The weather is warming, snow is melting, and signs of life are beginning to buzz and bloom in Hartford, Connecticut. Spring is finally upon us.
Children and pets excitedly romp and roll on the lawn, park picnics are planned, and hiking trails are eagerly explored. Amidst our outdoor adventures, it is important to remember that we aren’t the only ones having fun in the sun.
With spring comes a surge in tick activity. Due to their inability to drink water, ticks require high levels of moisture and humidity to survive. The only other resource these parasitic pests rely on is the blood of mammals, birds, and even reptiles.
Proactive measures for your family and pets will help you avoid the dangerous health risks associated with ticks. The most effective way to protect your Hartford home from unwanted ticks is with the help of an experienced pest control professional.
Common Ticks In The Hartford Area And The Diseases They Carry
There are two species to be aware of when it comes to ticks in Hartford. Familiarizing yourself with tick identification and the diseases they carry will help you better understand what you are up against during a tick encounter.
The black-legged deer tick is a very small species. They have flat, oval bodies that are not hard-shelled. Their colors range from dark orange to reddish-brown, with distinctively darker legs. Adult males average 1/16 of an inch in length, while adult females are a bit larger, averaging around 1/8 of an inch in length.
Diseases that are associated with the black-legged tick include anaplasmosis B., babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Miyamoto disease, and Powassan virus. The CDC has estimated roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year.
The American dogwood tick is less common to the area. They have flat, oval bodies, with a hard exterior shell. Their colors vary from brown to shades of white, with grey or yellow markings. Males and females in this tick species both average around 3/16 of an inch in length.
Diseases that are associated with the American dog tick include tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These diseases may not seem as serious as some of the diseases carried by the black-legged tick, but they can be equally fatal if left untreated.
The Sneaky Strategies Of Tick Behavior
Ticks cannot jump or fly; instead, they hide in areas that provide easy access to their preferred hosts. The most common places to pick them up are in tall grasses, dense vegetation, and wooded areas.
Ticks rest on the tips of grasses and shrubs, waiting for the opportune moment to drop onto a host as they brush by. They cling to legs and crawl up clothing to find a place to hide and feed. Ticks are known to climb up to human scalps so they can conceal themselves in our hair.
You don’t have to leave your home to encounter a tick. They find their way onto residential properties by hitchhiking in with pets and wildlife. Ticks will attach themselves to anything they can feed off of.
Stop the feeding before it has a chance to start. Contact a local residential tick control professional for your Hartford home today.
Tick Prevention Tips
Whether you are out and about on an open trail or relaxing in your yard, a little bit of tick prevention will go a long way.
- Avoid tall grasses when visiting wooded areas with high tick populations.
- Wear long sleeves, closed-toed shoes, and long pants tucked into your socks.
- Brightly colored clothing will make it easier to detect ticks trying to make their way towards your skin.
- Spraying your shoes and pant legs with mosquito repellent will help prevent ticks.
- Always check your family and your pets for ticks before entering your vehicle or your home after an outdoor adventure.
- In general, you should regularly check your pets for ticks that can be picked up in your yard after time spent outdoors.
- Regularly bathe and groom your pets and wash their bedding.
- Place pets on a year-round tick program under the guidance of your pet’s veterinarian.
- Establish a barrier between your lawn and wooded areas. Keep your grass cut short, shrubbery well-trimmed, and yard clear of debris.
- Check gutters to make sure they are properly functioning. Clear them regularly to prevent and remove moist conditions.
- Make your yard less attractive to wildlife by removing potential water sources and keeping locking lids on trash cans and compost bins. Relocate bird feeders away from your foundation perimeter.
- Rodents bring ticks into homes. Apply necessary measures to protect your residence from home-invading rodents.
For best results, combine your tick prevention guide with a tick treatment plan administered by an experienced pest control professional.
Professional Assistance At Your Service
American Pest Solutions is a family-founded pest control company that has been serving our community since 1913. With more than 100 years of experience over the course of four generations, we go above and beyond to provide your family with exceptional pest control services.
We strive to deliver the highest quality service possible, which is why the president of American Pest Solutions is also our Board Certified Entomologist. Our team members receive ongoing specialized field training to keep up-to-date with the safest and most effective treatments we can offer.
American Pest Solutions is a pioneer and longstanding advocate of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). We care about the health of your family, pets, and the environment. Our tick prevention and control treatments are just as safe as they are effective.
To find out more about our tick control options for residential customers, contact us today!