Ticks are nasty bugs that are known to spread many different kinds of diseases. Some of those include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tick paralysis and tularemia. If you are wanting to protect your family and save yourself a potential trip to the St Alphonsus Medical Group, make Star Tick Control part of your yearly maintenance! Some of the common types of ticks include:
Blacklegged Tick
- These ticks are orange or brown colored with dark-colored legs. They’re around 1/8” in size.
- Blacklegged ticks are also known as Deer ticks. Deer are their preferred host. However, it will still use a human as a host as well.
- These ticks spread the diseases anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan encephalitis and Lyme disease.
American Dog Tick
- These ticks are brown with white or grey markings. They’re around 3/16” before they feed, and 5/8” after they feed.
- American dog ticks prefer dogs or other animals as hosts, but will also feed on humans.
- These ticks spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. They can also cause tick paralysis.
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick
- These ticks are brown in color and become grayish after feeding. They’re around 1/8” before they feed, and 5/8” after they feed.
- True to its name, this tick is found in the Rocky Mountain states and prefers wooded areas.
- These ticks cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and Colorado tick fever.
A tick bite does spread several types of diseases. After a tick bite, if you’re noticing any of the following symptoms, go to the doctor immediately. Symptoms of these tick diseases include: rash, fever, chills, body aches, tender lymph nodes and muscle weakness.
Prevention
To keep ticks from biting you in the first place, apply insect repellent containing DEET or other EPA-registered ingredients. Wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck your pants into your socks. If you do get a tick bite, it’s essential to remove them as soon as you find them. It can take a tick a few hours to start feeding, so fast removal may save you from a bite entirely. To remove a tick that has bitten you, grab it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Pull upward with steady and even pressure, and make sure not to twist it or jerk it quickly.
If you need help with your Star Tick Control, give Get Lost Pest Control a call today! They will treat both the inside and outside of your home for you. On the outside, they will put down a granular that will kill any ticks that come in contact with it. They will also spray the inside of your home with a product that has a residual that lasts up to 3 months!
