WHAT ARE TICKS?

Ticks are found on every continent and are constantly being picked up by unknowing animals and people. With 700 different species of ticks, they are all over the world and are very common in the United States. They live in grass, trees, shrubs, and leaf piles which make them very common to find outdoors. When people and animals spend time outdoors, they have a relatively high risk of coming in contact with these small pests. Ticks are small ectoparasites, which means they survive by feeding on the blood of their animal and human hosts. They are related to mites as well as spiders since ticks are arachnids. They have eight legs, an oval shaped body, are wingless, and have no antennae. Their colors range from browns, reds, and even blacks. Ticks sizes can range from as small as a pin’s head to the size of a pencil eraser. As they feed and take more blood, they grow in size and can become as large as a marble. Ticks feed by biting their host and drawing the blood from their body. Ticks prefer moist, warm areas of the body and if they get on your body, will find their way to the armpits, groin, or hair where they will bite into the skin and start drawing blood. They can stay stuck to their host for up to 10 days, unless you find and remove them.

ARE TICKS DANGEROUS?

For the most part, ticks are relatively harmless and don’t cause any noticeable symptoms. There are those who are allergic to ticks and can experience pain and swelling at the bite site, rashes, blisters, a burning sensation at the bite site, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing. There are some species that can be very dangerous as they do transmit disease.

Several tick-borne diseases are:

• Ehrlichiosis
• Anaplasmosis
• Lyme Disease
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses
• Tularemia
• Tick-borne Relapsing Fever

Of these diseases, the most frequently diagnosed tick-borne disease in the U.S. is Lyme disease. Tick-borne diseases can result in full body rashes, red spots and rashes near the bite, nausea, weakness, fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes.

WHY DO I HAVE A TICK PROBLEM?

Ticks are most commonly encountered when you venture outside. If you are experiencing ticks in your own yard, this could mean you are having a lot of animal traffic in your area. If you are not finding ticks on yourself but you are finding them on your pets, be sure to check them regularly. In most cases the ticks you’re experiencing are coming from outside as they thrive outside more than they do inside.

HOW DO I GET RID OF TICKS?

Your vet can help you come up with a game plan to help reduce exposure of your pets to ticks. Overgrown vegetation and longer grass are also areas that attract ticks. Call Recon Pest Services today to help reduce populations of ticks on your property.