The weather is really warming up and more and more people are spending their days outdoors. If you’ve spent any amount of time outside within the last few weeks, you’ve probably noticed how bad the ticks are already this year. A B Pest Control & Insulation knows that tick season will soon be fully underway, but it seems as if this tick season is starting early and already pretty bad. Protect your pets and your home from ticks and give your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks a call today. Here's what you need to know about ticks and their tricks!
Types of Ticks in Missouri
Deer Tick or Blacklegged Tick
These ticks are extremely small and are only the size of a sesame seed. Deer ticks are the best known for transmitting Lyme Disease. Their lifespan is about two to three years and requires at least three blood meals to survive each phase of life. In order to transmit Lyme Disease, a deer tick must be attached to their host for at least 24 hours. Luckily for us, rodents and deer are the preferred hosts for deer ticks. These ticks are usually found in the woods and in areas with overgrown vegetation.
Lone Star Tick
You can distinguish a lone star tick by its white dot or star in the center of it’s back. These ticks are the most active from April through the end of July. Lone star ticks are aggressive feeders and are often found on dogs and cats. This tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis. Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI), can occur after a lone star tick bites. Those symptoms include rash, headache, and fatigue, and are similar to the symptoms of Lyme Disease. Luckily, STARI can be cured with an oral antibiotic.
American Dog Tick
The American dog tick is a 3-host tick. They target small and large mammals. These ticks are normally found on dogs, but they will attack larger animals like cows and horses. These ticks are usually brown or a reddish-brown in color and they have gray/silver markings on their back. American dog ticks are the most active from mid-April to early September.
Proper Tick Removal
While it may be tempting to pull ticks from your beloved pets when you see them, there is a right and wrong way of removing them to prevent mouth-parts from being left behind. Improper removal can cause infection of the bite area.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
Prevent Ticks Around Your Home
While you may not be able to fully prevent a single tick from entering your yard, there are steps to make sure you don’t have an invasion of them.
Keep your yard tidy – it’s important to remove all leaf litter and keep your grass trimmed short. If you live near a wooded area, you can place gravel or woodchips between the edge or your grass and the wooded area to help create a barrier.
Keep deer away – making sure deer don’t come on your property is a great way to help keep ticks away. Remove plants that attract deer and create physical barriers that will discourage them from entering your yard.
Give A B Pest Control & Insulation a call – it’s important to have your home and yard regularly sprayed for ticks and other pesky bugs. This will be one of the most effective ways to protect your pet and home from ticks and the diseases they may be carrying.
Your Lake of the Ozarks Pest Control Company
While ticks may sound terrifying, there are ways to help prevent them from entering your home or yard. Not all ticks carry diseases, but during these next few months, A B Pest Control & Insulation knows that it’s important to keep your eye out for them. You should always check your pets when they come inside and you should never walk through the woods or tall grass without making sure you are covered and protected. For all of your pest control needs, give your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks a call today.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS
