How To Get Rid Of Ticks In Your Car? The 127 Detailed Answer

Ticks can transmit dangerous diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can be carried into your home by your pets or children, exposing the rest of your family to a possible disease. In this guide, we’ll explore the best tick killers on Amazon. If you prefer a preventive approach, we also share garden care tips to discourage these pests in the first place. Read on to find out more.

Top 5 tick killers

Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Lawn Granules

Coated with insecticide, these pellets protect against ticks and other pests such as spiders, fleas, ants and mole crickets for up to three months. Due to the size of the bag, you can protect up to 10,000 square feet.

BioAdvanced 700288S Complete Insect Killer

This 10 pound bag of pellets provides three months of protection for up to 10,000 square feet. It kills over 30 insects including ticks and starts working within 24 hours of the first application. You can use this tick killer on soil, flowers, trees, shrubs and any other penetrable surface in your garden.

Spectrum HG-61067 Insect Free Spray

This spray is best suited for small gardens due to its size. Simply attach it to your garden hose, line up the nozzle and spray the solution over your garden. It applies in just a few minutes and protects you from a long list of insects for up to 12 weeks.

Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Yard and Kennel Spray

This spray comes in a 32 ounce bottle ready to use. It has a handle at the top and a built-in nozzle that you point and spray over your garden. It also uses clove and peppermint essential oils instead of harmful chemicals, making it a natural solution to your tick problem. Once you run out of spray, you can purchase a refill bottle and pour the solution back into the ready-to-use container.

Wondercide Ready To Use Flea, Tick & Mosquito Garden Spray

This spray comes in a 32 ounce bottle and contains natural insect repellent. It will not harm you, your pets or other wildlife such as bees and butterflies and covers an area of ​​up to 5,000 square feet.

Types of tick killers

Tick ​​killers come in a variety of forms, with sprays and pellets being the most common. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of each tick killer.

spray

Tick ​​spray is the most common and effective tick killer for your garden and can be divided into three subcategories: concentrated, pre-mixed and natural.

Concentrated

Concentrated sprays come in a large container and are filled with a highly concentrated insecticide. You mix the insecticide with a certain amount of water, depending on what the instructions say, and spray your yard to get rid of ticks. This type of tick killer is the most economical choice when spraying your entire garden as a little concentrate will cover a large area.

premixed

Pre-mixed solutions already have the right ratio of insecticide to water. Supplied ready to spray, their smaller size makes them better suited for smaller gardens or spot treatments.

Naturally

If you want to be eco-conscious, opt for a natural spray that contains a blend of essential oils like peppermint or cedarwood — two oils known to repel ticks.

pellets/granules

Pellets are made from coarse materials such as walnut shells or clay and are coated with an insecticide. The pellets are either ready to use from the sachet or you need to mix them with water to activate the ingredients. To use the pellets, place them over your garden like fertilizer.

While pellets are easy to use and not as dangerous as sprays, they do not coat the foliage of plants and trees like sprays and can be mistaken for food by pets and wildlife.

Treatment of skin/clothes

While this review focuses on garden treatments, there are ways to keep ticks off your body. Most skin treatments come in the form of a spray with DEET as the active ingredient. However, you can find body sprays that use natural ingredients and sprays that are designed for clothing.

shopping guide

Before purchasing a tick killer, consider what other pests you have in your garden and how to use the insecticide effectively and safely.

security

If you use an unnatural spray, wear protective gear such as goggles, gloves, and respirators, and long clothing to keep the chemicals from touching your skin or getting into your body. If using pellets, consider wearing gloves as the insecticide on the product could rub off onto your hands. Once you’ve finished applying the tick killer, take a shower and toss your clothes in the laundry to prevent any residual chemicals from coming into contact with you or others.

Correct Usage

Each tick killer should come with instructions explaining how to use the product. Make sure you read these instructions carefully before using the product so you understand how much concentrate to mix with water or how much surface area it can cover.

other pests

Most tick killers are designed to kill more than just ticks, allowing you to control multiple insects in your yard at once. Before making your final purchase, read the product’s covered insect list and be sure it can control ticks and other unwanted pests.

How to prevent ticks

Rather than covering your yard in tick repellent, you can take a proactive approach that eliminates the habitats where they thrive. Here are a few tips on how to prevent ticks in your garden:

Keep the grass short: Ticks like long grass because the stalks cast shade and create a cool environment in which to thrive. We recommend growing your grass up to four inches tall and then trimming it down to three inches. Cutting it shorter will tangle the grass, causing it to overcompensate by growing taller faster.

Ticks like long grass because the leaves cast shade and create a cool environment in which to thrive. We recommend growing your grass up to 10cm tall and then trimming it down to 3cm. Cutting it shorter will tangle the grass, causing it to overcompensate by growing taller faster. Build a mulch barrier: If your property borders a wooded area, place a three-foot high mulch barrier between your yard and the woods. Ticks like wooded areas, but mulch is often hot and dry, two things ticks like to avoid.

If your property borders a wooded area, place a three-foot mulch barrier between your yard and the woods. Ticks like wooded areas, but mulch is often hot and dry, two things ticks like to avoid. Put Grass and Leaves in Bags: After mowing your lawn or raking leaves, put the clippings and other debris in a bag instead of leaving them in your yard. While these clippings and leaves act as a natural fertilizer for your lawn, they are also a natural habitat for ticks. If you don’t want to waste these nutrients, you can always create a compost pile outside of your home.

: After mowing your lawn or raking leaves, put clippings and other debris in a bag instead of leaving them in your yard. While these clippings and leaves act as a natural fertilizer for your lawn, they are also a natural habitat for ticks. If you don’t want to waste these nutrients, you can always create a compost pile outside of your home. Target tick carriers: Mice and deer are the most common tick carriers, so consider measures to deter them from your garden. Choose plants that deer won’t eat or fence off your yard to keep them out. Keep your garden litter-free for mice and lay out tube-like traps filled with insecticide-soaked lint. When the mice pull out the fluff to build their nests, they kill the ticks they carry.

Mice and deer are the most common tick carriers, so consider taking steps to deter them from your garden. Choose plants that deer won’t eat or fence off your yard to keep them out. Keep your garden litter-free for mice and lay out tube-like traps filled with insecticide-soaked lint. When the mice pull out the fluff to build their nests, they kill the ticks they carry. Tick-eating animals welcome: Wild birds like robins and blue jays are natural tick eaters and can be attracted to your yard with bird feeders.

frequently asked Questions

What are Permethrin and Talstar?

Permethrin and Talstar are the two most commonly used chemicals in tick and pest sprays. Permethrin tends to be cheaper than Talstar and kills pests faster after the first application. Talstar lasts longer and kills ticks and other pests over a longer period of time.

How do I keep ticks off my dog?

Most dogs are treated with flea and tick killers a few times a year. You can buy treatments in the form of liquids, chewable tablets, or collars. However, if you want extra protection from ticks, you can follow these tips:

Keep long-haired dogs groomed to prevent ticks from hiding in their fur.

Mix seven drops of lemon eucalyptus oil in a 32-ounce bottle of distilled water. Spray the mixture on your dog’s coat before a walk in the woods to repel ticks.

For short-haired dogs, use a lint roller to pick up ticks after a walk in the woods.

Do tick killers come with a garden hose concentrate?

Yes, some tick sprays come with an attachment that connects the concentrate canister to your garden hose. The pressure of the hose water sprays the insecticide for you. However, this only works for smaller yards as you are limited to how far the hose can reach.

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Vinegar itself does not kill ticks; However, it can be used to remove the ticks once they have burrowed into the skin. Fill a cup with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Dip a cotton ball or swab in the vinegar and touch the back end of the tick with it. Ticks hate the smell of vinegar and most of them will squirm through the skin to get rid of it. Grasp the tick with fine-tipped tweezers and pull it out evenly, following the instructions on the Centers for Disease Control tick removal page. Don’t twist the tick, as this can break the head off from under your skin. Then drop the devil into the vinegar cup where he will drown. After removing all ticks, flush the vinegar and ticks down the toilet or drain. According to the CDC, removing ticks as soon as possible is essential to preventing tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and tularemia. If you or your pet develop symptoms of Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness, as detailed on the CDS website, contact a doctor immediately.

Bring ticks to the edge with our top six tips for preventing ticks on your couch. More than just a nuisance, these bloodthirsty parasites can pose a real threat to you and your pet’s health.

What are ticks anyway?

Ticks are cousins ​​of spiders, mites, and scorpions. The parasitic insects move through four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Nymphs are juvenile ticks, and just like human teenagers, they can cause real headaches. They account for 98% of bites.

Larvae and nymphs feed on smaller animals and birds, while nymphs and adults feed on larger targets like humans and domestic animals. The three most common types of ticks in the US are the deer tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick.

