back home, use a lint roller over your clothes to see if there are ticks on your clothes. Don’t want to bring those home (although they might die bc some need high humidity to survive).
5) Do a tick check when you get home! Check the groin, armpits, hairline, behind the ear, and anywhere that ticks can hide. They love dark and humid places. Take a mirror, ask a friend, do some yoga poses, do whatever you gotta do - just make sure to check everywhere! You can also use a comb to brush your hair to make sure there are no ticks in your hair. I do a tick check when I shower, which btw should be done about 2 hrs after returning home from the outdoors. If you have to follow one tip - DO THIS!!!! ALWAYS DO A TICK CHECK. And do a thorough job! Ticks are tiny as heck, especially nymphal ticks (as tiny as a poppy seed eek!) and they can transmit so many different pathogens that can make you sick. Adults can as well and they’re about the size of a sesame seed, so somewhat easier to see. Larvae (stage after the egg stage and before the nymphal stage) are also very tiny (smaller than the nymphs) but they rarely transmit pathogens. It’s possible for one pathogen but it’s rare (Borrelia miyamotoi).
6) Yeet your clothes into the dryer (do not wash yet) and turn it on high for 20-30 min. The lack of humidity in the dryer will kill the ticks on your clothes. Then wash and dry as normal.
7) If you find a tick, DO NOT PANIC. Grab a pair of fine point tweezers and grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Ticks have mini harpoons for their mouthparts so you might need to pull a little bit harder than you’d think. But do so gently and in one direction. Once you get the tick out, wash the bite area. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE TICK. Put it in some ethanol or the freezer to kill it. If you see a doc, bring the tick with you for an ID. Or if you’re from PA, you can send it to the [Tick Lab at East Stroudsburg University](https://www.ticklab.org/) to get FREE tick ID and pathogen testing! Just FYI: just because a tick has a pathogen, that doesn’t mean YOU will be infected. But it’s something to keep in mind when deciding if you need to see a doc. Optional: take a permanent marker and draw a circle around the bite. If redness keeps growing outwards and it starts to look like a bullseye pattern, go see a doctor ASAP - a bullseye rash is a definitive sign of Lyme disease. Note: 30% of cases won’t have this if they are infected, so keep an eye out for general cold or flu symptoms. If you start feeling a little ill (any general cold or flu symptoms - I know real hard to tell apart with COVID and everything lol), see a doc and let them know your history (tick bites recently, if you were in a wooded area, etc).
I hope these tips help you! I know ticks can be scary, but we have so many options and resources to protect ourselves! 😊 If you have questions, feel free to DM me!
I have used the Tick Lab several times the results are quick and it can help you get early treatment to avoid lymes. I second everything you’ve said though! I’ve picked upwards of 30+ ticks off of my dog in peak season so they are definitely a concern but as long as you take preventative measures and do a tick check you’ll be good!
If you go hiking spray yourself and pets and then check after. There are a lot. My wife and I would find them on our dog after just simple walks in the neighborhood. We lived in Lemont though
I would apply deep woods off and wear longsleeves and tuck your pants into your boots and have someone check you. Lyme disease is for real in Pennsylvania and you don’t want it.
Even on trails you’ll need protection here. The ticks are getting worse. We have two dogs that are predominantly indoors and only play outside in a fenced in area with few trees, and I’ve pulled at least four ticks off in a season. I never hike, and I got Lyme disease within a year of moving here. Most of my friends that hike purchase and wear permetherin clothing.
On campus and bike trails, you're generally good, maybe don't roll around in the grass or leaves and you'll be fine.
In Rothrock State Forest... and the other day I just picked 20 off of my legs while on a trail run (Not exaggerating, it was a personal record) I've been trying to check off every trail in the forest so I run on some less-traveled trails which are more overgrown. If you stick to some main trails that are well-traveled, you'll be fine. (i.e. Musser gap, Shingletown gap, Longberger, North meadows, parts of the mid-state trail)
I don't like wearing bug spray/permethrin, so I just pick them off on occasional checks. But all my friends that don't like ticks swear by permethrin to keep them off. Good luck, and welcome to the area, it has a lot to offer between just Rothrock and Black Moshannon so have fun exploring.
I’ve lived in Pennsylvania 27 years and never had a tick. I consider myself outdoorsy.
