What specific preventative step involving clothing, performed immediately upon entering a structure, can kill hitchhiking Wood Ticks?
Answer
Tossing potentially contaminated clothing into a hot dryer for about ten minutes
Preventing ticks from transferring from clothing to skin is a critical step in tick management after spending time in high-risk outdoor environments. Since ticks often hitch a ride on clothing before finding an ideal host site on the body, a very effective immediate action involves using heat. Tossing gear and clothing, especially items worn in brushy areas, directly into a hot dryer and running it for approximately ten minutes is sufficient to kill any hitchhikers that have not yet managed to attach themselves to the host.

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