Ticks are a highly disliked organism and for pretty good reasons! Ticks are tiny blood-sucking parasites that are small enough to go unnoticed and can host several dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to humans and pets. Tick Awareness Week takes place in May each year. With recent increases in Lyme Disease cases, we are raising awareness of the serious health concerns posed by ticks.
Table of Contents

  • What are Ticks?
  • Tick Season in Wisconsin
  • Lyme Disease & Other Tick-Borne Diseases
  • 6 Tips for Preventing Tick Bites
  • Tick Prevention for Yard: Tick Control

What are Ticks?

Ticks are a dangerous pest capable of transmitting diseases, such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other tick-borne illnesses. Ticks are not technically insects – they are actually arachnids, like spiders and scorpions. They have eight legs and two body segments compared to the six legs and three body segments of a regular insect. Ticks are also parasites that feed the blood of a host animal, which can be anything from birds to mice, deer, squirrels, household pets, and even humans.

Tick Season in Wisconsin

As the weather starts to get warmer (above 35 degrees), ticks become active and start searching for a blood meal. The tick season lasts from spring through autumn. Arachnids prefer warmer, humid climates, which means the summer months – June, July, and August – are peak activity times for ticks.

Lyme Disease & Other Tick-Borne Diseases

According to Dr. Greg Gauthier, UW Health infectious disease specialist, “the most common tick to transmit infection in Wisconsin is the deer tick.” The main three tick-borne diseases in Wisconsin are Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis.

  • Anaplasmosis: flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headaches, and sometimes Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea)

  • Babesiosis: flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, and sometimes Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea)

  • Lyme Disease: bulls-eye rash found at the area of the tick bite and flu-like symptoms including fever, joint pain, headaches, fatigue, and muscle pain

Lyme Disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness. From 2010 to 2018, the CDC estimates that approximately 476,000 people were diagnosed with and treated for Lyme Disease each year in the U.S., which amounts to over 4.2 million total estimated cases during that timeframe.

If you find a tick on your person, it does not necessarily mean you have one of the illnesses. “Ticks must be attached for a certain number of hours to transmit disease,” Dr. Greg Gauthier says. “For transmission of Lyme disease, the tick would need to be attached for at least 36-48 hours.”

6 Tips for Preventing Tick Bites

Avoiding wooded areas and tall grass are obvious ways to lessen your exposure to ticks. However, many people love the outdoors, so here are several helpful tips to prevent tick exposure the next time you go outdoors.

  • Make sure your household pets are treated for ticks. Tick-prevention medication is relatively cheap and easy to obtain for most pets. It is often tied in with flea prevention, which makes it even more valuable.

  • Wear insect repellent that contains DEET. Spray your feet, legs, pants, and shoes to help deter ticks, mosquitoes, and other pesky bugs.

  • Wear covered shoes and long pants. While this won’t prevent ticks from latching onto your clothing, there is an additional layer, and it will take ticks longer to find a place to attach themselves. 

  • Tick Check! Inspect your clothing, pets, and yourself for ticks. Ticks like to hide in covered areas, such as armpits, behind knees, hair, ears, and even your belly button. 

  • Take a shower as soon as possible after spending a long time outside. This is also a perfect time to check yourself for ticks! 

  • Wash and dry clothing on high heat to kill any ticks that may have stowed away. 

Don't Let Ticks Invade Your Backyard!

Don't Let Ticks Invade Your Backyard!

Tick Prevention for Yard: Tick Control

Ticks have become a growing problem in southeastern Wisconsin over the last several years. Forests and parks were commonplace for ticks, but they are now a very common pest in people’s backyards. Advanced Wildlife & Pest Control offers tick control lawn treatments. Our pest management specialists will treat your entire property, including the grass, bushes, woodchips, and trees. We will avoid flowers, gardens, and fruit-bearing trees to help limit pesticide exposure to our pollinators. 

If you are interested in getting your property treated for ticks, give us a call today at 262-242-4390. We are always here to keep your family and pets safe against nuisance and harmful pests.

  • Remove leaf litter, brush, trash, and debris from your yard

  • Keep grass short by mowing your lawn frequently

  • Eliminating outside food sources (pet food, bird feeders, and garbage cans) to prevent wild animals that can carry ticks into your yard

  • Build fencing around your yard to keep wild animals, especially deer, out