The best prevention against contracting Lyme disease is to avoid a tick attaching itself to you or your pet. Ticks live in wooded, brushy areas that provide food and cover for white-footed mice, deer and other mammals. This habitat also provides the humidity ticks need to survive. Exposure to ticks may be greatest in the woods (especially along trails) and the fringe area between the woods and border. Blacklegged ticks search for a host from the tips of low-lying vegetation and shrubs, not from trees. Generally, ticks attach to a person or animal near ground level.
