Do you check your body for ticks after spending time outdoors? If you lived in the country while growing up, you probably made inspecting for these pests a habit. If you didn’t spend much time out in nature growing up, the concept of ticks might still come as a shock to you. Regardless of your experience with these blood-feeding arachnids, we are going to assume that you don’t want these pests anywhere near your Nassau County property. This is why we have made for you this ultimate tick control guide. Here is everything you need to know.
Which Ticks Live in Nassau County
Three species of ticks are common here in Nassau County, the deer tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick. Now, you might be wondering, why does it matter which ticks live in our area? Aren’t they all the same? Unfortunately, they are not. The main difference between different species of ticks is the diseases they are capable of spreading. Here are some diseases different species of ticks in our area transmit to people.
Deer Ticks
- Anaplasmosis
- Borrelia mayonii disease
- Lyme disease
American Dog Ticks
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Tularemia
Lone Star Tick
- Ehrlichiosis
- Heartland virus
- STARI
- Tularemia
Where Ticks Live
Ticks cannot jump like fleas or fly like mosquitoes. This makes getting onto a host to feed difficult. Most often, ticks use the environment around them to get onto a person or animal. A good example of this is when they are climbing up tall stocks of grass. Once high up, ticks reach out their front two legs and wait for an animal or human to walk by. When this happens, they cling on and transfer over. They then crawl around until they find a secluded area of skin to burry their heads. One not-so-fun fact about ticks is that they feed for 36 to 48 hours or until they are found and removed.
How Ticks Get Into Homes and Businesses
Ticks are not fast creatures and do not crawl into homes and businesses on their own. The main way these pests get inside is by biting humans or animals. After a tick finishes feeding, it then drops off its host to hide and breed. If this happens inside your living areas, you could soon be up against a serious infestation of these pests.
What You Need To Know To Prevent Ticks
There are more than a few ways to reduce your chances of bringing ticks home with you. Here are some of the best prevention tips you should be using.
- Avoid tick-dense areas as much as possible. This includes tall grass and thick undergrowth.
- Apply bug spray to your legs and body before going into an area where ticks might be hiding.
- Wear long pants and tuck your pant legs into your socks when traveling through tick-dese areas.
- Wrap some heavy-duty tape around the upper part of your pant legs with the sticky side facing outward. This may seem silly, but it works quite well.
The Benefits Of Hiring A Professional
If you don’t want to look silly while spending time out on your property but still want to avoid tick bites, you need professional tick control. At Parkway Pest Services, we make tick control easily accessible and affordable to property owners around Nassau County. If you require quality tick treatments, we are your best option for the job.
Contact us today to discuss home pest control and commercial pest control options for your Nassau County home or business or answer any questions about ticks.