Warmer weather this summer means we’re in for a bad tick year. Of course, this also means we’re in for a bad year of tick-borne diseases. The Gulf Coast Tick, in particular, should be out in force. That means you should be mindful of tick prevention and Florida tick control.
Gulf Coast Ticks aren’t picky choosing between people and animals, but they do have a preference for feeding in the ears of their hosts. Their clutches can number 10,000 eggs, which means a tick infestation in one area of a neighborhood can very quickly encompass the entire neighborhood.
Ticks can transmit a number of nasty diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. These can be debilitating. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is more common in Florida and the mortality rate is high when it goes untreated.
Check yourself after a hike or any walk that takes you through long grasses or dense overgrowth. Check animals as well. This is both for your pet’s health and your own, as ticks can switch hosts. To avoid disease, remove a tick as soon as you find it. Don’t delay, and make sure you remove the head of the tick and not just the body.
If you pluck the body and pull, you’ll often detach the tick from its head, which will be partially buried in your skin. The head will still feed and can still pass disease. Using tweezers, grasp the tick as far up as you can get. Try to get as much of the head as you can. Pull straight out. If you twist, you can detach the body from the head. Just pull straight. Put the tick in a bag with a good seal, so you can ensure you’ve got the entire thing. If you’re in doubt, you can always ask a pest control specialist if you have the whole animal.
You should landscape with tick prevention in mind. This means not creating dense growth or tall, grassy areas. They enjoy wild areas, so a well-kept garden should give them few livable areas. If you suspect an infestation, call Slug-A-Bug. As Florida tick control specialists, we’ve dealt with ticks and tick infestations many times before. There are ways to return your property to a Tick-free environment.