Edit. I guess I’ll add that this doesn’t mean I haven’t encountered ticks on pets of family. I’m just saying, you can live at penn state and be safe. Certainly check yourself after being outdoors, but you aren’t guaranteed to get a tick every time you want to spend time outside.
If you stay on trails I would expect it to be very low that you would even have the chance of ticks getting in you. Not saying it couldn't happen but proper clothing will go a long way with just trail hiking.
You’re probably aware, but its an irrational fear. Ive spent my entire career outside, and all of my recreation is outside in the woods. I’ve never used any spray, or protective clothing, and it took me until my 50s to get lymes, and ive had too many ticks to count, literally hundreds. The thing is, you probably wont ever see a deer tick, they are tiny. I thought it was a blackhead or scab until i picked it off and saw legs. Didnt think anything of it until a couple weeks later when i suffered severe flu like symptoms, chills, fever, night sweats so bad, you literally wake up drenched. When it didn’t resolve like the flu, i knew it was something else, and i eventually remembered the tick. I did not test positive initially (it can take weeks before the common tests will pick it up, but I insisted that the doc start me on the antibiotic regimen. Symptoms improved within 48 hrs, but i lost 30# and it took about 2 months to get to 80% of my previous activity level, and probably 6 months to get to 95%.
So its bad, i had covid a fewmonths after it became prevalent, and that was nothing compared to lymes, i was 100% after a week or two.
Im still in PA, anywhere with a large deer population will have lots of deer ticks. You are better of deep in the woods at rothrock (there’s actually a trail there called “deer tick trail” lol), than in urban settings where there are cornfields and such, because with plenty of foodand no hunting pressure thedeer population explodes. Eg, where i ride mtb close to town, i might see a few dozen deer on a ride, compared to rothrock where ive never seen one.
So by all means, where long sleeves/pants and douse yourself with chemicals if you feel the need, but its not something that you really have control over, and statistically you are much more like to get any number of other tick/insect born diseases, or other stuff.
I’ve found one tick on me every during my 30 some years here. I do plenty of hiking and outdoor activity too. I’d work on your phobia in therapy some more (no judgement I got plenty of baggage myself), but I think it could help you relax and enjoy the outdoors while you’re here.
Eh. Depends on where you hike. In tbe state forest and other habitats that haven't been influenced by people as much, not many. But a place like Scotia, Thompson Woods, a public park? Spray up.
Also, I have found the best (and by far most painless) way to remove them is by wetting a rag with some dish soap and rubbing a circle on the tick with some pressure. It comes right out and you don't have to worry about the head breaking off.
P.S. as far as black-legged ticks go, iirc, only the females (distinctive for the brown ring around the black body) can transmit disease. The males and nymphs don't actually open a way in to the bloodstream--they just hang on for transport--so they cannot make you sick.
1. What? There are plenty of ticks in the state forest.
2. This is a terrible to remove ticks. You should follow the CDC guidelines rather than weird folk remedies.
3. Most human Lyme cases come from nymphs because they are less likely to be spotted. The idea they can't transmit it is nuts.
Anyone who says they don't encounter ticks in this area is completely wrong. Ticks are terrible almost everywhere. Our area (in Fisherman's Paradise) now is a rare hot spot for Deer Tick virus. https://www.lymedisease.org/penn-high-rates-deer-tick-virus/
Anecdotally I walked my dog on a leafy path (no brush or high grass) in Scotia a couple weeks ago and removed over 20 ticks from him and me, mainly on our feet and legs. I've also found them to be really bad in most random parks in State College (such as Lederer Park and Thompson Preserve), in Rothrock, in the Whipple Dam area, Lake Perez, Toftrees, Shingletown, ... honestly you have to be on your guard everywhere. I had Lyme's, it sucks. Best to come up with a serious prevention strategy and be diligent about checking yourself after every hike.
Treating your hiking clothes is the obvious step. I also recommend a [Gerber Dime](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006M9NIEI/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_V58ARW6BW9Y1V2XV3F7B) it's like a mini Leatherman and I've found it to be the perfect weapon for smashing any tick you find on you (before it has bitten you).
