Why Watch for Ticks Around The Home
Filed under: Pest Control
Ticks can easily infest homes. Their way in? The family dog. It happens more often than you might think! If undetected, the infestation can become quite severe and pose a serious health threat to both your pet and your family.
Tick Habits
Here in Temecula Valley, ticks can be picked up just about anywhere. The most common places include backyards, nature trails, brush fields, boarding kennels, etc. When a tick hitches a ride on your furry friend, they’ll usually burrow their way into a warm and dark place such as the dog’s ears or between their toes.
After fully engorging themselves on a blood meal, they’ll drop off and hide in a safe place until it is time to feed again. When they detach from the host inside your home, they’ll scurry to hide in carpeting, under furniture, beneath baseboards, and within cracks or crevices. In these places an adult female tick can deposit up to 5,000 eggs! When that happens, you’re dealing with a tick home invasion with menacing consequences.
Tick Borne Diseases
A tick bite can transmit Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, Tularemia, and many other bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases. In humans, symptoms vary by infection type but often include rashes and constant flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, etc. Recovery is often a long and difficult effort.
Prevention
Around the house, you can reduce potential tick problems by keeping weeds and grasses cut short. You should also seal up any cracks or fissures inside and outside the house. Regularly checking the dog for hitchhiking critters is also an important prevention strategy to keep these ticks out. It’s best to check the dog before they come into the home. A qualified pest control provider can also provide support with prevention efforts.
Call the Pros
Most creepy crawlies can be managed with a good pest control service, including ticks. If you’ve detected a tick problem in your home, it’s critical that you take proactive steps to eliminate the infestation right away. Talk to our pro team for a conversation today about prevention and treatment options. Call Riche’s Termite and Pest Service at (951) 233-7697.