Tick ​​bites can cause irritation, but the threat of tick-borne diseases is the real cause for concern. Ticks can carry:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Lyme disease and co-infections

tularemia

You might think that you only get tick bites from hiking in the woods, but 75% of tick bites happen during regular home activities like gardening and entertaining people outdoors.

What Attracts Ticks to Your Garden?

Ticks are attracted to warm, humid environments. They like shade and places to hide. Tall grass, ground cover, and shrubs are some of their favorite spots.

Since ticks are often found in people’s hair, it’s easy to think that they like to hang out in trees. In fact, ticks stay close to the ground and find their way to your head once they have latched onto you as a host.

Tick ​​activity increases as the months get warmer, usually between April and September, but they are active year-round. If you want to focus on prevention, get to work before temperatures start to rise.

Ways to prevent ticks in your garden

You may not be able to keep all ticks out of your landscape, but taking the right steps will reduce your chances of an infestation.

1. Remove dirt

congerdesign | Pixabay

One man’s junk is another tick’s treasure. Ticks like to hide between leaves, undergrowth and garden furniture. In addition, rodents and other tick-borne pests often burrow into debris or forgotten lawn equipment.

Cleaning Checklist:

✓ Rake thoroughly, especially when the weather cools.

✓ Scarify once a year (more often if you have a thatch-prone grass like Kentucky Bluegrass).

✓ Store lawn equipment in a dry place, preferably indoors.

✓ Keep shrubs pruned to reduce brush.

✓ Ensure rubbish and food are kept in a tightly sealed container. If your pet eats outside, clean the area around the bowls regularly.

As you go through the checklist, pay particular attention to the outside edges of your lawn and the areas around your home. This is where ticks are most likely to get into your garden or house.

2. Keep your lawn trimmed

A well-trimmed lawn is one of the best ways to prevent ticks. Lawn cut to the right height is too exposed for ticks. what is the right height Almost all grass species will do well at 2.5 inches. Warm season grasses like to be mowed slightly lower (1 to 3 inches), while cool season grasses prefer to be mowed slightly higher (2.5 and 4 inches).

Taking out a ruler to measure your lawn every Sunday is not realistic. It’s good to have a general idea of ​​how often you should mow your lawn. Expect to mow every five to seven days during your grass’s active growing season. That is late spring and summer for warm-season grasses and early spring and fall for cool-season varieties. Mowing will taper off to every two weeks when the grass is dormant, if at all. A properly manicured lawn also discourages weeds that can hide ticks.

3. Build a tick-free barrier

Did you know that over 80% of ticks reside in the outer 9 feet of a lawn? Keep ticks from entering your property by creating a tick-free barrier.

You may think hedges are a great way to delineate your landscape, but if you want to prevent ticks, it’s best to remove all shrubs, tall grasses, and trees around your garden edge. Instead, cover your lawn with gravel, mulch, or a well-trimmed 3-foot section of grass.

Consider the layout of your garden. Because ticks stay close to the edge, you should move any of their potential hiding spots closer to the center. Dog runs, garden furniture and playground equipment are safer in the middle of your lawn, preferably in the sun.

4. Replace the base cover

What is ground cover? It is any low-lying plant with a creeping, spreading habit. They may look good, but ticks love their shady, moist environment.

Fortunately, there are other ways to define your space. When deciding on a replacement, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Is this area heavily frequented?

Do you have kids that might run around?

Do you want to grow something different green there instead?

Hardscape

Hardscaping is exactly what it sounds like: “hard” materials used in landscaping. Think stone, concrete and wood. Hardscaping is a fantastic low-maintenance option for adding visual interest and defined areas to your garden.

If you’re entertaining yourself outside, hardscaping is the way to go. It can withstand a lot of traffic and furniture. However, it may not be the safest choice if your little ones are playing outside.

Examples of hardscaping:

stone or brick pavement

sidewalks

gravel

rock

Aquatic features (as long as they are lined with inorganic material such as rocks)

Call DIY or Pro: Depending on your experience, all of these options can be installed yourself, but some are more difficult. Laying gravel and stones is easier than laying pavers, for example. Connecting an underground water system is probably a job for a professional. Check your city’s regulations first.

Costs: Hardscaping costs depend heavily on the project. A bag of pea gravel can cost as little as $5. Professional paver installation ranges from $8 to $25 per square foot and goes up to $3,000 or more.

mulch

Mulch is your best friend in fighting ticks. It doesn’t just look good; Ticks will not cross a mulch line. They can still be carried into your yard by animals or people, but a 4- to 6-foot strip of mulch will definitely reduce the chances of ticks entering your living area.

Other benefits of mulch:

Keeps moisture inside to prevent plants from drying out

When placed around trees, it protects exposed roots

Cedar wood shavings in particular repel other insects such as fleas

DIY or Call a Pro: A free afternoon is enough to do it yourself.

Cost: Mulch costs $3 to $7 per bag ($15 to $75 per cubic yard). Professional labor services cost about $40-$70 per hour and $40-$145 for delivery.

artificial grass

Fake it so it works for weed too. If you are looking for a low maintenance, pet and child friendly evergreen lawn, look no further than artificial grass.

Different types of artificial grass:

Pet Friendly Lawn: This option has a permeable backing for drainage.

Putting Lawn: This is for all golf enthusiasts.

High Pile Height: Creates a lush look.

High Density: Withstands heavy traffic.

UV Tested: Ideal for hot, sunny locations.

DIY or call a pro: You can install this yourself, but be warned it can be quite labor intensive.

Cost: The average cost of a standard 500-square-foot artificial turf facility is $5,860. If you install it yourself, the material will cost you between $1,000 and $2,000.

Create a herb garden

Ticks are picky about perfumes. Although herbaceous perennials share the same physical environment as tall grasses, some of them have strong-smelling essential oils that deter ticks. Others contain chemicals that are natural pesticides.

Most importantly, deer and rodents don’t like the scent of these plants either – fewer pests mean fewer chances for ticks to get to you. Sounds great right? It doesn’t hurt that they also add a beautiful border to any landscape.

Tick ​​repellent plants:

rosemary

Beautyberry (this plant is as effective as DEET!)

garlic

chrysanthemums

eucalyptus

mint

vermouth

rose geranium

If you have curious pets, avoid chrysanthemums and geraniums. They can be toxic to cats and dogs (although our furry friends are usually put off by the smell).

Do it yourself or call a pro: You can definitely do this yourself, but a professional can help with the design and installation. You will also know which of these plants will thrive in your particular climate.

Cost: Seeds only cost $1. Mature plants can cost $10 to $30. Professional planting services range from $4 to $10 per square foot.

5. Repel wild animals

The main cause of ticks settling on your property is being introduced from wild animals. These include deer, raccoons, possums and rodents. Protecting your home from pests takes some work, but it’s worth it.

The first thing you should do is to seal any holes where uninvited guests might get in.

Where to look for holes:

Around rafters and eaves

Around attic and crawl space openings

Near the foundation of your house

Through doors and windows

For small holes, use steel wool to plug the open space. Seal it with caulk. For larger holes, you can use battens, batten metal, cements, hardware, or sheet metal to cover the area.

Signs of a rodent infestation are:

Chew marks on food packaging

Eaten holes in walls and floors

Stale smell from hidden areas

Rodent droppings (check drawers, cabinets and under the sink)

If you suspect you already have rodents, you can set traps. If you decide to use a humane trap, contact your local wildlife service for information on what to do next. Also, avoid feeding birds outdoors while dealing with an infestation.

6. Protect yourself and your pets

Once you have a solid barrier around your property and have defended your yard from pests, the only remaining concern is ticks being carried over the threshold into your home by you or your pets. How do you prevent this?

Prevent ticks on yourself

One thing you can do is wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts, socks, and long pants if you know you’ll be working outside or going to a wooded area. Ticks are less likely to attach to you and you can more easily see them on the fabric and just brush them off.

Next, you can use insect repellent on yourself and your pets. Look for an insecticide that contains permethrin to use on yourself. Deet, IR3535, and lemon eucalyptus oil are also effective. Make sure you reapply it, especially if you’re using something that contains only natural ingredients.

Animal care against ticks

The last thing you want is for your precious pup to be carrying a tick into your home. Make a habit of checking your pet for ticks while giving him the daily tummy rub.

There are many pet products that kill ticks. These come in topical treatments, food additives, or tablets and pills. It’s best to speak to your veterinarian before making a decision. Cats in particular can be sensitive to chemicals and a professional opinion will help you make the best decision.

Signs of a tick infestation

The two most important signs that you have a tick problem are seeing the ticks themselves or recognizing the symptoms of a tick-borne illness. These symptoms vary, and it’s best to leave the actual diagnosis to a doctor. The most common tick-related illness, Lyme disease, is often spotted because of its characteristic bulls-eye rash. Unfortunately, you don’t always see the rash even though you’ve been bitten by an infected tick.

Regularly comb your pet’s fur to check for ticks. If you find one, carefully remove it by grasping its head with tweezers and slowly peeling it away from the skin. It is important not to crush the tick, otherwise dangerous liquids may be released or part of the tick may remain in the skin. After removing, wash the area thoroughly and use an antibacterial soap.

If you suspect you have an infestation, follow our guide to treating ticks here.

Do you suspect you have a tick problem in your garden? It might be time to hire a pest control professional with more expertise in ticks and how to get rid of them.

If you need help with regular lawn care, there is also someone in your area who can take care of it for you and do it right. Find a local lawn care professional who can help.

Main Photo Credit: Catkin | Pixabay

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Overview Tick bites are often harmless and do not cause any noticeable symptoms. However, some tick bites can transmit serious diseases to humans, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Common symptoms of tick bites include a red spot or rash at the site of the bite, a rash all over your body, or a fever. It’s important to see a doctor immediately after a tick bite, even if you don’t feel any symptoms. The best way to avoid infection is to prevent tick bites in the first place. For those who enjoy being outdoors, tick repellents can help you stay safe. Many types of pesticides and tick repellents are commercially available, including all-natural repellents and synthetic repellants based on natural ingredients. Read on to learn more about natural tick repellent ingredients that work and products you can find.

Natural Tick Repellents If you’re looking for alternatives to traditional tick repellants like DEET, picaridin, and permethrin, there are a variety of all-natural options. Some can be applied to your clothing while others can be sprayed onto your lawn. Here’s what the research says about their effectiveness. Blends of Essential Oils Some blends of essential oils are commercially available as tick repellents. Commonly used essential oils are lemongrass, cedar, peppermint, thyme and geraniol. An example of an essential oil repellent product is the Ecosmart brand. A 2012 study found that Ecosmart, when applied to clothing, was less effective against two species of ticks (deer tick and the lone star tick) than other repellents, including one containing permethrin, after seven days. Another line of essential oil based repellents is All Terrain’s Herbal Armor. Garlic Oil Repellents for garlic oil use essential oils extracted from garlic plants. A 2015 study suggested that multiple applications of garlic oil-based repellents might be needed when applied to lawns. Buy lawn spray with garlic oil. Metarhizium brunneum or Metarhizium anisopliae fungus These types of fungi grow naturally in the soil and can repel or kill ticks. They are commercially available for turf application and sold under the name Met52. A study of these fungi suggested they could offer an alternative approach to other insecticides to control tick populations. Another study found that Met52 application was not harmful to populations of non-target bug species. Nootkatone The active ingredient for this repellent is found in essential oils of some species of cedar, herbs, or fruits. It is currently not commercially available. The same 2012 study comparing Ecosmart and other products found that nootkatone applied to clothing was more effective than other commercial brands tested after seven days. Nootkatone can also be applied to lawns to repel ticks, but researchers are studying how formulations can be tweaked to make them last longer and be less toxic to plants.

Synthetic Tick Repellents In addition to purely natural tick repellents, there are several synthetic repellents derived from natural materials: IR3535 IR3535 is man-made and has a structure similar to a naturally occurring amino acid. According to information submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for review, this active ingredient is effective against deer ticks. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) discourages the use of sunscreen-repellent combination products containing IR3535 because the need to reapply sunscreen would encourage overexposure or overuse of the repellent ingredient. IR3535 is included with Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition. Lemon Eucalyptus Oil (OLE) This is a chemically synthesized version of Lemon Eucalyptus Oil. In other cases, the tree’s naturally occurring oil is processed to concentrate the defense component PMD, which stands for the chemical name para-menthane-3,8-diol. Lemon Eucalyptus Oil (OLE) is not the same as Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oils. OLE can be as effective as DEET against some tick species. Frequent reapplication is required. Available products that contain OLE include Off! Botany and Defense. 2-Undecanone The active ingredient in this repellent is derived from essential oils found in the leaves and stems of a wild tomato called Lycopersicon hirsutum. It can be used on both skin and clothing and is commercially available under the product name BioUD. A 2009 study compared BioUD to DEET, IR3535, and OLE applied to cotton gauze and found that BioUD had greater average repellency than IR3535 for one tick species and greater average repellency than OLE for another tick species. No significant difference in repellency between BioUD and DEET was observed. Like PMD, the 2-undecanone in BioUD products is synthetically produced.

Tick ​​Protection Best Practices In addition to using tick repellents, you can also follow these tick bite protection tips: Avoid areas where ticks live. If you are walking, try to stay in the middle of the marked trail. Do not hike or walk in areas that are heavily forested or overgrown with grass and bushes. Make your garden a tick deterrent Mowing your garden regularly can reduce the number of places ticks can hide. Eliminate areas like piles of wood where small animals like squirrels or mice can hide. Consider putting up a fence to keep deer out of your yard. Contact a local pest control company to spray your yard for ticks and other insects. Wear clothing that protects against ticks. If you are outside in an area where ticks are common, wear long sleeves and pants if possible. Clothing acts as a physical barrier between you and insects like ticks and mosquitoes. Protect your pets Ticks can also bite your pets and make them sick. Be sure to speak to your veterinarian about tick repellent products for your pet. Some examples of available brands are K9 Advantix and Frontline. Buy K9 Advantix. Buy Frontline.

How to Find and Remove Ticks After being in an area where ticks are found, examine your clothing and body thoroughly for ticks. Drying clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat can kill ticks on your clothes. Showering within a few hours after you’ve been outside can help wash any ticks that aren’t attached to your body. It’s also a good way to examine your body for attached ticks. Keep in mind that ticks are often small and can attach to your body in hard-to-see places like behind your knees, behind your ears, or on your scalp. If you find a tick on your skin, you should remove it immediately. Do not attempt to crush, bruise, or burn the attached tick. How to Remove a Tick Follow the steps below to properly remove a tick: Use fine-tipped tweezers to gently grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible.

With a gentle, steady motion, pull the tick straight out of the skin. If the tick’s mouthparts remain in your skin, don’t try to dig them out. They will eventually come out on their own.

Clean the area thoroughly with soap and warm water. Dab the bite site with rubbing alcohol. After removing a tick, you should pay attention to a rash at the site of the bite. If you get a rash or experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, or body aches, you should see a doctor.

Ticks are a type of arachnid that live in wooded and tall grassy areas and can feed on the blood of other animals. Unfortunately, they also carry diseases like Lyme, Zika, Dengue, and the plague, which they can transmit to humans through their bites.

While ticks are most commonly associated with the northeastern United States and the state of Texas, tick-borne diseases are actually a harmful and growing threat across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between ’04 and ’16, over 640,000 cases of tick-borne diseases were reported in the US.

Catching tick bites and checking for infection early is one of the best ways to protect yourself from tick bites, but even better is to be aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself from tick bites in the first place. With that in mind, we offer this look at the worst states in the country for ticks and Lyme disease.

Worst states for ticks and Lyme disease

Tick-borne diseases account for more than three-fourths of all vector-borne diseases (or human diseases caused by pathogens or parasites) in the United States. Increases in the US also include Anaplasmosis/ Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Typhus Rickettsiosis.

With more than 12,856 cases each, all of the states below ranked in the top 20% of tick-borne disease cases per state in the US of tick-borne diseases in the US for the 13 years prior to 2016, the numbers most likely can only be higher today.

Pennsylvania: 73,610 cases New York: 69,313 cases New Jersey: 51,578 cases Massachusetts: 50,234 cases Connecticut: 36,727 cases

The top ten are rounded off by:

Wisconsin

Minnesota

Maryland

Virginia

New Hampshire

As for Lyme disease cases in particular, Vermont has the awkward distinction of having the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the US, with Pennsylvania and Maine taking second place.

PROVEN DEFENSE MEANS | Best tick repellent

When you go outdoors, there are many precautions you can take to protect yourself from tick bites and Lyme disease, not the least of which is using a safe, healthy, and effective tick repellent. Proven Repellent is an odorless bug spray that is also DEET-free. Proven Repellent not only protects against tick-borne diseases, but also against mosquitoes, black flies and other biting insects, as well as the common vector-borne diseases. Best of all, a single application lasts all day.

It’s 90 out and I have ticks in my car. So if I blast my heat, will that kill her?

It is important to understand a tick’s life cycle and where it lays its eggs so that you can prevent a tick infestation in your garden. Did you know that a female tick can lay up to several thousand eggs at a time? Ticks are not only a nuisance, they also cause numerous diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The tick goes through four different stages in its life cycle: eggs, larva, nymph and adult. Each of these stages is easily recognizable by its particular appearance.

The life cycle of a tick

Stage 1: Eggs

After a few months of winter and spring, adult females lay their eggs in sheltered grassy areas. They can lay over a thousand eggs in their lifetime, and the eggs will usually hatch by summer.

