If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you might worry about ticks. These bugs are most commonly found outdoors where they attach to a host. Once attached, ticks can be carried on your body for days. Ticks are disgusting pests because of the way they find a host and latch on. While most people have heard of ticks, knowing what they look like and how they behave is important.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you might worry about ticks. These bugs are most commonly found outdoors where they attach to a host. Once attached, ticks can be carried on your body for days. Ticks are disgusting pests because of the way they find a host and latch on. While most people have heard of ticks, knowing what they look like and how they behave is important. Ticks are parasitic pests that need the blood of a host to survive. While they generally tend to attach to animals, they can also feed on humans. Many species of ticks will feed on their host for days and then drop off and start laying eggs. While other soft ticks lay eggs on their host.
While most ticks can be removed and don’t cause much of a problem, some ticks carry illnesses such as Lyme disease.
Here is what ticks generally look like:
- They are flat and oval-shaped until they’ve eaten and then they appear very red and rounded.
- They have eight legs except for the larvae which have six.
- They can be many colors from grey to brown to black to yellowish.
How Dangerous Are Ticks?
During the spring and summer months, ticks become more of a problem because they can hide in bushes and other plants and latch onto people who are spending time outdoors. Pets can also get them and bring them inside.
While most tick bites are dangerous and not all ticks carry diseases, some ticks can carry serious illness. This is why it’s important to check yourself for ticks and to be aware of any signs of illness if you find a tick on your body.
Here are some of the illnesses that ticks can carry:
- The lone star tick is known to carry a bacteria that can leave a person with a red meat allergy.
- Deer ticks are the species most likely to spread Lyme disease.
- Dog ticks can sometimes transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
- Ticks can carry many other bacterial infections that humans can get.
While the majority of the time you won’t get a disease from a tick, you should watch out for signs of illness. Since Lyme disease is one of the most commonly transmitted diseases from ticks, it’s good to know the warning signs:
- Pain in joints and muscles
- Stiff joints
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Fever
- A bulls-eye pattern rash
If you’ve been bitten by a tick and notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek medical attention.
Tick Prevention Tips
While you can't completely prevent ticks no matter what you do, there are some steps you can take to reduce your likelihood of getting bitten. Here are some prevention steps:
- When hiking, wear long pants and shirts.
- Keep flea and tick collars on your pets when they are outdoors.
- Try to stay out of areas full of brush and vegetation when outside.
- Inspect your skin for ticks after you’ve spent time outdoors as removing ticks early can reduce the likelihood of getting an illness.
Learn More About Tick Prevention
Because of the risks that come along with ticks, it’s important to seek assistance from the professional pest control experts at Aiken Pest Control. With over 50 years of experience, we can provide advice as well as pest control services for ticks and many other pests.