The weather is continuing to warm up and people are spending more time outdoors. With outdoor activity comes the bigger risk of running into ticks and mosquitoes. These vector-borne disease carrying pests have growing populations due to warming temperatures and increased rain. Ticks and mosquitoes are carriers of both Lyme disease and West Nile Virus, along with other vector-borne diseases such as the Heartland virus, babesiosis and dengue fever.
Ticks and mosquitos transmit diseases when they bite and feed on the blood of their host. This creates a problem for those trying to enjoy the warm summer days.
Keeping from being bit means being up to date on prevention methods for ticks and mosquitoes. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) there are some steps that you can take in order to protect yourself from ticks and mosquitoes.
1. Conduct A Daily Check For Ticks: Some ticks, such as a blacklegged deer tick, can take up to 24 hours to transmit a disease. It’s important to find them as soon as possible after outdoor activity to keep the disease from spreading. Ticks will appear to be about the size of a poppy seed, and can be removed with tweezers.
2. Protect Your Skin: When you are going to be spending time in areas where ticks and mosquitoes hang out it’s a good idea to where long sleeves and long pants, as well as light colors. It’s also a good idea to always use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
3. Inspect Your Property: Keep outdoor play areas and patios away from shrubs and brushes. Placing wood chips between the lawn and wooded areas can also deter ticks. A good protection against mosquitoes is to eliminate areas of standing water.
4. Protect Your Pets: It’s a good idea to avoid areas of tall grass when walking your pets. You should always inspect them for ticks when you return from areas where ticks are found. Consult a veterinarian on other ways to protect your pets.
While Senske Services does not treat for mosquitoes, we do treat for ticks. If you are dealing with these pests give our pest control services a call and speak to one of our customer service representatives. They can schedule a time for one of our pest technicians to visit your home and deal with your problem.
Reference: www.pestworld.org