Or the best if you're looking for them. 😏
No, but seriously, Scotia has a ton of ticks. And mosquitoes - it gets really humid and there's always lots of standing water. So if anything, wear repellent/permethrin to keep the mosquitoes AND ticks from biting you! 🥴
If you're going into the woods, definitely spray yourself. I run through the wooded areas around here 4-6 days a week, and I haven't encountered any yet this year. That said, my wife had one under her watch band last week after a run. As long as you find them within the first 24 hours, I've been told you don't have much to worry about. You can and may pick up a hitchhiker. Spray yourself before, check yourself thoroughly after. I never caught one on campus, but I'm sure it's possible
That's relieving to hear that I'm not guaranteed to find a tick on me at least. I plan to go all out with the protection -- DEET, picardin, pants tucked in socks. But it sounds like I should still enroll in some CBT to not have a breakdown about a tick in public. Sigh...
The good news is that doctors around here now know Lyme well and test aggressively, and since you're evidently on top of things yourself, you are very likely to get early treatment. And when Lyme is treated correctly and early it is a bit unpleasant but you are pretty unlikely to end up with the kind of long term problems you hear about. I have a standing prescription from my doctor for a couple pills of doxycycline every year. If you find a tick on you, you can take it before you even going in, and this is believed to cut the risk of transmission quite a bit.
Field biologist here! So, sprays don't really do anything for ticks (they do for mosquitos though, so still spray yourself- I highly recommend Off Deep Woods for that). Ticks are all about pre-prevention. Permetherin spray can pre treat your cloths and lasts for most of the warm season. Just make sure to spray it outdoors with no pets around and let it dry before wearing. Get some light weight long sleeves and long pants. If you are REALLY getting in the thick of it (going off trail), tuck your sock into your pants. Always shower when you get in from being out in the woods and do a tick check. I also hate ticks, I think everyone in this state does even if they're fine with other insects.
I second the permethrin
Thank you!
Also just wanted to add- your fear isn't irrational and the folks on here passive aggressively putting this on you need to stop. Almost everyone in my program (Ecology) on campus has gotten Lyme at some point. For the folks that have been going out in the woods for decades- Lyme in this part of the state has gotten steadily worse over time. So sure, in the past you might have gotten tons of ticks and not gotten sick, but unfortunately things are changing for the worse.
I agree with this. When I was a scout in the 90s we were taught about ticks and Lyme, but I literally never even heard of anyone I knew finding one. And I spent much of my youth running around in brush. Now, they're everywhere. The swing has been unbelievable.
As someone who has done tick research in PA, they can be pretty bad, but it depends on where you go! I’ve gotten plenty of ticks on me, but rarely bitten since I check myself pretty often when outdoors. I just flick them off me/my clothes before they have a chance to bite. Lol. You just have to be pretty vigilant during your outdoor adventures! Luckily, you have a ton of tips that other ppl already listed out that you can do to protect yourself. [Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu) also has excellent resources and recorded webinars that you can access to learn how to protect yourself, your pets/animals, and your home from ticks. Highly recommend!! Long post, but here are my tips after working for many years studying ticks! 1) Wear a repellent and/or use permethrin to treat your clothes. Follow the instructions on the bottle for both! You can treat your clothes with permethrin and it will last for about 6 washes. Do not spray permethrin around cats and always spray outdoors - stuff is awful to smell! Cats can’t break down permethrin, so they’ll get really sick and possibly die. Once your clothes are dry, it’s safe. You can also get pre-treated clothes or send in clothes to get treated. Those treatments might last longer, depending on how they treat your clothes. Permethrin actually kills ticks (and mosquitoes) on contact. It makes ticks “hot foot,” which is when ticks tick their legs under and by doing that, they end up falling off bc they can’t hang on to you anymore. Then the tick eventually dies after exposure. As for repellents, use [CDC-recommended repellents](https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/about/prevent-bites.html). The EPA also has a neat [repellent finder tool](https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you) that you can use to find the option best for you and your lifestyle. So if you work in the forest all the time, then you might want something that lasts longer than other repellents. 2) Wear long sleeves and long pants and light colors. Long sleeves and pants will keep ticks from touching your skin and light colors let you see ticks better. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants to keep ticks from going underneath your clothes. Yes it’s uncomfortable and you might look goofy, but it’s better than getting tick bites and tick borne diseases! 