Ticks! They're Everywhere!

I always thought that to have ticks in your yard you had to live in areas with large deer populations (as many deer ticks are carried by and bite deer, hence the name). Well, this year I have been proven wrong. You see, my husband, Drew, and I live in the city of Richmond. Although we have a yard, we are far away from the wooded areas I thought ticks lived and I had never seen a tick in our yard or on our dog. I thought we were safe…

In an effort to help our grass grow and flowers bloom, Drew has been spending more time in our yard watering, trimming etc. (I could say I have been too, but that would be a lie). In our front yard, our hose is located in the shade behind some large azaleas that we have. It’s one of the few places of our yard that gets more shade than sun and holds moisture pretty well. After turning off the hose and before coming inside the other day, what do you think he found crawling up his leg? The dreaded tick! Drew was lucky he was wearing long pants and was able to see and remove the tick before it bit. Since then we’ve been extra careful to check ourselves and our dog when coming in from the outside.

Because of the mild winter that many areas of the country experienced this year, more ticks are expected this spring. And with the increase in the reported cases of Lyme disease, every family should be extra vigilant when spending time outdoors, whether in the woods or sitting on your deck. To help fight the bite, we at Mosquito Squad are happy to offer up our 6 Cs of tick control you can utilize in your yard.

1. Clear out debris. Debris often accumulates in moist shady areas where ticks thrive (they usually die in sunny dry areas).
2. Clean. Eliminate leaf litter, brush off sidewalks and mow tall grass to cut down on the places ticks can harbor.
3. Choose plants that aren’t attractive to deer. In areas where deer are present this is very important because deer will carry ticks right into your yard.
4. Check hiding places periodically. Ticks like to hide along the base of fences and brick walls.
5. Care for family pets. Ticks can easy hide in the fur of your pets. If your animals (like our Wiley) spend time in areas where ticks may be present, make sure you apply a topical tick medication.
6. Call the pros. Mosquito Squad’s tick control eliminates ticks before they can bit and danger your friends and family.

In a year when ticks are expected to be worse than normal, it’s important to be extra careful. Make sure you do a full body check when coming inside and, in the case that you are bitten, remove the ticks properly and place it in a plastic bag in case it needs to be tested for tick-transmitted diseases.