FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2026
Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov

RICHMOND, Va. — Warmer weather means more opportunities for outdoor fun. Warmer weather can also mean more chances to encounter ticks and mosquitoes. Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) share tips for protecting yourself and your family from tick and mosquito-related illnesses.

“Mosquitos and ticks each carry many illness-causing viruses and bacteria,” said Richmond and Henrico Epidemiology Supervisor Louise Lockett Gordon “Preventing mosquito and tick habitats and breeding will help reduce bites. Keep outdoor adventures safe and fun this summer by maintaining property, protecting yourself, and seeking care if you or a loved one is bitten.”

Property Maintenance

Ticks live in grassy, bushy, or wooded areas. Richmond City and Henrico County also offer tips to prevent the accumulation of standing water that can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Property maintenance guidelines for Richmond City and Henrico County require that grass and weed growth be restricted to 12 inches.

Ticks

Ticks spread disease by attaching to a host and feeding on its blood. The most common ticks found in Virginia are the Blacklegged tick (or deer tick), Lone Star tick, and American Dog tick.

Tick bites are associated with a number of serious and potentially life-threatening medical problems, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Alpha-gal Syndrome . For information on the number of tick-related illness cases in Virginia, visit the Virginia Reportable Disease Surveillance Dashboard.

RHHD offers the following tips to help you stay safe from tick-related illnesses during the summer months.

• Treat your clothing.
  • Clothes, shoes and camping gear may be treated with a pesticide called permethrin. This treatment with will last on for several months. Dried permethrin spray will remain active after several washes. Be sure to apply it to clothing a few days before use to allow for proper drying. Do not wear clothing that is still wet from permethrin spray.
• Tuck your pants into your socks, especially if you’re headed into a grassy or forested area. Forcing ticks to climb up the outside of your clothing will help you spot and remove ticks and keeps them off your skin.
• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends products used on children contain no more than 30% DEET.
  • When outdoors in forested tick habitats, use insect repellent containing either DEET, picaridin, IR 3535, 2-undecanone, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on skin or clothing. Always follow instructions on the product label.
  • Oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol should never be used for children under three years of age.
  • Do not use insect repellent on babies under two months old.
• Make tick checks a habit. Once you’re indoors, inspect yourself and your children for ticks. Inspect gear and pets as well. Tumble dry clothing on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any remaining ticks.
  • Use a mirror, friend, partner, or spouse to help check your body for ticks. Remember to check in armpits, groin area, in and around ears and hairline, belly button, backs of knees, and between legs.
  • Remove ticks the right way. If you find a tick, use tweezers and grip the insect as close to your skin as possible. Pull directly up with steady, even pressure until the tick releases. Do not “squish” the tick. Clean the area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Save the tick in a bag or container with rubbing alcohol for identification in case an illness develops in the days to weeks following a tick bite.
  • Identify the tick. Use the VDH tick identification chart to identify the tick that bit you. It can be helpful to identify any tick that bites you so that if you get sick, you and your care providers have more information.
    • Submit a tick survey. Help VDH better understand our local tick population by saving the tick in a bag or container with rubbing alcohol and submit a tick survey and photo.
• Seek care. If you start feeling sick or develop symptoms like a rash or fever a few days or weeks after a tick bite, make sure to tell your medical provider that you were bitten by a tick.

For more information about identifying ticks and protecting kids and pets, visit VDH’s “Don’t let the tick get you sick” webpage.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are one of the world’s most dangerous spreaders of disease. Mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus, Zika virus, and other diseases.

Henrico County has a vector surveillance program that traps pools of mosquitoes to:

• Identify what kind of mosquitoes are breeding in Henrico County and if new mosquito breeds (that can spread other diseases) are emerging in the area.
• Test pools for West Nile Virus.

The Asian Tiger, Northern house and white-dotted mosquitoes are the most frequently caught species in the area. These can spread West Nile Virus.

How to prevent mosquito habitats on your property

• Dump standing water. Some mosquitoes lay eggs in containers of water, even as small as a bottle cap.
  • Dump water that collects in containers such as wading pools, bird baths and flowerpots each week.
  • Wash out containers each week before refilling them with clean water.
  • Cover or store boats or buckets upside down to prevent water from collecting.
• Containers that cannot be dumped or drained should be regularly treated with mosquito larvicide dunks.
  • Follow instructions on the package for correct use.

How to protect yourself from mosquitoes

• Mosquitoes are most active during dawn, dusk and nighttime hours but they can bite you at any time.
  • Wear loose-fitting and light-colored long sleeves and pants and limit the amount of exposed skin when you’re outside in areas where mosquitoes may be active.
  • Consider wearing mosquito repellents on bare arms, legs, neck, and other exposed areas of skin.
• Do not sleep with windows open unless they are well-screened.
• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent on your skin or clothing that contains one of the following:
  • DEET
  • Picaridin
  • IR 3535
  • 2-undecanone
  • Oil of lemon eucalyptus
• When using insect repellant on children, keep the following in mind:
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using products containing no greater than 30% DEET on children.
  • Do not use insect repellent on babies under two months of age.
  • Oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol should never be used on children under three years of age.

Please visit the Virginia Department of Health website for more information on mosquitoes and mosquito-related illnesses.