It’s tick season in Greenville. Get Ready!

Five kinds of ticks are found in Greenville, South Carolina: the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, the black-legged tick (deer tick), and the lone star tick. They all carry diseases. Usually, ticks are found near the ground in wooded areas, leaf litter, and tall grass or brush. While they don’t jump or fly, they can climb onto you and seek attachment if you brush up against them. To avoid contracting a tick-borne disease, such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, and Babesiosis, you need to take preventative measures.

What to do if you see a tick?

When you see a tick, panic may set in. What do you do? How do you get rid of it? According to the CDC, you can do a number of things to properly dispose of a tick. If you want to save the tick, you can place it in alcohol, put it in a sealed bag or container, or wrap it tightly with tape. If you don’t want to save the tick, you can simply flush it down the toilet.

How to Remove a Tick?

We all fear tick bites and the diseases they spread. Of course, if a tick has attached to your body, it’s critical to remove it quickly and correctly. Here’s what you should do and what you should not do:

• Do not place a substance on the tick or try to burn the tick. This can cause the tick to spew infected substances into the wound.
• Do not grab the tick with your fingers or twist the tick’s body.
• Use tweezers to grab the tick’s body as close to your skin as possible, and pull the tick out in a straight, upwards motion.
• Rub the tweezers and the wound with alcohol.
• Wash your hands.

What are the Best Ways to Prevent Tick Bites?

You are most at risk for ticks when you’re in the woods, in tall grass or brush, under leaves, and around woodpiles or stone walls. In these areas, you need to be diligent to avoid contact with soil and vegetation.

Ticks can make their way into your clothing and your pet’s fur. When you’re outside, cover yourself up with clothing so that your skin is not exposed. Tuck your long-sleeved shirt into your pants, tuck your pants into your socks, and wear closed shoes. If you have long hair, wear it in a ponytail or a bun. Also, make sure to wear insect repellant, preferably with DEET, picaridin, or permethrin.

When you return home, run a fine-toothed comb through your hair, shower, perform a complete body check, and wash your clothes! Also, check your dog’s fur and feet. If you have an outdoor cat, you’ll want to check its fur too!

Greenville Tick Control

The best way to control ticks in your yard is to get to the source itself: eliminate the ticks. At Mosquito Squad of Greenville, we offer tick barrier treatment which eliminates 85%-90% of ticks on contact and continues to work for three weeks. To help reduce the number of ticks in your yard and the diseases they carry, call Mosquito Squad of Greenville at (864) 362-2013 for Greenville tick control.