How to Combat Ticks

Learning how to keep ticks away from your family and property so you can prevent tick bites involves understanding what ticks need.

• Recognize ticks’ hiding places. Ticks like to dwell in tall grass and wooded areas where the soil is moist or there is a water source. Gardening, hiking, and hanging out in your yard are all scenarios where you, your family, and your pets could attract ticks.
• Dress to avoid ticks. Long sleeves, long pants, a hat, and socks tucked into boots will help create a barrier between a hungry tick and your skin. It takes a while for a tiny tick to make its way past your clothing — hopefully long enough for you to spot it and remove it.
• Get professional barrier treatments from Mosquito Joe® for an added layer of defense. Regular tick control treatments will eliminate ticks and give some peace of mind to you and your family.

In addition to the tips above regarding how to keep ticks away from yourself and your property, paying attention to your pets is essential. Your pet's health is critical. Also, pets can bring ticks indoors, where they can later bite you. So, protecting your pets from ticks should be kept in mind when considering tick control methods.

Your pet’s veterinarian can advise you on topical tick protection treatments to prevent ticks from biting. You can also explore how to keep ticks away from pets naturally.

While learning how to keep ticks off yourself and your family is critical, let’s be sure you know how to thoroughly search for any tick that may slip through your defenses.

Ticks can be as tiny as the tip of a pencil lead. They hide in warm places, making them difficult to find. Check these spots on yourself and your children when coming back indoors to ensure you don’t have any lingering ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around ears
• Inside the belly button
• Back of the knees
• In and around the scalp and hair
• Between legs
• Around the waist

Inspect your pets for any ticks that could have latched on while outside. And examine your gear to avoid transporting a tick or two indoors. Additionally, throw clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat to remove ticks. Finally, promptly showering when coming indoors helps wash off unattached ticks and decrease the chance of contracting a tick-borne disease.

Ticks are wily opponents. Even the best tick control methods can be missed occasionally.. So it’s essential to know how to safely remove a tick if and when you or a pet are bitten.

The proper way to remove a tick is different from removing any other type of insect. While you can brush away most insects, a tick attaches to the body, bites the skin, inserts a barbed feeding tube, and begins drinking blood. This makes a tick unique from most biting bugs in that they remain attached to the body even after biting. Because ticks can carry and transmit diseases, knowing how to remove them properly and safely is essential. To get started, don’t panic! Just reach for a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to remove the small insect.

• Pull upward using steady, even pressure. Using this motion will ensure that the tick’s mouthparts don’t break off and stay embedded in the skin. If this happens, use the tweezers to remove the mouthparts.
• With soap and water or rubbing alcohol, clean your hands, the infected area, and the tweezers.
• Place the tick in alcohol, seal it in a container, wrap tape around it, or flush it down the toilet.
• Resist the temptation to crush it with your fingers, as this method could transmit disease.
• Following up: If you develop a rash, fever, or any other symptoms associated with tick-borne disease, seek medical assistance. Notify your doctor about your recent tick bite and when and where it occurred.

Removing a tick from a dog entails a similar process.

Unfortunately, some of our favorite getaway locations, like hiking trails and campgrounds, are also highly attractive to ticks. So, let’s see how to keep ticks away when you’re adventuring in the great outdoors.

• Use tick repellant formulated for your skin, like DEET.
• Choose a campground that employs tick control methods.
• Set up your tent in a dry, sunny clearing.
• Clear away any piles of leaves, twigs, tall grass, or brush.
• Sit on camp chairs rather than on stumps or on the ground.
• Stick to well-tended paths, away from high grass and shrub brush.
• Buy firewood instead of collecting it.
• Place your worn clothes in a plastic bag and seal it.
• Treat your dogs before your trip.
• Check for ticks frequently, and pack your tweezers and alcohol.

Abide by the above tick control methods, and you can enjoy your camping, hiking, and fishing excursions to the fullest.

Learning how to keep ticks away is a critical part of guarding the health of your family and pet(s). There are numerous diseases caused by ticks. Knowing the types of ticks that are common in your area can inform you about the risks of certain diseases. Fever, chills, headaches, body aches, and pains are common across most tick-borne illnesses. In some rare cases, a tick-bite victim may experience tick paralysis or a sudden weakening of muscle strength and control. And many tick-borne diseases cause distinctive rashes. Knowing what to look for could help you identify early signs of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), or tularemia.

In the event that you or a loved one has been bitten by a tick, it’s critical to seek medical attention if:

• You are unable to remove the entire tick.
• The rash gets larger.
• You develop flu-like symptoms.
• The bite site appears infected.
• You think the tick was a deer tick. (In that case, you may need antibiotics.)

The above signs signal that you should consult your healthcare provider. However, seek emergency medical attention if any of the following occur:

• A severe headache
• Trouble breathing
• Paralysis
• A racing or pounding heart

Learning how to keep ticks away is essential to your health. And recognizing the signs that medical attention is required is just as important. Sharing this knowledge with your family, friends, and neighbors can help protect them as well.

The Mosquito Joe® entomologists and the rest of our team of pest control professionals work tirelessly to protect others from insects that present the danger of vector-borne disease and other problems associated with pests. A significant portion of our efforts is dedicated to educating our customers and the public about how to keep ticks away and stay protected from pests.

The Mosquito Joe blog is a consistent source of excellent information. Learn how to combat ticks and other pests that pose health risks and hamper your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces.