What Do Ticks Look Like?
Ticks are small parasitic arachnids that feed on the blood of animals and humans. They are reddish-brown to black in color and have flat, oval-shaped bodies. An adult tick that has not fed is roughly the same size as an apple seed. However, when they start feeding, their bodies swell up with blood, making them several times larger and easier to spot. Ticks can transmit diseases like Lyme disease to people and animals, making it crucial to check your body for them after spending time outdoors.
Where do Ticks Come From and Where Do They Live?
Ticks live in outdoor areas with tall grass, dense vegetation, leaf litter, and wooded areas. They latch on to humans and animals as they walk through grass or brush. Once they are on a host, they embed themselves to the body. If not removed, ticks feed on the host’s blood for hours or even days. These pests often hitchhike indoors on pets, people, firewood, or household pests like rodents.
Lawn Tick Control Services in Milwaukee, WI
Don’t let ticks ruin your summer. Advanced Wildlife and Pest Control offers complete lawn tick control services to keep your property tick-free. Our treatment targets areas where ticks thrive, including tall grass, weeds, lawns, bushes, overgrown areas, footpaths, and walking trails. The tick control applications can last four to six weeks. We provide one-time, monthly, and seasonal treatments to ensure your property remains a tick-safe zone throughout the summer.
Tick Prevention
Reducing your exposure to ticks lowers your chances of getting a tickborne disease. It’s important to take preventive measures against ticks, especially during warmer months when ticks are most active. If you work or play outdoors, you should:
- Wear EPA-approved repellents.
- Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
- Walk in the center of trails.
- Wear long-sleeved, light-colored clothing.
- Tuck your pant legs into your socks and your shirt into your pants.
- Check your clothing and gear for ticks, and do a full-body tick check before going indoors.
- Take a shower within two hours after spending time outdoors.
Are Ticks Dangerous?
Ticks pose serious health concerns to humans and pets. Deer and wood ticks are common carriers of Lyme disease. According to the CDC, the number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the United States has doubled since 2019. Ticks transmit various diseases, such as anaplasmosis, tularemia, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A key sign of tick bite carrying Lyme disease is a “bull’s-eye” rash at least 5 cm in diameter. Not everyone with Lyme disease will develop a rash.
Tick FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How to do a tick check?
After spending time outdoors, it’s important to do a thorough tick check. We suggest starting from the lower part of your body and then moving up as ticks move from the ground up. Check between the toes, behind the knees, around the groin area, around the waistline, in the belly button, inside and below joints and armpits, in and around the ears, and in the hair. Ticks can also attach to pets and clothing, so make sure to also check them for ticks. After coming inside, take a bath or shower within two hours to help you find and wash off any ticks. Tumble dry your clothes on high heat to kill any ticks still on them.
How to Remove a Tick?
If you do find a tick, it’s important to remove it quickly. The sooner you remove a tick, the lower your chance of getting sick from a bite. To remove a tick:
- Use tweezers to grasp the tick’s head or mouth as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull the tick straight out steadily. Avoid twisting or jerking the tick, which can cause the mouthparts to break off.
- Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Dispose of the tick. Put it in a sealed bag, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet.
- Watch the bite area for the next 30 days for the appearance of a rash or other symptoms of Lyme disease.