Evansville Ticks & Lyme Disease: What You Need To Know

All pests are gross, but some are downright dangerous. Biting parasites like ticks, which are known purveyors of dangerous illnesses, can be encountered inside and outside of your property. Knowing what to look for and how to prevent tick bites is paramount to the health and wellbeing of you and your family members.

Dangerous Tick-borne Illness

Most people know that ticks are some of nature’s worst carriers, or “vectors,” for Lyme Disease, a potentially dangerous illness. While deaths are rare in the first world, the spread of diseases like this is made worse by ticks, which feed on animal blood and can pass pathogens directly from bloodstream to bloodstream. Deer ticks, a common local variety, are one of the worst varieties of tick in terms of the ability to spread Lyme Disease. Here’s how to spot them:

• Color: Also called black-legged ticks, deer ticks vary in body color depending on gender. Males are dark brown, with lighter thumbnail coloration on their rear ends. Females, the ones that bite and spread diseases, have reddish or amber sacs on their backs.
• Size: Ticks are incredibly small arachnids, typically smaller than an apple seed. Their dark coloration can make them nearly impossible to spot in darker hair or fur.
• Environment: While ticks can indeed invade homes and businesses, you’re more likely to encounter them outdoors. Ticks lie in wait on tall grasses or vegetation for animals to brush by, and they then hitch a ride by clinging to clothing or hair.

Where To Watch For Ticks

There’s a reason why you’re supposed to treat yourself with sprays or topical creams to ward off insects when hiking or traveling in tropical areas. It’s not just to avoid the itchy aftermath of bites, it’s to protect against dangerous illnesses spread by parasites such as ticks. Knowing where ticks often hide or hang out can clue you into their presence and avoid getting punctured:

• Vegetation: Especially important when hiking or walking out in nature, ticks cling to grasses and leaves waiting for anything with blood to get near. Proper lawn maintenance will reduce these kinds of hiding spots on your property, too.
• Clothing: Ticks can cling to pant legs or coat strings, hitching a ride back to homes or businesses where an infestation can thrive.
• Skin folds: When inspecting yourself or your loved ones after a stint outdoors, be sure to check in folds of skin where ticks may hide to evade your sight. These pests are good at staying undetected.

Prevention Tips For You & Your Property

To limit exposure in the areas where you’re likely to encounter ticks, you can protect yourself and your property with a few simple steps:

• Garments: When traveling outdoors, make sure to cover up your arms, legs, and neck to avoid bites from insects. Once you’ve returned, shed these items of clothing immediately and wash them to kill off any clingers.
• Inspection: Not only should you thoroughly check yourself, your family, and your pets for ticks regularly, but you should also enlist the help of professionals, who can scour your property for the signs of pests.
• Treatment: There are accessories and store-bought products that can ward off ticks when you’re out in nature, but professional lawn and home treatments from the experts can also make sure your property is protected.

Seek Professional Help Now

While people aren’t likely to die from Lyme Disease nowadays, it’s a sickness that can certainly land you in the hospital or doctor’s office. Plus, even if a tick bite doesn’t result in an illness, the concept of a bloodsucker feeding off our flesh should be its own reason to want to avoid ticks and prevent them from infesting your property. Turn to Action Pest Control for all your Evansville tick control needs, from peace-of-mind inspections to effective extermination. 

Don’t risk painful and potentially hazardous bites to you or your loved ones, get started on tick prevention today.