Staying Safe During Tick Season: An Illustrated Guide for People and Pets

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An alum and staffer at Cornell's Integrated Pest Management program offers some tips for warding off the tiny, bitey critters

Editor's note: These visuals originally appeared in a LinkedIn post from the University.

By Cornellians staff

llustration by Shea Oleksa

With tick season about to kick into high gear in the Northeast—and already well underway in other parts of the country—we offer some expert advice on how to keep from getting bitten (and, if all else fails, safely removing the wee arachnids).

The insights come courtesy of tick expert Joellen Kozlowski Lampman ’90, a former natural resources major in CALS who's now a coordinator at the college's Integrated Pest Management program. Its stated mission: to "advance research and education on options to manage pests while protecting human, environmental, and economic health."

An illustration of a person with arrows pointing to different areas on their body. The text says: 1. Look for ticks in dark, warm body spots. Ticks can be as small as poppy seeds, so use your eyes and fingertips to check for any new freckles and skin tags, then check to see if they have legs. Kids and pets will think they are getting a massage.

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An illustration of a hand holding a spray bottle marked PERMETHRIN. The text says: 2. Treat your clothes. Clothes treated with permethrin will kill ticks as they walk over them. You can buy pre-treated clothes or do so yourself — with some treatments lasting for weeks or years. Be sure to follow label instructions when using any pesticide.
An illustration of a person with arrows pointing to their waistband and pant cuffs tucked into socks. The text says: 3. Dress for the outdoors. Tucking pants into socks protects dark, warm body spots where ticks like to feed. Tucking in your shirt forces ticks to climb longer and farther to reach skin.
An illustration of a hand using spray bottle with an icon of a crossed-out tick. The text says: 4. Confuse ticks with repellents. Skin repellents disrupt ticks’ sense organs, lowering the odds they’ll grab on when you brush by. Always follow label instructions, and don’t forget to protect your pets, too.
An illustration showing how to correctly and incorrectly remove a tick with tweezers. The text says: 5. Remove safely. Found an attached tick? Treat it gently until it has been removed. Pointy tweezers allow you to grab the head without squeezing the body. Gently pull up.
An illustration of three different types of ticks. The text says: 6. Know thy enemy. Different ticks carry different diseases. Saving a tick in a sealed container after it’s been removed can help you and your healthcare provider identify it, informing treatment decisions.

Published April 14, 2026

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