Are ticks bad in Tennessee all year long?

Ticks in Tennessee can be active all year long, but there are typical peak seasons.

Generally, nymph ticks are most active April through June, and adult ticks are highly active August through October. Tennessee is home to six tick species. These include black-legged ticks, Lone Star ticks, Gulf Coast ticks, brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, and the Asian Longhorned tick. Altogether, these ticks are responsible for a plethora of potential tick-borne illnesses. And because ticks can still quest in the cold months, Mosquito Squad of Nashville offers year-round tick control.

How do ticks survive cold temperatures?

Much like other wildlife and woodland critters, tick seek shelter when cold temperatures are nigh. Ticks will still quest for their blood meals during warm stretches of weather in the fall, winter, and early spring. But when the temperature is consistently 35°F, they will hunker down for a winter’s rest. They will find a cozy rodent’s nest, piles of leaf litter or other ground debris, and can even be protected beneath blankets of snow! They are hearty creatures, indeed, but a super-cold snap will kill ticks. But it must be very cold – we’re talking 15°F and below, for a consistent period of time. As you well know, life in Nashville is rarely that frigid. January ushers in our coldest average high temperature, which is 47°F. Thus, we cannot rely on Mother Nature to eliminate ticks for us.

Winter tick control in Nashville – yeah, it’s a thing!

Because ticks are bad in Tennessee, and our weather is not so cold as to eliminate them in the winter, Mosquito Squad of Nashville offers a tick control solution that works through the winter. Tick control tubes are the answer to your winter tick woes, and they can work to reduce the number of ticks you see on your property in the spring too. These tubes are ingenious in that they use ticks’ favorite hosts as harbingers of doom! Once we place our tick tubes around your property, mice will be enticed to empty their contents. What contents, you ask? Well, the contents of tick tubes consist of fluffy cotton that is perfect for rodent nests. This is no ordinary nesting cotton, however. This specially treated cotton will eliminate ticks that come in contact with it. Not only that, but any rodent that nests with this cotton will also get the tick-eliminating solution on it. If a tick encounters said rodent, it’s good-bye tick! Not to worry, though – the mouse is not harmed by the tick killing solution.

Fortify your property and strengthen your tick-borne illness prevention efforts with year-round Nashville tick control. Contact Mosquito Squad of Nashville at 615-492-3662.