Stage 2: Larvae

After hatching, the larvae start looking for a host to feed on. They wait at the tops of leaves and tall grass where pet and human activity is usually high.

Stage 3: Nymph

Once the larvae have fed, they fall off the host and transform into an eight-legged nymph. The process then repeats where they look for a host. The nymph can also transmit diseases.

Stage 4: Adult

Adult ticks then go on a third search, looking for a larger host. Successful adult ticks reproduce in the fall, and the female tick survives the winter to lay more eggs in the spring. This entire process can take up to three years.

What does a tick nest look like?

Unlike other social insects like ants and bees, ticks don’t form a communal colony like a hive or nest. Ticks are more likely to crawl into a potential host’s burrow or hole and lay their eggs there, creating a small, solitary “nest.” This provides immediate access to a potential host for the larvae to attach to and feed on. Ticks may also choose to lay eggs in leafy or grassy areas, and generally any place that is soft and warm.

What do tick eggs look like?

Because a female tick is capable of laying thousands of eggs at a time, these eggs are often easier to spot than the ticks themselves. They appear brownish-red and are translucent. A brood of eggs can look like miniature caviar. The eggs are not yet infectious and can be treated by simply coating them with salt to dry out the eggs.

How to prevent tick eggs and tick bites in your garden

Know where ticks hide. Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas. Hunting, gardening, or spending time in your yard are all activities where you, your family, and your pets could catch ticks.

Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas. Hunting, gardening, or spending time in your yard are all activities where you, your family, and your pets could catch ticks. Dress to avoid ticks. Wearing long sleeves and pants, tucking socks into boots, and wearing light-colored clothing can help prevent tick bites.

Wearing long sleeves and pants, tucking socks into boots, and wearing light-colored clothing can help prevent tick bites. Use Mosquito Joe barrier treatments as an extra layer of defense. Regular Mosquito Joe barrier treatments eliminate ticks and keep you and your family safe.

Don’t be left out this season

Contact your local Mosquito Joe today to add an extra layer of defense against your outdoor space to enjoy a bite-free garden! We have special services that complement against ticks and other pests, so let us help you protect yourself and your family all year round.

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Certain types of mulch can help keep ticks away from your home. Learn more about what mulch does from the landscaping experts at The Grounds Guys, another Neighborly® Home Service brand.

ticks

There are about a dozen different types of ticks in Minnesota. Not all spread disease. Three species that people in Minnesota may encounter are the black-legged tick (also known as the deer tick), the American dog tick (also known as the wood tick), and the lone star tick. The black-legged tick causes by far the most common tick-borne disease in Minnesota. American dog ticks often bite people in Minnesota, but they rarely transmit disease. American dog ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Lone star ticks are rare in Minnesota but can transmit diseases such as Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia.

The black-legged tick, pictured below right, is much smaller than the American dog tick, pictured above right. The lone star tick can be seen in the upper left of this photo and is slightly smaller than the American dog tick but larger than the black-legged tick

Life cycle of black-legged ticks

Black-legged ticks live about two to three years. They spend most of their lives in the environment rather than on a host or in a host nest. They only eat up to three blood meals throughout their lives. The image below shows that the life cycle begins when the female lays eggs. As the egg matures, it develops into a larva (right center), then a nymph (top center), and finally an adult male or female (bottom right).

Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring of their first year. Larvae prefer to feed on the blood of small mammals such as mice and birds. Larvae have a feeding, then molt into nymphs and dormant until next spring. During this first meal, the larva can ingest a pathogen (like the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) while feeding on a small mammal like a white-footed mouse.

In the late spring of their second year, nymphs take their second feeding. Nymphs are not as choosy about their host choice and feed on the blood of small or large mammals such as white-tailed deer or humans. If the nymph is infected with a pathogen at this point, she could transmit the pathogen to a human or animal on which she feeds.

In the fall of their second year of life, nymphs that have had a blood meal molt into an adult male or female tick. Adults prefer to feed on large mammals such as white-tailed deer or humans. The females find a host to eat, mate with an adult male tick, lay hundreds to thousands of eggs, and then die. Males attach to a host to find a mate and then die. Some adults that do not feed or mate in the fall survive the winter and then come out to feed and/or mate the following spring. When there is little to no snow cover and temperatures rise above freezing, it is possible to find an active adult tick searching for a host on a warm winter day.

In Minnesota, adult ticks typically emerge just after the snow melts, peaking in spring activity in May. The adult ticks usually remain active throughout June. Adults also become active again in the fall, usually in late September and into October, until temperatures drop below freezing or snow covers the ground. Black-legged tick nymphs begin to become active in mid-May and reach their peak activity in late May to late June. The activity of the nymphs slowly decreases and by the end of July they are much less active. Larvae are usually most active in June.

This image shows all life stages of the black-legged tick: adult female, adult male, nymph, and larva. It also shows the relative sizes and patterns of the black-legged tick, the lone star tick, and the American dog tick.

feeding and blood meals

Black-legged ticks feed on blood by inserting their mouthparts into the skin.

They feed slowly and usually feed for 3-5 days.

In order to transmit a disease to a human or animal, a tick must be infected with a pathogen and attached to the host for a specific period of time. Once infected, the black-legged tick must be attached for 24-48 hours before it transmits Lyme disease. Less common tick-borne diseases like anaplasmosis may take less time. On average, about 1 in 3 adult black-legged ticks and 1 in 5 nymphs of black-legged ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

WATCH: Like a tick digs its hooks into you

Watch this video from National Public Radio on how ticks attach.

Black-legged tick habitat

Where can we find black-legged ticks?

Black-legged ticks live in wooded, bushy areas that provide food and cover for white-footed mice, deer, and other mammals. This habitat also provides the moisture ticks need to survive.

Exposure to ticks may be greatest in forests (particularly along trails) and at the edge of the forest and border. Rarely, black-legged ticks can be found in more open areas (like yards) near wooded habitats, so it’s important to keep an eye out for ticks in or near wooded areas.

Black-legged ticks look for a host in the tops of low-lying vegetation and shrubs, not in trees. Ticks generally attach themselves to a person or animal near the ground.

Black-legged ticks crawl; they don’t jump or fly. They grab at people or animals brushing against vegetation, then crawl up to find a spot to bite.

White-tailed deer live throughout Minnesota, but black-legged ticks are not found everywhere deer live.

tick photos

Black-legged ticks thrive in wooded and bushy habitats like this one. Try to stay on the mowed path as you walk through to reduce the risk of tick bites.

Black-legged ticks spend most of their lives on the ground under the forest canopy. This is an adult black tick that we found in its usual habitat.

This adult female black-legged tick can be identified by the reddish-orange coloring on her back. We caught it “foraging,” a behavior in which the tick stretches out its two front legs, waiting for an animal or person to pass by so it can latch on to a host.

Look how small this black-legged tick nymph is compared to the thumbnail. We found it on a tow while collecting ticks in the woods.

Can you find the little black-legged tick larva near the knuckle of this hand? Larvae are the smallest life stages of ticks that develop from eggs.

These ticks have been lined up next to the thumb so you can see their relative size. From left to right are the larva, nymph, adult male and adult female of the black-legged tick (stag tick), followed by the adult female and adult male of the American dog tick (wood tick).

After the ticks are collected in the field, they are brought back to the office for identification under the microscope. This image focuses on a black-legged tick nymph – its large mouthparts are essential for biting and staying on a host throughout the feeding period, which usually lasts 3-5 days.

Here is a black-legged tick from an adult female on a thumb. Adult black-legged ticks are about the size of a sesame seed.

This image shows a black-legged tick nymph near a fingernail. Nymphs are smaller than adult ticks, about the size of a poppy seed.

This MDH employee is dressed in white to make it easier to spot ticks that can cling and crawl onto you in the woods. He points to two adult female black-legged ticks (left) and a male black-legged tick (right) on his pant leg.

CDC: Tick Image Gallery

A selection of tick images showing life cycles, proper tick removal, bite prevention, proper tick control illustrations and more.

Being Tick-Free – A Guide to Lyme Disease Prevention

Lyme disease in upstate New York

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and local health officials continue to investigate the spread of Lyme disease throughout upstate New York. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected deer tick. Left untreated, the disease can cause a range of health problems. Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of infection usually recover quickly and completely. Since Lyme disease was first reported in 1986, over 98,500 cases have been confirmed in New York State.

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis). Lyme disease can cause symptoms that affect a person’s skin, nervous system, heart, and/or joints. Over 98,500 cases have been reported to the New York State Department of Health since Lyme disease became notifiable in 1986.

Who Gets Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease can affect people of all ages. People who spend time in grassy and wooded environments are at an increased risk of exposure. You are more likely to be bitten by a deer tick during the times of the year when ticks are most active. Young deer ticks, called nymphs, are active from mid-May to mid-August and are about the size of poppy seeds. Adult ticks, which are about the size of sesame seeds, are most active from March to mid-May and from mid-August to November. Both nymphs and adults can transmit Lyme disease. Ticks can be active anytime the temperature is above freezing. Infected deer ticks can be found throughout upstate New York.

