Tick Identification & Prevention
What are ticks?
Ticks are arachnids that rely on blood meals from warm-blooded animals to complete their life cycle. Ticks have a four-stage life cycle; egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and adult. They require a blood meal from a new host at each new life stage. It can take up to three years for a tick to develop into an adult; most don’t complete their entire life cycle as they die beforehand. Unlike other “parasites,” ticks don’t do not live full time on their hosts; they are only on a host to feed.
Are ticks dangerous?
Ticks can carry diseases that can make people and our pets ill. Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis are pathogens spread by biting ticks.
Tick bites are often painless, so it is important to check yourself and your pets for ticks after spending time in outdoor spaces, especially grassy areas. The longer a tick is attached to its host, the more chance it has to pass diseases they are carrying.
Reducing the number of ticks on your property and limiting contact with these pests is essential to your and your family’s health and safety.
Why do I have a tick problem?
Though a turtle could probably outrun a tick, these pests are still very problematic on our property. They are regularly introduced onto properties by wild animals and hang out until they are ready to feed.
In order to find a host, a tick will climb to the top of pieces of vegetation and patiently wait for a host to brush past them that they can climb onto and use as a food source. After a few days and when they have had their fill, they drop to the ground and wait until they are ready for their next meal.
Where will I find ticks?
Ticks are primarily found outdoors and rarely become a significant problem inside our Alabama homes. If you spot a tick in your house, it has likely fallen off you, your pet, or a rodent that infiltrated your house.
Outside, ticks not feeding on a warm-blooded host hang out in high-traffic areas where they are likely to come into contact with a host. Wooded areas, the edges of trails, grass, and near piles of wood and leaves are places these pests gather.
How do I get rid of ticks?
If you want the very best pest control for your Birmingham property, EnviroCare is here to support you. Our home pest control services are not only effective but environmentally responsible. Our detailed and customized services will solve any pest problem you are experiencing. To learn which of our professional pest services is a perfect fit for your home, reach out to EnviroCare today. Let us work with you to protect your family, yard, and home against ticks and our area’s other toughest pests!
How can I prevent ticks in the future?
Use the following prevention tips to keep these harmful pests from taking over your Alabama property.
- Pick up leaf piles, brush piles, and other debris from your yard that can provide ticks with a dark, damp environment to hide in.
- Install a fence around gardens and yard to help keep wandering animals out of them.
- Keep your grass mowed short; if possible, cut it once weekly.
- Keep vegetation cut back from walkways, driveways, decks, porches, and steps.
- Repair damage to your home’s exterior that wild animals can use as an entry point into your home.
In addition to the above prevention tips, partner with us at EnviroCare. Implementing regular home and commercial pest control services is the best way to prevent problems with ticks.
