It's tick season! Eight ways to prevent bug bites

(KGW)This spring’s unseasonably warm temperatures are causing ticks to hatch and start feeding earlier that usual in many areas of the Northwest.

This includes the ticks that carry Lyme disease and other infections, and the problem is surfacing in new areas every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas.

Here are 8 steps recommended by the CDC, to limit contact with ticks:

1. Use repellent with DEET on exposed skin. (Never put repellent under clothing.)

2. Wear light-colored clothing, with long pants and sleeves, when walking through wooded or grassy areas.

3. If you are hiking, always walk in the center of trails.

4. If you are camping, spray a product containing permethrin on your boots, clothing and camping gear. (It will remain protective through several washings.)

5. Outside your home, place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas, to keep ticks from migrating.

6. Regularly remove leaves and brush from your yard and keep your lawn mowed short. (Ticks like tall grass, as well as shade under debris.)

7. Keep play areas and playground equipment away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation.

8. Use tick control products on your pets and check for ticks before they come inside your home. (If you spot a tick on a dog or cat, remove it with tweezers.)