Learning how to keep ticks away from your family and property so you can prevent tick bites involves understanding what ticks need. Here are some strategies to consider for how to prevent ticks:
Reduce Damp Areas
Ticks need a water source, and they thrive where humidity is high and soil remains damp. They are highly susceptible to drying out, so tick control methods include cutting back on excess irrigation and any leaks on your property. Another strategy is to dust a fine layer of diatomaceous earth (DE) over common tick resting sites. For instance, dust pet bedding, dog houses, kennels, dog runs, and a dry “moat” around the perimeter of your property with DE.
Keep Your Yard Tidy
Ticks generally thrive in damp wooded areas where tall grass, shrubs, and trees grow unchecked. They are attracted to untamed land and ticks will hide in leaf litter, ground-covering plants, and wood piles where small mammals live. Do your best to keep wood piles away from the home, remove leaf debris from around the house, create a wood chip and rock barrier, keep your grass mowed, keep your trees trimmed, and consider planting deer-resistant crops.
Recognize Ticks’ Hiding Places
Wooded areas, mountains, foothills, and untended brush make for excellent tick habitats. You may also find ticks on the shores of lakes, ponds, or at the beach. Ticks like to dwell in tall grass and wooded areas where the soil is moist or where there is a water source. Gardening, hiking, and hanging out in your yard are all scenarios where you, your family, and your pets could attract ticks. Ticks will climb grass stems and shrubs to the height of their preferred hosts to attach. Be wary of this behavior when outdoors to help avoid ticks.
Cover Your Body
Long sleeves, long pants, a hat, and socks tucked into boots will help create a barrier between a hungry tick and your skin. It takes a while for a tiny tick to make its way past your clothing — hopefully long enough for you to spot it and remove it. For even more protection, wear light colors and apply spray-on tick repellent to deter unwanted biters.
Use Extra Caution If You’re An Outdoor Enthusiast
Unfortunately, some of our favorite getaway locations, like hiking trails and campgrounds, are also highly attractive to ticks. When you’re adventuring in the great outdoors:
- Use tick repellant formulated for your skin, like DEET.
- Choose a campground that employs tick control methods.
- Set up your tent in a dry, sunny clearing.
- Clear away any piles of leaves, twigs, tall grass, or brush.
- Sit on camp chairs rather than on stumps or on the ground.
- Stick to well-tended paths, away from high grass and shrub brush.
- Buy firewood instead of collecting it.
- Place your worn clothes in a plastic bag and seal it.
- Treat your dogs before your trip.
- Check for ticks frequently, and pack your tweezers and alcohol.
Abide by the above tick control methods, and you can enjoy your camping, hiking, and fishing excursions to the fullest.
Utilize Professional Tick Barrier Treatments
Get professional barrier treatments from Mosquito Joe® for an added layer of defense. Regular tick control treatments will get rid of ticks and give you and your family some peace of mind.
Our Mosquito Joe services prioritize your comfort and personalized needs with service professionals who truly care.
Examine Yourself and Loved Ones
Ticks are persistent, and you may not feel their bite. After being outside, check yourself and your loved ones to ensure a tick isn’t on you and hasn’t bitten you. Ticks can be as tiny as the top of a pencil. They hide in warm places, making them difficult to find. Places to check include:
- Under the arms
- In and around the ears
- Inside the belly button
- Back of the knees
- In and around the scalp and hair
- Between the legs
- Around the waist
You should also examine your gear to avoid transporting a tick or two indoors. Additionally, throw clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat to kill ticks. Finally, promptly showering when coming indoors helps wash off unattached ticks and decrease the chance of contracting a tick-borne diseaseHow To Remove A Tick Effectively
It’s essential to know how to remove a tick if and when you or a pet are bitten. How to get ticks off is different from removing any other type of insect. While you can brush away most insects, a tick attaches to the body, bites the skin, inserts a barbed feeding tube, and begins drinking blood. This makes a tick unique from most biting bugs in that they remain attached to the body even after biting.
Because ticks can carry and transmit diseases, knowing how to remove them properly is essential:
- To get started, don’t panic! Just reach for a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to remove the small insect. Resist the temptation to crush it with your fingers, as this method could transmit disease.
- Grab the tick as close to the surface of your skin as possible. Pull upward using steady, even pressure. Using this motion will ensure that the tick’s mouthparts don’t break off and stay embedded in the skin. If this happens, use the tweezers to remove the mouthparts. Be careful not to squeeze the tick’s body as this can cause it to release harmful bacteria into the bite area.
- With soap and water or rubbing alcohol, clean your hands, the infected area, and the tweezers.
- Place the tick in alcohol, seal it in a container, wrap tape around it and keep it for identification in case you develop any symptoms. Alternatively, flush it down the toilet.
- Monitor for adverse reactions. If you develop a rash, fever, or any other symptoms associated with tick-borne disease, seek medical assistance. Notify your doctor about your recent tick bite and when and where it occurred.
How To Get Ticks Off Your Pets
In addition to the tips above regarding how to keep ticks away from yourself and your property, paying attention to your pets is essential. Cats and dogs can be the perfect hosts for ticks, especially if they go outdoors. Then, pets can bring ticks into your home where you could be their next host, so it’s crucial to learn how to remove a tick.
Inspect Your Pets For Ticks
If your pets go outside, check them daily for ticks. Rub them down gently and inspect any small bumps that you feel. Ticks will get larger as they feed off of their hosts, so sizes may vary. You can also look at tick hot spots, such as around the ears, nose, and whiskers. Check between your pet’s toes, in their armpits, and in any areas that are warm and dark like folds in their neck or underneath their collar.
Remove the Tick
As soon as you find a tick on your pet, you should remove it. First, part your pet’s fur to get access to the tick. Then, use tweezers or other tick removal tools to grasp the tick by its head, as close to the skin as possible. Firmly pull the tick straight out and ensure it’s completely removed. Place the tick in rubbing alcohol or a sealed baggie before cleaning the bite site with rubbing alcohol and thoroughly washing your hands. Be sure to monitor your pet for any abnormal symptoms that could be a sign of a tick illness.
Notify Your Veterinarian of Tick Bites
Let your veterinarian know if your pet has been bitten by a tick. They may ask you to save the tick in a sealed plastic baggie to confirm if it’s carrying any tick-borne illnesses. You should also seek veterinary care if you have trouble removing the tick or aren’t able to remove the entire tick from your pet.
Use Tick Preventatives
Many veterinarians recommend flea and tick medicine to help keep your pets free from tick bites and their potential diseases. Your pet’s veterinarian can advise you on topical tick protection treatments to prevent ticks from biting. This may be a topical treatment, a tick collar, or a chewable tablet. You can also explore eco-friendly ways to keep ticks away from pets.
Why Choose Professional Tick Control With Mosquito Joe
Now that you’ve learned all about the tick control methods and strategies available to you, it’s time to call on the pros at Mosquito Joe to protect your family and property.
Get a Free Estimate
Want to know what type of cost you're facing? To rid your property of biting ticks, request a free estimate today. We can inspect your property and offer a personalized plan to help keep your backyard free of ticks and other pests. Let’s make your outdoor spaces fun again!
High-Quality Tick Control Services
Our tick control services will eliminate ticks from your property, making it easier for families and pets to enjoy. Our tick control spray and barrier treatments will target problem areas where we know ticks thrive. Then, we ask that you give the treatment 30 minutes to dry.
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Trustworthy, Professional Care
The Mosquito Joe entomologists and the rest of our team of pest control professionals work tirelessly to protect others from insects that present the danger of vector-borne disease and other problems associated with pests. A significant portion of our efforts is dedicated to educating our customers and the public about how to keep ticks away and stay protected from pests. Explore the Mosquito Joe blog and FAQs for more information on how to combat ticks and other pests that pose risks to your health and enjoyment of the outdoors.
