Ticks can be an annoying pest in your home or business, and they carry diseases. That is why it is critical to hire an exterminator with expertise on eliminating tick infestations quickly and effectively.
Are you struggling with a tick infestation on Long Island? Fox Pest Control provides professional tick extermination services. Our safe and natural treatments are effective in eliminating these pesky pests.
Pest Identification
Pest identification is an integral step in developing successful pest management programs. Accurate identification of pests enables growers, commodity groups, and pest control professionals to make educated decisions regarding appropriate control tactics.
Identification of pests provides insight into their biology and behavior, enabling you to create an integrated pest management (IPM) plan for successful control. Accurate identification also permits us to determine which collection items are at risk and determine the most suitable IPM strategies to eliminate them completely.
Ticks are bloodsucking arachnids that feed off of humans’ bloodstream, making them vectors for diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and alpha-gal syndrome. Ticks carry these diseases to humans and their pets alike and can lead to serious health complications in both humans and pets alike.
Tick Behavior
Ticks, an external parasite that feeds on mammals, birds and reptiles, can spread various diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
A tick can live for up to three years and feed on its host for days or even weeks at a time. Once full, the tick will drop off and prepare to move onto the next phase of its life cycle.
As with any pest, understanding tick behavior can help you avoid bites or reduce your chance of contracting a disease. Ticks have the capacity to sense heat, color and movement as well as biochemicals like carbon dioxide. This knowledge can be invaluable when trying to avoid bites from these pesky little creatures.
Hard-shell ticks such as the American dog tick (Dermancentor variabilis) search for their hosts by “questing.” Questing ticks climb onto grasses or weeds and wait for potential hosts to pass by, waving their front legs in anticipation of grabbing onto them. These bugs tend to congregate around areas with plenty of weeds, long bushes and tall grasses.
Tick-Borne Diseases
Ticks are the primary vectors for numerous viruses, bacteria and protozoa that can infect humans, pets and livestock. Tick-borne diseases have become a major public health concern in the United States.
Lyme disease (LD) is the most widespread tick-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.
Other tick-borne diseases that may be contracted from bites include babesiosis, tularemia, ehrlichiosis and Colorado tick fever. Less common but still serious infections that may develop from tick bites include anaplasmosis and rickettsiosis.
Anaplasmosis is an infection with the bacteria anaplasma phagocytophilum caused by a tick bite, and if not treated with antibiotics can result in serious illness.
Babesiosis, caused by the microscopic parasite Babesia microti, can be deadly for those with weak immune systems or other medical conditions. It may be transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy or delivery as well as through blood or organ donation.
Tick Removal
Tick removal is an essential step in protecting yourself and your family from tick-borne diseases. Not only does it prevent ticks from delivering microbes to your body, but it can also stop them from entering your home and breeding.
Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropod ectoparasites that rely solely on one or more hosts to complete their life cycles. Hard ticks (Ixodidae) are divided into one-, two- and three-host tick groups according to how many blood meals they obtain from their hosts.
If you believe you may have a tick infestation, do not hesitate to reach out to us or a licensed pest professional immediately. We will inspect your property and offer the most effective plan of action for eliminating ticks from your environment.
Ticks can be avoided by keeping grass, weeds and bushes trimmed and clearing wood piles. Additionally, create a 3-ft wide barrier of mulch or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration.