Deet! Seriously, as someone who survived some sort of serious arachnid bite last fall (like, fatigue, lethargy, covered in spots, nausea, body aches, dizziness, 103.7 fever with delirium capped off with two ER visits in three days, IV meds for pain, almost a week of days off from work and two different antibiotics) I can attest to the seriousness of this stuff. Careful out there kids. Protective clothing, long pants or tall socks, have someone check you, check your bags, dogs, etc. Ticks like brush piles, tall grass, wooded areas and are small as a pinhead sometimes.