According to health experts, 2012 is predicted to be the worst year ever for Lyme disease, because of the unusually warm weather and a decline in rodent populations. Lyme Disease is carried by ticks, so your best line of defense is to protect yourself from ticks.

Some strategies that can help you protect your family this spring and summer are:

1) When you are outside, check yourself and your kids periodically for ticks. You should carefully remove them by soaking a cotton ball or piece of cloth in rubbing alcohol, which kills the tick, and gently removing it with the head intact. It’s a good idea to carry alcohol wipes in your outdoors bags for this reason.

2) At home in your yard, ticks live along the borders of the property, in the shade, and wherever there are leaves with a high level of humidity. One strategy you can use to prevent ticks from accumulating in your yard is to layer wood chips between the grass in your yard and the edge of the woods (if your yard borders a wooded area.) Ticks are attracted to wood chips because they provide shade and moisture.

3) When outdoors, wear clothing that protects your legs from crawling insects like ticks. There are some brands of outdoor clothing that are designed to repel ticks, and it might be a good idea to tuck your pant legs into your socks and spray the whole lower body area with tick repellent.

4) Remember that ticks love dark, damp, wooded areas, so try to stay on clear paths when hiking or biking, and never sit on the ground or on wood.