Hogarth's Pest Control specializes in all types of industries, residential and commercial.
A tick is a small arachnid, only millimeters long. These ectoparasites live by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. In recent years, our nation has seen an increase in the tick population. In turn, this has increased the number of cases of Lyme Disease, specifically in the northeastern United States. According to the CDC, more than 300,000 cases of Lyme Disease are reported each year, and health officials believe that ticks cause 75 % of reported cases.
Common tick hosts
White-footed mice and chipmunks are the most well-known hosts of Lyme Disease due to the bacteria they house. When a tick, and most commonly a deer tick, feeds on these rodents, they become a vector for the disease and transfer it to humans and other animals.
Hogarth’s now offers a new method of tick control. This treatment method is a multi-year process that results in a 88% total population reduction of ticks in the first year, and up to 97.3% of ticks by the end of the second year.
Tips for keeping ticks away:
- Keep firewood and debris away from home
- Hang bird feeders away from the home
- Mow yards and pathways regularly
- Wear long pants and long sleeves while walking through tall grass or in the woods
- Apply Deet bug spray to clothing before walking through tall grass or in the woods
- Always check yourself or have someone else inspect you for ticks after walking outside
- Make sure pets are on flea and tick medication from their vet
If you have noticed ticks near your home or on your person or pet, do not throw it away. If you have been bitten and you live in an area notorious for tick-borne disease, always keep the specimen. Ticks can be screened for disease using DNA tests and these can be performed long time after it was removed. This is important because ticks and can carry multiple diseases, and these diseases can be misdiagnosed. Being able to test the tick offers your doctor the opportunity to address the problem more deeply if your symptoms don’t improve. Without this evidence, it can be difficult to obtain proper diagnosis and treatment.
Here’s a popular way to preserve the tick – use a small section of paper towel and make it just damp, place the tick in the towel and seal it in a plastic zip-lock bag (date it), and place in the refrigerator. Then, give us a call. We will be happy to help remediate this potentially dangerous problem.