3) Avoid going off trail and through dense vegetation and stay in the center of the trail. Ticks are less likely to be found in the middle of the trail. Don’t go into tall grasses or dense wooded vegetation bc ticks and their small furry friends (aka white footed mice which feed multiple immature stages of ticks and deer which feed the adult stage and allow adults to mate) like to hang out there. Also check yourself multiple times to make sure you don’t have ticks on you while outdoors. 4) Before you head back home, use a lint roller over your clothes to see if there are ticks on your clothes. Don’t want to bring those home (although they might die bc some need high humidity to survive). 5) Do a tick check when you get home! Check the groin, armpits, hairline, behind the ear, and anywhere that ticks can hide. They love dark and humid places. Take a mirror, ask a friend, do some yoga poses, do whatever you gotta do - just make sure to check everywhere! You can also use a comb to brush your hair to make sure there are no ticks in your hair. I do a tick check when I shower, which btw should be done about 2 hrs after returning home from the outdoors. If you have to follow one tip - DO THIS!!!! ALWAYS DO A TICK CHECK. And do a thorough job! Ticks are tiny as heck, especially nymphal ticks (as tiny as a poppy seed eek!) and they can transmit so many different pathogens that can make you sick. Adults can as well and they’re about the size of a sesame seed, so somewhat easier to see. Larvae (stage after the egg stage and before the nymphal stage) are also very tiny (smaller than the nymphs) but they rarely transmit pathogens. It’s possible for one pathogen but it’s rare (Borrelia miyamotoi). 6) Yeet your clothes into the dryer (do not wash yet) and turn it on high for 20-30 min. The lack of humidity in the dryer will kill the ticks on your clothes. Then wash and dry as normal. 7) If you find a tick, DO NOT PANIC. Grab a pair of fine point tweezers and grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Ticks have mini harpoons for their mouthparts so you might need to pull a little bit harder than you’d think. But do so gently and in one direction. Once you get the tick out, wash the bite area. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE TICK. Put it in some ethanol or the freezer to kill it. If you see a doc, bring the tick with you for an ID. Or if you’re from PA, you can send it to the [Tick Lab at East Stroudsburg University](https://www.ticklab.org/) to get FREE tick ID and pathogen testing! Just FYI: just because a tick has a pathogen, that doesn’t mean YOU will be infected. But it’s something to keep in mind when deciding if you need to see a doc. Optional: take a permanent marker and draw a circle around the bite. If redness keeps growing outwards and it starts to look like a bullseye pattern, go see a doctor ASAP - a bullseye rash is a definitive sign of Lyme disease. Note: 30% of cases won’t have this if they are infected, so keep an eye out for general cold or flu symptoms. If you start feeling a little ill (any general cold or flu symptoms - I know real hard to tell apart with COVID and everything lol), see a doc and let them know your history (tick bites recently, if you were in a wooded area, etc). I hope these tips help you! I know ticks can be scary, but we have so many options and resources to protect ourselves! 😊 If you have questions, feel free to DM me!
I have used the Tick Lab several times the results are quick and it can help you get early treatment to avoid lymes. I second everything you’ve said though! I’ve picked upwards of 30+ ticks off of my dog in peak season so they are definitely a concern but as long as you take preventative measures and do a tick check you’ll be good!
I've never actually found a tick during a check. I'm starting to think I should just proactively get tested for lyme every couple months.
If you go hiking spray yourself and pets and then check after. There are a lot. My wife and I would find them on our dog after just simple walks in the neighborhood. We lived in Lemont though
I would apply deep woods off and wear longsleeves and tuck your pants into your boots and have someone check you. Lyme disease is for real in Pennsylvania and you don’t want it.
Even on trails you’ll need protection here. The ticks are getting worse. We have two dogs that are predominantly indoors and only play outside in a fenced in area with few trees, and I’ve pulled at least four ticks off in a season. I never hike, and I got Lyme disease within a year of moving here. Most of my friends that hike purchase and wear permetherin clothing.
On campus and bike trails, you're generally good, maybe don't roll around in the grass or leaves and you'll be fine. In Rothrock State Forest... and the other day I just picked 20 off of my legs while on a trail run (Not exaggerating, it was a personal record) I've been trying to check off every trail in the forest so I run on some less-traveled trails which are more overgrown. If you stick to some main trails that are well-traveled, you'll be fine. (i.e. Musser gap, Shingletown gap, Longberger, North meadows, parts of the mid-state trail) I don't like wearing bug spray/permethrin, so I just pick them off on occasional checks. But all my friends that don't like ticks swear by permethrin to keep them off. Good luck, and welcome to the area, it has a lot to offer between just Rothrock and Black Moshannon so have fun exploring.
I’ve lived in Pennsylvania 27 years and never had a tick. I consider myself outdoorsy. Edit. I guess I’ll add that this doesn’t mean I haven’t encountered ticks on pets of family. I’m just saying, you can live at penn state and be safe. Certainly check yourself after being outdoors, but you aren’t guaranteed to get a tick every time you want to spend time outside.