How is Lyme disease transmitted?

Not all deer ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Ticks can become infected when they feed on infected small animals. The disease can be spread when an infected tick bites a person and sticks to it for a period of time. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 hours or more before the bacteria can be transmitted. Lyme disease is not transmitted from one person to another. Transmission of the bacteria from an infected pregnant woman to the fetus is extremely rare.

What Are the Symptoms of Lyme Disease?

In 60-80 percent of cases, a rash resembling a porthole or solid patch about two inches in diameter appears and spreads around or near the bite site. Sometimes multiple websites appear with a rash. The early stages of Lyme disease are usually characterized by one or more of the following symptoms: chills and fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and/or joint pain, and swollen glands. If Lyme disease is not recognized or treated in the early stages, more severe symptoms can occur. As the disease progresses, you may experience severe fatigue, a stiff, painful neck, and tingling or numbness in your arms and legs, or facial paralysis. The most severe symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear until weeks, months, or years after the tick bite. These can include severe headaches, painful arthritis, swelling of the joints, and heart and central nervous system problems.

When do symptoms appear?

Early symptoms usually appear within three to 30 days of being bitten by an infected tick.

Does previous infection with Lyme disease make a person immune?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection. Even with successful treatment, a person can become infected again if later bitten by another infected tick.

What is the treatment for Lyme disease?

Early treatment for Lyme disease involves antibiotics and almost always results in a complete cure. However, the chances of a full cure decrease if treatment is delayed.

What can I do to prevent Lyme disease?

Deer ticks live in shady, moist areas near the ground. They cling to tall grass, scrub, and shrubs, usually no more than 18-24 inches off the ground. They also live in meadows and gardens, especially at the edges of forests and around old stone walls. Deer ticks cannot jump or fly, and will not fall on passing people or animals. They only reach humans and animals through direct contact. Once a tick gets on the skin, it generally climbs up until it reaches a protected area.

In tick-infested areas, your best protection is to avoid contact with soil, foliage, and vegetation. However, if you garden, hike, camp, hunt, work, or otherwise spend time outdoors, you can still protect yourself:

Wear light-colored, tight-knit clothing for easy spotting of ticks.

Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants.

Frequently check clothing and exposed skin for ticks outdoors, and check again when inside.

Consider using insect repellent. Follow label directions.

Stay on cleared, well-traveled paths. Avoid contact with vegetation.

Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.

Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.

tick life cycle

Life cycle of deer ticks

The deer tick goes through four life stages (egg, larva, nymph, adult) over a period of two years.

egg to larvae

The eggs are fertilized in the fall and laid in the leaf litter the following spring. They emerge as larvae in late summer of this year, looking for their first blood meal. The tiny larva crawls on the forest floor and low-lying vegetation to find a suitable host. Their first host is generally a mouse or other medium-sized mammal or bird. Once attached, the larvae embed their mouthparts and feed for several days. If the host is infected with a disease such as Lyme, the tick can become infected during this feeding. The larvae then deposit their host into the leaf litter, where they molt into the next instar, the nymph, and remain dormant until the following spring.

larva to nymph

In the spring and early summer of the next year, the nymphs end their dormancy and begin looking for a host. Nymphs are commonly found on the forest floor in leaf litter and on low-lying vegetation. Their host consists mainly of mice and other rodents, deer, birds and, unfortunately, humans. Most cases of Lyme disease are reported from May to August, which is the peak activity time for nymphs. This indicates that the majority of Lyme disease cases are transmitted by nymphal deer ticks. After feeding for several days, the nymph ticks drop to the forest floor.

nymph to adult

Over the next few months, the nymph molts into the larger adult tick, which hatches in the fall, with a peak in October to November. Both adult males and females will find and feed on a host, then the females will lay eggs at some point after feeding.

Adult ticks await hosts about a meter above the ground in the tops of grasses and shrubs. When an animal or person brushes against vegetation, they quickly let go and climb onto the host. Adult ticks feed on their host for five to seven days. The female becomes engorged with blood and provides food for her developing eggs. After feeding and mating, the female tick falls into the leaf litter where she lays thousands of eggs. It becomes inactive when the temperature falls below 40°F.

Tick ​​facts

Ticks can only crawl; they cannot fly or jump. Ticks found on the scalp have usually crawled there from the lower parts of the body. Some tick species crawl several meters towards a host. Ticks can be active on winter days when ground temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are two groups of ticks, sometimes referred to as “hard” ticks and “soft” ticks. Hard ticks, like the common dog tick and deer tick, have a hard shield just behind the mouthparts (sometimes incorrectly called the “head”); Unfed hard ticks have the shape of a flat seed. Soft ticks do not have a hard shield and are shaped like a small raisin. Soft ticks feed preferentially on birds or bats and are rarely encountered unless these animals are nesting or roosting in an occupied building.

The most common ticks in New York State are the deer tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick.

How to remove a tick

You will find a tick on you or your child!

What now?

No panic. Not all ticks are infected, and your risk of contracting Lyme disease is greatly reduced if the tick is removed within the first 36 hours of attachment.

Remove the tick in a timely and professional manner:

Grasp the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible.

Gently pull the tick in a steady upward motion.

Wash the area with a disinfectant.

When trying to remove the tick: DO NOT touch the tick with your bare hands. DO NOT press on the tick’s body as this may increase your risk of infection. DO NOT put alcohol, nail polish remover, or petroleum jelly on the tick. DO NOT place a hot match or hot cigarette on the tick to “pull” it out. DO NOT use your fingers to remove the tick.

These methods don’t work and only increase the chances that the tick will transmit Lyme disease to you. Applying alcohol, nail polish remover, or a hot match can irritate a tick and cause it to vomit its intestinal contents into your skin. The intestinal contents of a tick can contain the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

When removing a tick, don’t worry if the tick’s mouthparts break off and remain lodged in your skin. The mouthparts alone cannot transmit Lyme disease, since the infectious body of the tick is no longer attached. The mouthparts can be left alone. They will dry up and fall out on their own in a few days, or you can remove them like a splinter.

After cleaning the area, observe the bite site for the appearance of a rash for 3 to 30 days after the bite. The rash is usually at least 2 inches in diameter initially and will gradually expand to several inches in size. Rashes smaller than a quarter size are usually a reaction to the bite itself and do not mean you have Lyme disease.

If you develop this type of rash or flu-like symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. Although not routinely recommended, taking antibiotics within three days of a tick bite may be beneficial for some people. This would apply to deer tick bites that occurred in areas where Lyme disease is common, and there is evidence that the tick fed for more than a day. In such cases, you should discuss the options with your doctor or licensed healthcare provider.

Create a tick-free zone around your home

While deer ticks are most common in wooded areas, they are also commonly found in our lawns and shrubs. There are a number of steps homeowners can take to reduce the chance of being bitten by a tick on their property.

Ticks and their primary hosts—mice, chipmunks, and other small mammals—need moisture, an area out of direct sunlight, and somewhere to hide. The cleaner you keep the area around the house, the less likely you are to get bitten by a tick.

While it may not be possible to create a completely tick-free zone, the following precautions will greatly reduce the tick population in your yard.

Keep the grass mowed.

Remove leaves, undergrowth and weeds at the edge of the lawn.

Limit the use of ground covers like pachysandra in areas frequented by families and stray pets.

Remove brush and leaves around stone walls and piles of wood.

Discourage rodent activity. Clean and seal stone walls and small openings around the house.

Move piles of firewood and bird feeders away from home.

manage pet activities; Keep dogs and cats out of the woods to reduce the introduction of ticks.

Use plantings that do not attract deer (contact your local co-op extension or garden center for suggestions) or exclude deer with various types of fencing.

Move children’s swings and sandboxes away from the edge of the woods and place them on a foundation of wood chips or mulch.

Trim branches and shrubs around the edge of the lawn to let in more sunlight.

Use dry or less water intensive landscaping techniques with gravel paths and mulching. Create a 3 foot or wider border of wood chips, mulch, or gravel between the lawn and woodland or stone walls. Consider areas of decking, tile, gravel, and border or container planting in areas around the home or in areas that are frequented.

widen forest roads.

If you are considering pesticide application as a targeted treatment, do not use a pesticide near streams or bodies of water as it may kill aquatic life or pollute the water itself.

Always read and follow the directions and precautions on the pesticide label

Tick ​​and insect repellents: deciding on their use

There are many different products on the market, with different ingredients, concentrations and potencies. The most effective contain DEET, permethrin (to be applied to clothing only), picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil. If you decide to use one, be sure to follow the label directions and apply the repellent carefully.

