Usually, the earliest sign of Lyme or related issues will be

Usually, the earliest sign of Lyme or related issues will be a bulls-eye rash.

If you ever see this bulls-eye rash, take immediate action. I have had this, used a ParaZapper MX and have had no problems since. It has been over 10 years now.

I will generally use my ParaZapper at any time that I am bitten by a tick, spider, or any other potentially threatening species. I guess that the one threat that I most often overlook is mosquitoes. I am bitten daily or even several times a day which is actually concerning because we have chickens ( bird flu ), racoons ( several parasites and diseases ), squirrels, dogs, and cats.

At the first sign of any issue, the ParaZapper comes out.

In some other cases, the ash can be blueish and look more like a bruise.