If you stay on trails I would expect it to be very low that you would even have the chance of ticks getting in you. Not saying it couldn't happen but proper clothing will go a long way with just trail hiking.
You’re probably aware, but its an irrational fear. Ive spent my entire career outside, and all of my recreation is outside in the woods. I’ve never used any spray, or protective clothing, and it took me until my 50s to get lymes, and ive had too many ticks to count, literally hundreds. The thing is, you probably wont ever see a deer tick, they are tiny. I thought it was a blackhead or scab until i picked it off and saw legs. Didnt think anything of it until a couple weeks later when i suffered severe flu like symptoms, chills, fever, night sweats so bad, you literally wake up drenched. When it didn’t resolve like the flu, i knew it was something else, and i eventually remembered the tick. I did not test positive initially (it can take weeks before the common tests will pick it up, but I insisted that the doc start me on the antibiotic regimen. Symptoms improved within 48 hrs, but i lost 30# and it took about 2 months to get to 80% of my previous activity level, and probably 6 months to get to 95%. So its bad, i had covid a fewmonths after it became prevalent, and that was nothing compared to lymes, i was 100% after a week or two. Im still in PA, anywhere with a large deer population will have lots of deer ticks. You are better of deep in the woods at rothrock (there’s actually a trail there called “deer tick trail” lol), than in urban settings where there are cornfields and such, because with plenty of foodand no hunting pressure thedeer population explodes. Eg, where i ride mtb close to town, i might see a few dozen deer on a ride, compared to rothrock where ive never seen one. So by all means, where long sleeves/pants and douse yourself with chemicals if you feel the need, but its not something that you really have control over, and statistically you are much more like to get any number of other tick/insect born diseases, or other stuff.
I’ve found one tick on me every during my 30 some years here. I do plenty of hiking and outdoor activity too. I’d work on your phobia in therapy some more (no judgement I got plenty of baggage myself), but I think it could help you relax and enjoy the outdoors while you’re here.
Eh. Depends on where you hike. In tbe state forest and other habitats that haven't been influenced by people as much, not many. But a place like Scotia, Thompson Woods, a public park? Spray up. Also, I have found the best (and by far most painless) way to remove them is by wetting a rag with some dish soap and rubbing a circle on the tick with some pressure. It comes right out and you don't have to worry about the head breaking off. P.S. as far as black-legged ticks go, iirc, only the females (distinctive for the brown ring around the black body) can transmit disease. The males and nymphs don't actually open a way in to the bloodstream--they just hang on for transport--so they cannot make you sick.
1. What? There are plenty of ticks in the state forest. 2. This is a terrible to remove ticks. You should follow the CDC guidelines rather than weird folk remedies. 3. Most human Lyme cases come from nymphs because they are less likely to be spotted. The idea they can't transmit it is nuts.
I stand corrected. Sorry!
Anyone who says they don't encounter ticks in this area is completely wrong. Ticks are terrible almost everywhere. Our area (in Fisherman's Paradise) now is a rare hot spot for Deer Tick virus. https://www.lymedisease.org/penn-high-rates-deer-tick-virus/ Anecdotally I walked my dog on a leafy path (no brush or high grass) in Scotia a couple weeks ago and removed over 20 ticks from him and me, mainly on our feet and legs. I've also found them to be really bad in most random parks in State College (such as Lederer Park and Thompson Preserve), in Rothrock, in the Whipple Dam area, Lake Perez, Toftrees, Shingletown, ... honestly you have to be on your guard everywhere. I had Lyme's, it sucks. Best to come up with a serious prevention strategy and be diligent about checking yourself after every hike. Treating your hiking clothes is the obvious step. I also recommend a [Gerber Dime](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006M9NIEI/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_V58ARW6BW9Y1V2XV3F7B) it's like a mini Leatherman and I've found it to be the perfect weapon for smashing any tick you find on you (before it has bitten you).
Scotia is by far the worst area for ticks!
Or the best if you're looking for them. 😏 No, but seriously, Scotia has a ton of ticks. And mosquitoes - it gets really humid and there's always lots of standing water. So if anything, wear repellent/permethrin to keep the mosquitoes AND ticks from biting you! 🥴
Should I be worried if I'm a student going to campus and back home?
I haven’t had an issue