About insect repellent

DEET (the label may say N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) comes in many different concentrations, with percentages ranging from as little as five percent to 100 percent. In general, the higher the concentration, the higher the protection but also the risk of negative health effects. Use the lowest concentration you feel will provide the protection you need.

Picaridin (aka KBR3023) and lemon eucalyptus oil were approved for use in New York State in 2005. Both repellents have been shown to provide long-lasting protection against mosquito bites, but there is limited data on their ability to repel ticks.

Products containing permethrin should only be used on clothing, not on the skin. Permethrin kills ticks and insects that come in contact with treated clothing. Permethrin products can cause eye irritation, especially if label directions have not been followed. Animal studies indicate that permethrin may have some carcinogenic potential. Permethrin is effective for two weeks or more if clothes are not washed. Store treated clothing in a plastic bag when not in use.

If you decide to use any type of repellent, carefully read and follow all label directions before each use. Labels provide important information on how to use the repellent, whether it can be applied to skin and/or clothing, special advice for children, human hazards, physical or chemical hazards, and first aid.

Children, pregnant women and repellents

Children may be at greater risk of side effects from repellents, in part because their exposure may be greater.

Keep repellents out of the reach of children.

Do not allow children to apply repellent to themselves.

Use only small amounts of repellent on children.

Do not apply repellents to young children’s hands as this may result in accidental eye contact or ingestion.

Try to reduce the use of repellents by dressing children in long sleeves and long pants tucked into boots or socks whenever possible. Use netting over strollers, playpens, etc.

As with exposure to chemicals in general, pregnant women should take care to avoid exposure to repellents when possible, as the fetus may be vulnerable.

considerations

When considering using a repellent, you should consider a combination of things including where you are, how long you will be out, how bad the bugs are, and whether those bugs carry disease. Every situation is different. Use the questions below to create a “profile” that fits your situation – this can help you decide whether to use a repellent and if so, which one.

What type of pest are you worried about?

Ticks may be more difficult to repel than mosquitoes. Repellents offer some protection from ticks, as does wearing light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants with bottoms tucked into socks and boots.

when will you be out Where will you be?

Some pests are more active at certain times. For example, some mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. Ticks can be active at any time of the day. Some locations are also more likely to have higher activity. Mosquitoes generally live in areas with scrub and trees. Ticks prefer areas with tall grass, bushes and trees.

how long will you be out

Are you gardening, going on a hike, camping for a week? The longer you travel, the more protection you may need. Some people exposed to large numbers of ticks and mosquitoes over a long period of time use a two-part approach. This approach involves applying approximately 33 percent DEET in a controlled-release formula to exposed skin and treating clothing with permethrin. On the other hand, if you’re gardening or having a picnic at midday when mosquito activity is low and decide to use an insect repellent, DEET concentrations as low as five percent can provide adequate protection against mosquito bites for up to about four hours.

Remember! If you decide to use a repellent, only use what and how much you need for your situation.

Lyme Disease and Pets

Lyme disease is not unique to humans. Veterinarians have reported Lyme disease in both dogs and cats. As with humans, it is important for animals to avoid tick bites and receive prompt treatment for Lyme disease.

Tick ​​Bite Prevention:

If you walk or exercise your pet outdoors, try to keep them away from grassy or wooded areas and leaf debris.

Check your pet for ticks regularly, especially after trips through grassy or wooded areas. Comb your pet’s hair thoroughly.

If you find a tick, remove it immediately.

Ask your veterinarian about treating your dog or cat with tick-killing pesticides (acaricides) or using tick collars. There are many pesticides designed to prevent tick bites, but some people and animals can be sensitive to the chemicals they contain.

There is currently a Lyme disease vaccine for dogs. However, there are different opinions about its effectiveness. Ask your vet about the vaccine.

If you find multiple ticks on your dog, you should discuss an insecticide bath with your veterinarian or groomer.

Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Pets:

The symptoms of Lyme disease in animals are similar to the symptoms in humans. Although you won’t see a rash on your pet, they may experience a number of symptoms:

In dogs: Some infected dogs have no symptoms of Lyme disease. Symptoms include lethargy, arthritis (shown as joint pain, alternation from foot to foot, and lameness), fever, fatigue, and kidney damage. The symptoms can become chronic.

In Cats: While there is some debate as to whether cats have Lyme disease, it is believed that cats are highly resistant to the disease.

Treatment of Lyme disease in pets:

Like humans, animals with Lyme disease are generally treated with certain antibiotics. However, you should consult your veterinarian regarding the proper treatment for your pet.

questions or comments

Email [email protected]

It’s peak season for tick nymphs in many parts of the United States, and experts warn this could be an especially bounty year for the tiny, potentially disease-carrying bugs.

Every spring and summer, Jean Tsao dons a white tick suit and goes to the fields across Michigan to study the prevalence of the black-legged tick, which transmits Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated with Lyme disease each year.

Along with her team, Tsao, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, will drag a white cloth thousands of feet to see how many ticks they collect. So far this season they have collected more ticks than all of last summer when they dragged themselves and traveled a greater distance until mid-July.

“A colleague in Connecticut said their nymph counts are up 85% right now,” Tsao told ABC News. “I think the trend is for the totals to be higher, but that’s not seen everywhere.”

Prime time for transmission of Lyme disease

Tick ​​nymphs are very small — about the size of a poppy — which can make them difficult to spot and so much more effective at spreading disease. According to Tsao, about 1 in 4 black-legged tick nymphs carries Lyme disease, which can cause fever, headache and fatigue and can spread to the heart, joints and nervous system if left untreated. That number is likely as high as 1 in 3 in more endemic areas, like parts of the Northeast, she said.

“Most cases of Lyme disease occur in the summer and are much more closely associated with the nymphal stage,” Tsao said. “This is a testament to their small size and difficulty in being detected.”

Lyme disease-carrying ticks aren’t unique to northeastern woods; Researchers have discovered them in California’s coastal scrub — beyond typical West Coast habitats like oak forests.

Dan Salkeld, a research associate in Colorado State University’s Department of Biology, is co-author of a recent report on the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in California. They almost accidentally found western black-legged ticks in coastal scrub in northwestern California that transmit Lyme disease, he told ABC News.

Black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus, on a leaf, is a vector of Lyme disease. Getty Images

“We would have thought there might be ticks [there], but they wouldn’t be infected,” Salkeld said, noting that there was no obvious Lyme disease-carrying animal in the area where the ticks would feed. “We tested them anyway. We found that infection rates were pretty much the same as adult ticks in nearby oak forests.”

“It just leaves a big gaping hole as to what exactly is infecting these ticks,” he said. “We don’t really know.”

Aggressive Lone Star tick ‘really abundant’

Maria Diuk-Wasser, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University, studies the ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne diseases in the Northeast, particularly in blackleg ticks.

Recently, she’s also encountered another tick that’s made its way north: the lone star tick. In addition to being the main carrier of the bacteria that can cause Ehrlichiosis, the tick is also linked to a red meat allergy known as Alpha Gal Syndrome.

“It’s getting really plentiful,” Diuk-Wasser told ABC News of the tick.

Adult female lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, on a blade of grass. CDC

She believes the tick is becoming more prominent than the black-legged tick in Long Island, New York.

“The numbers are growing very quickly because they have a lot of eggs, a lot of offspring,” she said. “The population is growing faster.”

The lone star tick — identified by a white spot on adult females — is also known to be more aggressive than the black-legged tick.

“It’s coming your way,” said Diuk-Water. “The black-legged tick stays in one place, but this tick actually moves relatively quickly and crawls towards CO2-emitting organisms. That is a big problem.”

Diuk-Wasser has also monitored the spread of the Asiatic buck tick, which was first reported in the US in 2017 but has not found any with pathogens.

Asian longhorn tick nymph and adult female. CDC

What drives the spread

There are several factors that could contribute to the spread and population growth of ticks. One is climate change — shorter winters mean more time for ticks to feed on hosts and grow, Tsao said. A warming climate has also helped the lone star tick, more common in the south, to crawl further north.

Larger populations of small mammals such as chipmunks and voles that ticks feed on can also help.

“Last year was a big vole year,” Tsao said. “The vole in particular can help feed the juvenile stages of the dog tick.”

Dog ticks, which are primarily prevalent in states east of the Rocky Mountains, can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, although to a lesser extent than transmission of Lyme disease, Salkeld said.

Moisture or wetness can also help ticks thrive. The ongoing drought in Michigan could potentially have a negative impact on tick ticks this year, Tsao said.

prevention and protection

Peak season for nymph ticks is May and June, while for adults it is fall and early spring. However, during warmer winters, people may encounter ticks year-round.

For Salkeld and Tsao, the spread of disease-carrying ticks and their presence in unexpected places like beaches is a message to be proactive and understand your local risk.

