In Texas, you have to stay vigilant and watch out for ticks throughout most of the year. These tiny creatures are usually active from April until late September or October. Ticks are a type of arachnid, also known as external parasites, because they must drink blood from a human or animal host to survive.
At Gecko Pest Control, we understand ticks can be much more than just annoying parasites. Our dedicated Kilgore pest control experts will keep you and your pets safe from the diseases that ticks can carry. Here is a look at what you should do if you are seeing ticks around your property.
How Common Ticks Get Around
Ticks are small animals with flat and round bodies if they haven't fed in a while. After taking a blood meal, their bodies will swell to become large round balls, making movement more difficult for them.
Because ticks are unable to fly or jump, they usually use people and animals to help them get around. When you get close to a tick, it will climb onto your clothing or the fur of an animal and hitch a ride back to your property. When they bite a person or animal, they inject their entire mouths into their victim's body, allowing them to stay attached to their food source easily. Once they are full, they will usually fall off. When they fall off in your yard or home, you are at risk of having a tick infestation on your property.
Ticks Are Known To Spread Many Dangerous Diseases
There is a wide range of ticks in Texas that are known to carry a variety of diseases. When a tick bites an animal, it will become infected with whatever disease or virus the animal has. It can then transmit the disease to you if it bites you while it is infected. Some of the most common diseases transmitted by ticks include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, tick paralysis, B. miyamotoi disease, Powassan virus, and Lyme disease. Humans aren't the only ones that have the potential to get sick from a tick bite. Dogs are also able to contract various illnesses from ticks.
Effective Tips To Protect Yourself From Ticks Bites
Ticks prefer places that have plenty of shaded places that they can hide under. They are so small that they are able to take cover under a blade of grass. If you don't want to see ticks on your property, some of the things that you can do to prevent ticks include:
- Keep the grass in your yard from growing over eight inches long.
- Reduce the amount of trees and vegetation that you have in your yard.
- Don't stack firewood close to your home.
- Keep flea and tick preventative medication on your pets.
Ticks climb onto your clothes before biting you. When you come inside, make sure to check your clothing thoroughly to ensure that no ticks are crawling in the folds or creases on your clothes.
The Best Way To Protect Your Property From Tick Infestations
While you can see ticks with the naked eye, they are so small that it is easy to overlook them and much more challenging to eliminate them. If you want to make your yard tick-free all summer long, give us a call today. At Gecko Pest Control, we have been eliminating ticks in Kilgore for years and can help to keep you and your pets safe from these dangerous creatures.