Both fleas and ticks are parasitic insects, meaning their livelihood depends on feeding upon the blood of hosts like you, your children, and your pets. Humans are actually not the primary source of sustenance for these parasites, but they will gravitate toward us in the absence of other food sources. Click the button below if you have a tick or flea problem, or read below for more information.
Although ticks may not be a problem in your house, they can be a nuisance in your yard and can carry dangerous diseases.
In order to find a host, ticks will wait for days, and possibly weeks, and can sense a host's body odor, body heat, and other indicators that a meal might be close by. When a host is sensed, a tick will embed its mouthparts into the skin to find blood, while simultaneously injecting a substance that prevents the blood from clotting. There are several diseases carried by ticks that can be harmful to humans, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Ticks thrive in humid, moist environments, and tend to populate wooded areas, meadows, and other areas with moderately dense vegetation. They can even survive in temperatures below 32 degrees. Prior to spending time in environments like this, it is important to use a repellent with DEET (N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) on your skin and clothing, or another repellent called called permethrin which is specifically made for clothing.
If your property contains wooded or grassy areas, you can create a kind of tick barrier by keeping a strip of lawn 2-4" high around the area, or using mulch to contain the area. For added protection, you can also plant certain plants that repel ticks, such as sage, garlic, lavender, pennyroyal, pyrethrum, and American beautyberry.
Our tick control and treatment plan starts with an inspection of your property in order to identify possible problem areas and potential solutions. We may suggest removing lawn debris such as fallen leaves, logs, or firewood. Beyond that, we may also recommend containing prime tick environments with mowed grass or mulch, as mentioned above. Finally, we may use chemical applications in certain areas, which will require follow-up applications to maintain tick control.
Fleas are similar to ticks in that they feed on the blood of warm-blooded mammals, using an anti-clotting agent in their saliva to prolong the extraction period. Fleas are 1-3mm long, and are brown in color. Fleas have narrow bodies and can jump approximately 16mm, which allows them to easily navigate through fur.
Like ticks, fleas are also carriers of disease and other parasites. They may carry parasitic worms such as dog tapeworm, which can be transferred to humans as well.
As with many other insects, a flea problem can be avoided by frequent and thorough cleaning of your home to minimize fleas being carried into the area. This includes frequent vacuuming, dusting, and inspection of cracks and crevices throughout the home. You should also pay special attention to areas where your pets lay, as this is a prime environment in which fleas thrive. Regular bathing of your pets, as well as flea and tick treatment, will also prevent the risk of flea infestation.
We use insecticides specially formulated to be pet-friendly in order to eradicate and prevent flea activity in your home. If you think you may have a tick or flea problem, click the button below to book your appointment.
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