“I think part of the problem in California is that people aren’t quite as conscious,” Salkeld said. “I don’t think they need to be at the same scale as the Northeast, it’s not the same level of problems, but if you can be vigilant and prevent problems, that’s fantastic.”

“Nevertheless, there is a learning curve,” Tsao said.

Tsao and Diuk-Wasser helped develop The Tick App, a crowd-sourced project to report tick encounters. Preliminary data from the app found that in the Northeast, a major risk of exposure came from around people’s homes, while in the Midwest it was mostly recreational exposure, Tsao said.

“We’re trying to figure out what behaviors are working, and it might be different regionally, and tailor our messages better or see what people are willing to do so maybe we can amplify those practices and focus on that,” she said.

To prevent a tick bite, ABC News experts recommended avoiding tick habitats and staying on trails when hiking. You can wear light-colored clothing to better spot a tick crawling on you and spray your clothing with tick repellent.

Showering at home and regular tick checks over the next few days are also important. The tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. Dog owners should also check their pets daily.

If you find a tick crawling on you or clinging to you, you can save it or take a picture to make it easier to identify. The size of the tick can also help determine how long it has been feeding on you.

“We want people to enjoy nature,” Diuk-Wasser said. “But of course you have to be aware of that.”

Do you have problems with ticks? This natural homemade tick repellent spray is an easy recipe with natural ingredients that actually works!

Is it me, or is this year’s tick season worse than ever?

This year alone I have found five ticks on myself and my two children. We have a relatively small yard in a small town, but we still seem to have a lot of ticks.

Homemade tick repellent spray

I’ve been looking for a natural homemade tick repellent for months. I’ve come across many home tick repellent recipes, but very few cite ingredients and research. I’m always hesitant to try something unless there’s enough research to prove it works—especially when it comes to my kids.

Research-Based Natural DIY Tick Repellents

Essential oils are often wonderful insect repellents, but I’d heard little research when it came to ticks. I know that geranium essential oil works against ticks thanks to this great article on the Tisserand Institute.

The article cites several studies that suggest geranium essential oil can be an effective homemade tick repellent. This study looked at 10 different chemotypes of geranium essential oil and found them to be very effective. Best of all, geranium essential oil is safe to use around children.

Another oil mentioned in this study is cedarwood essential oil. This makes sense to me because many people use cedar shavings as a form of natural tick prevention in gardens and yards. This 2014 study shows that Virginia cedar can repel ants and kill ticks. Cedarwood Essential Oil is also safe to use around children, making it ideal for our homemade tick repellent.

Next, I looked at the CDC’s guidance on natural tick repellents. They have a great article here that details some natural tick repellents and the research that supports them. Among them is garlic essential oil. I have never used garlic essential oil and am a certified aromatherapist! Honestly, the smell alone is enough to put me off. However, this article cites that many people use garlic in lawn care applications. Another study I found here also confirmed the effectiveness of this oil against ticks.

Important Notes and Precautions

Garlic essential oil can be irritating to the skin, so use in very low dilutions and do not use on children under 2 years old. It also inhibits blood clotting, so it should not be used in people who take blood thinners. I feel comfortable using garlic essential oil with this homemade tick repellent recipe because I intended to use it on our clothes, not our skin.

While essential oils are wonderful, if you plan to use them on your skin or in a spray, you should dilute them in a carrier oil. I knew I wanted to make a spray for clothes since we walk a lot. Oil and water don’t mix. Every time you add essential oils to the water, you can guarantee they will separate. However, if you mix essential oils with some strong alcohol, they spread more easily. I usually choose grain alcohol because I can buy it at my local liquor store. You can also choose isopropyl alcohol, but it’s actually only 70% alcohol while grain alcohol is 95% alcohol. It will work, but not as well as grain alcohol.

Pin Print Homemade Tick Repellent for Clothes & Shoes 5 out of 3 votes Do you have problems with ticks? This natural homemade tick repellent spray is an easy recipe with natural ingredients that actually works! Prep Time 5 minutes Servings 4 ounces Ingredients 30 drops Geranium Essential Oil

30 drops of Virginia Cedarwood essential oil

10 drops of garlic essential oil

1 ounce grain alcohol

3 ounces distilled water

1 4 ounce dark spray bottle US Customary – Metric Instructions Fill a dark spray bottle with 1 ounce grain alcohol. Carefully measure out 30 drops of geranium essential oil, 30 drops of cedarwood essential oil (Virginian), and 10 drops of garlic essential oil. Screw on the lid and shake or mix well. Fill with the remaining 3 ounces of distilled water. Shake to mix well (shake before each use). Spray on clothing and shoes. Store in a cool, dark place away from light. Recipe Video Notes This recipe is for clothing only. Some of the essential oils in this blend can irritate skin, but they’re great for hiking boots, pants, and shirts. Also, you should use this DIY tick repellent on adults and children over 2 years old. instagram Made this recipe? Mention @diynatural or tag #diynatural!

Hopefully this homemade tick repellent recipe will keep you as tick-free as we have!

What if you get bitten by a tick?

If you are bitten by a tick, you should take a few steps immediately after noticing the bite. This article describes what you can do: How to remove a tick after being bitten

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Reviewed for accuracy and updated June 3, 2019 by Dr. Hanie Ivory, DVM, PhD

Many dog ​​owners and animal lovers who would not harm a fly are happy to make an exception for fleas and ticks.

And while flea and tick medications are the most effective preventative strategies you can employ during tick and flea season, some people are probably tempted to try home remedies and alternative methods of removing ticks and fleas.

The problem is that these flea and tick removal methods don’t work. And in addition, some can be harmful or cause other health problems.

Here are nine common home remedies for fleas and ticks that are not only ineffective, but also harmful to your pet’s health.

Dishwashing liquid

Many people want to bathe their pet to get rid of fleas. While a cat or dog flea shampoo may be sufficient, using dish soap to treat fleas is not effective enough.

Dog and cat skin has a different pH than human skin, “and using dish soap can actually be dry and irritating to their skin,” says Dr. Robert Lofton, a 44-year-old veterinarian and clinical assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in Alabama.

“And it won’t control the fleas,” he adds.

Even if the dish soap helps kill adult fleas, the stubborn parasites that remain are guaranteed to multiply and repopulate your home and pet. Also, bathing your pet in dish soap does nothing against the eggs and larvae.

“People forget that a flea consists of four stages – the egg, larva, pupa and adult. They need a drug that controls the entire life cycle,” says Dr. loft. “Even if what you use kills the adult fleas, that’s not control.”

For puppies and kittens too young for flea medication, dish soap can be safely used to kill adult fleas. However, alternative methods must be used to control the flea population in the area or they will infest again the next day.

garlic

Some home remedies for fleas suggest that garlic, especially mixed with brewer’s yeast, repels fleas. The theory is that when a dog eats this combination of garlic and brewer’s yeast and sweats, the garlic odor will leach out of a dog’s body, making it an unattractive feast for fleas.

This remedy often calls for a mixture of garlic and brewer’s yeast on your dog’s food. However, veterinarians often warn against this potentially toxic treatment method.

“Garlic is not an effective flea or tick repellent on dogs or cats because they don’t sweat like humans do,” says Dr. Mike Hutchinson, veterinarian at Animal General of Cranberry Township in Pennsylvania.

Not only is garlic not an effective treatment, but it can also be toxic to dogs if ingested in large amounts. It’s best to keep garlic away from your pets.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Just like with garlic, using vinegar to kill fleas is not recommended as it is unsafe and will not work.

The smell and stickiness of spraying apple cider vinegar on your pet’s bed or directly on your pet is enough to keep you away, but fleas and ticks aren’t that picky. Forcing your pet to drink vinegar will not keep fleas and ticks away either.

Sometimes abbreviated as ACV, apple cider vinegar is having its moment in the spotlight as a panacea. While there may be health benefits for humans, dogs and cats aren’t just furry people, and ACV isn’t safe for them to consume.

Since your pets lick themselves, anything you spray on them or their litter will eventually be ingested.

alcohol

Rubbing alcohol kills fleas and ticks, but if you use alcohol, be sure to use it properly. Experts recommend throwing fleas or ticks in a jar or jar filled with rubbing alcohol.

“Don’t pour alcohol on your dog’s tick,” warns Dr. loft. “The tick sticks to your dog, and the alcohol makes the tick spit out its venom,” he says.

Instead, put on gloves – to protect yourself from possible tick poisons – and use tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick exactly where its mouthparts attach to your dog’s skin and slowly pull it straight back.

But does alcohol kill fleas? Only if they swim in it. So you would have to pick them up one by one and drop them into a container filled with alcohol, which is not an effective flea control. You would never pour or spray it on your pet as so much alcohol can seriously harm them.

cedar oil

“Although cedar oil can repel some insects, it can be very irritating to the skin’s surface. I don’t recommend that either,” says Dr. Hutchinson.

