Ticks. Everyone is talking about them lately. You hear and read statements like “I hate ticks!!”, “Had another tick on me!” or “Ticks are awful this year! They are everywhere!!” All the media outlets are discussing Lyme disease and the tick presence, especially here in the Northeast. The best way to prevent tick bites and to lessen your chances of contracting Lyme disease is to limit the amount of ticks that are on your property and by getting educated on the truth about ticks.
Here in New York, we have three types of ticks that are most commonly encountered. There’s the Lone-Star (wood) tick, the Black-legged (deer) tick, and the American dog tick. Correctly identifying the tick that you are dealing with can be helpful in knowing how to handle a tick bite.
Lone-Star ticks are reddish brown. The females have a white spot on their back and the males have multiple small white spots on their backs.
Black-legged (deer) ticks are a very small species that is also reddish black. They are commonly found in wooded areas. These are the ticks that carry and transmit Lyme disease.
The American dog tick is the largest species of tick. They are also a reddish brown with white or yellow marks on them. They are most usually found in parks, grass, fields and along wooded trails and paths.
You should always take precautions when heading outside because there is always a chance of a tick encounter. Some precautions that you can take to limit the chances of a tick bite are:
Wear long sleeves and long pants that are tucked into your socks.
Long loose hair should be covered, braided, or tied back when going into areas where ticks may be present.
Use a repellent spray that contains DEET.
When possible, avoid areas of tall grass and stay on well-traveled trails.
Treat your pet with a tick preventative.
Check yourself, your pet, and anyone else for ticks each time that you go out and before you come back inside.
In the unfortunate event that a tick does attach itself to you, your pet, or someone else, proper removal is key! The following tick removal instructions are from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website and can be reviewed here.
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, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.
After removing the tick, you may want to keep the tick instead of flushing it down the toilet because tick identification is helpful for the medical community in treating tick bites and symptoms. Always seek medical advice/attention in the event of a tick bite.
Keeping ticks off of your property completely is impossible, but it is quite possible to reduce the number of ticks that you have with our mosquito and tick control service. The same service that limits mosquitoes also limits ticks. Take back your yard and your sanity by contacting the pest control experts at Thomas Pest Services. Stop worrying and complaining about ticks and start enjoying your property again with help from Thomas Pest.