Ticks can be deceptively innocuous. Unlike termites that may shake up your property’s structural foundation or mice notorious for gnawing through precious household items, these arachnids seldom venture into indoor spaces.
However, ticks are no less dangerous. If allowed to breed in your yard, these blood-sucking critters can significantly reduce the quality of life (QOL) of your pets and farmyard animals. They may also transmit potentially deadly illnesses.
The fact that ticks are prolific breeders makes them all the more dangerous on your property. Besides, their ability to fly under the radar means an infestation can quickly develop right under your nose.
Implementing robust preventive measures is the most effective way to cushion your family against tick-related health problems. Here’s a detailed guide to lawn tick control.
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The Danger of Ticks and the Significance of Lawn Control
Ticks live exclusively on blood. They feed by embedding their mouthpieces into their hosts’ skin.
Due to their feeding behavior, ticks will only flourish in places inhabited by their target prey. The arachnids have an indiscriminate choice of hosts, ranging from mammals and birds to amphibians and reptiles.
When ticks invade your yard, they’ll quickly find hosts in your pets or livestock. The insects may also transfer to your human family members, presenting a slew of health problems.
While most tick bites only trigger mild irritation, certain tick varieties (such as the deer tick and wood tick) can transmit severe illnesses.
Common tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Powassan virus. Others are babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and tick-induced paralysis.
Most tick-borne diseases are highly contagious and can be fatal if not treated early. They may also lead to complications, such as hearing loss and nerve damage.
The good news is that you can engage a professional pest exterminator to help with lawn tick control. An experienced tick control service will carefully inspect your property before recommending the best strategies to keep these critters off your yard. If an infestation has occurred, the company will undertake certain lawn care practices to remove ticks from your lawn and prevent future re-infestation.
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Lawn Care Tick Control Measures
1. Mowing the Lawn
Tall grass and weeds are a tick’s favorite hangout spot. Therefore, it makes perfect sense why mowing the lawn can help prevent an infestation.
Get rid of the tall grass and dense thickets, particularly at the edge of your lawn.
2. Clean Up Leaf Debris
Leaving your lawn littered with leaf debris isn’t only an eyesore. The space underneath the debris may also provide an excellent nesting for ticks and other problematic garden pests.
Instead of tossing the garbage everywhere, you could collect it into a compost pile and use it to prepare mulch. This helps solve two needs with one deed – eliminating ticks from your lawn and keeping your yard weed-free.
3. Prune Trees and Shrubs
Besides tall grass and weeds, ticks also tend to nest in low-hanging tree branches. Prune shrubs and trees regularly to keep these critters at bay and safeguard your family from their deadly illnesses.
Pay particular attention to branches growing closer to your property. Besides damaging your roof, these twigs can provide a bridge for ticks to crawl into your property and find easy hosts.
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The Importance of Acting Swiftly
Ticks can be extremely challenging to remove. However, you can have better luck by enlisting a reputable pest control company.
The thumb rule is to schedule preventive maintenance to keep your property tick-free. Below are reasons to contact a pest removal service at the first hint of tick infestation.
1. Ticks Are Prolific Breeders
A single female tick can lay eggs in batches of 3,000 or more. Certain species are known to lay up to 15,000 eggs before they die, implying that an infestation only requires one male-female pair.
It’s only worse when you consider that ticks inhabit the whole of the United States.
2. Ticks Are Difficult To Spot
Ticks can be almost impossible to spot in their younger life stages. Seed ticks – the first mobile stage in a tick’s life cycle – resemble tiny, little freckles.
Besides, a tick’s favorite habitat of long grass and wooded spots provides the perfect hideout from prying human eyes.
3. Ticks Can Live For Years
Most tick species have a lifespan of two years.
Without prompt treatment, some ticks can live much longer and even find permanent residence in your indoor space.
4. Ticks Are Remarkably Resilient
Ticks are patient hunters who can quest for months before the right prey brushes along. After feeding to their fill, these arachnids can go for months between meals.
Their metabolism gradually slows down, allowing them to weather starvation long enough before the next host walks into range.
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The Bottom Line
Ticks present inherent dangers to pets, livestock, and even human beings. While these critters naturally thrive in grassy or wooded habitats, they may occasionally find their way into our indoors and spread deadly illnesses.
Like most pests, ticks are easier and cheaper to prevent than exterminate. Enlisting professional pest control services is the surest way to nick a tick infestation in the bud and safeguard your family’s health and wellness.
When looking for lawn tick control services, insist on highly-reputed companies with a trail of positive reviews. The exterminator should preferably visit your property before recommending the best tick control methodology.
More importantly, look out for companies that utilize non-toxic pesticides to minimize further health risks to your household.