The oil can even cause skin irritation if not applied directly to the skin. Many dogs develop skin problems simply by sleeping on a bed filled with cedar shavings.

And skin problems are not the only concern. If enough cedar oil is taken, e.g. B. from a dog licking its skin after treatment, it can lead to liver damage. Even inhaling small droplets of cedar oil can cause lung problems.

The bottom line is that while cedar oil smells nice and can keep some (though certainly not all) parasites away, you shouldn’t use it on or near pets.

Other oil extracts such as tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil are also not recommended as the dose required to repel fleas and ticks is very toxic to dogs and cats.

Salt

Using salt to kill fleas is dangerous and ineffective. The amount of salt required to kill flea eggs and larvae is toxic to your dog or cat if they lick them off or get them in their nose.

You’d have to pour a truckload of salt into every surface and crevice in your home to know that all flea eggs and larvae have dried up. At this point, you might as well move!

boric acid (borax)

Boric acid is commonly found as the main ingredient in some flea powder products that you can sprinkle on your carpets. It is created by combining borax with acid.

It can potentially be effective as part of a multi-pronged flea control strategy. But boric acid alone can only kill those flea larvae (that live in carpets or rugs) that are actively feeding. And flea larvae make up only about 35 percent of the flea population in a household with fleas.

Boric acid is not effective against adult fleas or ticks because they only feed on blood and do not ingest the powder. It is also not effective against flea eggs (50 percent of fleas in the home) or flea pupa (10 percent of the flea population).

baking soda

Baking soda will not kill adult fleas and will not help protect your pets.

It is excellent at absorbing odors and has been suggested by some online pet sites for use as a flea killer due to its ability to “dry out” flea eggs and larvae. However, there is no evidence that using baking soda to kill fleas is at all effective.

coconut oil

Coconut oil has many great uses. The polyunsaturated fatty acids in coconut oil can reduce inflammation and help support cognitive function in pets. However, coconut oil does nothing to repel fleas and ticks.

Coconut oil should never be applied to your dog’s skin unless recommended by your vet for minor irritation or dryness (although other oils may be better).

Oil applied to your dog’s skin is only effective at making your floor and furniture greasy. The thin layer of coconut oil on your dog’s skin does not provide an effective barrier for these stubborn parasites.

The simple answer to the question, “Does coconut oil kill fleas?” is a solid no.

Use only veterinarian-approved flea and tick treatment methods

So which flea and tick control is the best? While it may be tempting to treat fleas and ticks with home remedies, it’s important to only use options recommended by your veterinarian.

“An honest attempt by some well-meaning pet owners sometimes results in undesirable side effects in their pets,” says Dr. Hutchinson.

Flea and tick protection is now available as a chewable tablet, topical solution or collar. For recommendations on effective flea and tick prevention, do your research and speak to your veterinarian.

Fleas can cause illness in your pet and family. Not only are fleas itchy and uncomfortable, but they also transmit diseases. Protect your pet and family by using a vet-approved, prescription flea and tick repellent.

Learn more:

From: Dr. Geoff Williams

Featured image: iStock.com/Obradovic

Dogs are one of life’s greatest rewards, but there are some downsides to caring for a pet dog. One of the most repulsive of these disadvantages is having to remove a tick, or worse, multiple ticks from your dog! The concept is so rad we bet that’s why you’re here! So what kills ticks on a dog instantly?

Most experts agree that it’s best to remove the tick before attempting to kill it. It’s important to know the proper method for removing a tick from your dog and disposing of it. It’s also important to know how to prevent your dog from ingesting a tick and which products will kill both ticks and the eggs.

How to instantly remove and kill ticks on a dog

The best way to remove a tick from your dog is with tweezers. Todorean-Gabriel/Shutterstock.com

If you notice one or more ticks already attached to your dog, it is recommended that you physically remove the tick. Dipping a tick in Original Listerine or rubbing alcohol kills it instantly. However, applying these substances can kill the tick, but it will remain attached to your dog’s skin. It’s important to know that dogs are susceptible to dangerous species like deer ticks, American dog ticks, and wood ticks, and can catch the same life-threatening diseases that we can. We must not forget the much-detested dog tick or its apartment-loving cousin, the brown dog tick!

Best practices for removing a tick from your dog

To safely remove a tick from your dog, follow these steps:

Using clean, fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick close to the dog’s skin. Using even pressure, gently pull the tick in a straight upward motion. Don’t twist, tear, or squeeze the tick as you pull it out of the skin. This allows the head to remain embedded, which is more difficult to remove from a dog’s skin or coat. If the head comes off, use the tweezers to gently remove it. If the mouthparts don’t come out, let them come out naturally. Thoroughly clean the affected area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. To kill the tick if it is alive after removal, use alcohol or genuine amber Listerine, place in a sealed plastic bag or container, seal with tape, or flush the tick down the toilet.

It’s important to remember that many home remedies don’t work. More importantly, some remedies may even be harmful or dangerous to your dog or other pets. For example, some natural remedies may be safe for your dog but turn out to be toxic to your cats! Additionally, some home remedies are worse than unsafe; they are just dangerous.

The following home remedies are not recommended for killing a tick on your dog:

nail polish

detergent

Essential Oils

Combustible materials such as gasoline

Fire, flames or high heat

Harsh chemicals such as bleach

We cannot stress enough that the use of fire, flame, or easily combustible materials should not be used to kill ticks. Additionally, many of these products may be unsafe for your dog due to ingestion. Do not use any chemicals or products on your dog unless approved by a trusted veterinarian.

When to take your dog to the vet

If you think your dog’s tick is one of the known species that transmits serious diseases, get your dog to the vet as soon as possible! iStock.com/epantha

There are instances when you should take your dog to the vet to remove ticks rather than removing them yourself. Also, some species of ticks can transmit serious diseases to your dog. Additionally, a full-blown tick infestation is a life-threatening condition for any pet. This applies to both adult dogs and puppies. We strongly encourage you to take any pet with multiple ticks to the vet as soon as possible.

You should take your dog to the vet if:

Your dog has more than a few ticks. Only a professional veterinarian should treat a large tick infestation. Attempting to remove many ticks can harm your dog, and multiple ticks may require additional medical attention!

There is reddened skin near or around the bite

There are fever symptoms, skin rashes or listlessness

There are other symptoms of the disease.

Remember that your veterinarian is your best and most trusted source for getting to the bottom of any health concern. Even the smallest symptom of a tick bite should be discussed with the veterinarian. A trip to the vet is essential, especially if you have a lot of ticks. Remember, ticks are blood-sucking parasites!

Products available that kill ticks on dogs

Topical medications like Frontline have products for dogs of all ages. Chutima Chaochaiya/Shutterstock.com

Many products are commercially available that can not only kill adult ticks on your dog, but their eggs as well. This often has the added benefit of also killing ticks on surfaces your dog encounters. You can also take steps to get rid of ticks on yourself and your yard!

Commercial tick and flea products include:

Spot treatments like Frontline that you use monthly to kill ticks and fleas.

Oral medications that work monthly to kill ticks and fleas without exposure to the medication through the dog’s skin.

Flea and tick shampoos for dogs that instantly kill any existing ticks on your dog for up to two weeks.

Tick ​​bites that remain on the skin and fur. This method is not advisable for dogs under four months old, pregnant or lactating dogs.

Tick ​​collars that protect your pet’s head and neck. This method does not necessarily prevent ticks on the body.

Tick ​​powders and sprays for dogs that kill ticks instantly and last up to a week.

Remember to always make sure any product or chemical you use on your dog is vet approved and safe! For more information on dealing with ticks, see our articles on where ticks live, how long ticks live, and what ticks look like!

Unsafe tick removal methods that could harm your dog

While there is plenty of information online on how to remove pests like ticks and fleas from your dog, some methods are simply unsafe. Both commercial products and home remedies can pose a serious risk to your dog! Remember, always consult your veterinarian before using any flea and tick removal method on your dog. You can also check out our top flea and tick treatment tips for dogs.

Substances known to have harmful effects on dogs are:

Prominent amounts of permethrin

Essential oils such as clove or cinnamon. These can cause stomach upset, choking, drooling, foaming at the mouth, skin irritation, lethargy, or liver damage.

Any product intended for human use or for other pets or livestock

Additionally, products like dish soap or vinegar have little to no effect on killing or preventing ticks on a dog. While many home remedies tout the use of these products, none of them have been proven to be effective.

Use a new flea and tick product on your dog

To find commercial products that are safe for your dog, read labels carefully and look for EPA-approved or FDA-registered products. Also, monitor your dog closely when using a new product. If you notice signs of stress or illness, stop using the product and call your vet!

Ticks are an unfortunate part of owning a dog, but the problem doesn’t have to be entirely horrifying. While prevention is key, knowing what to do if your furry friend gets a tick is just another way to show them you love them!