Ticks belong to the subclass of arthropods called “Acari”, along with mites. They are flat oval-shaped, and their color can be black, brown, reddish brown, or grayish white. Their bodies averagely measure to be about 3 to 5 millimeters long.
Professional Tick Prevention & Control Methods
Ticks are widely distributed around the world, especially in warm, humid countries. They can live up to 3 years by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Without a host, they die immediately. There are two different types of tick; Argasidae are soft-bodied ticks that stay with the host for a few hours and mostly feed on birds and bats. The other is Ixodidae, which are hard-bodied ticks that stay with the host for several days and mostly feed on humans and pets.
Ticks can find a host by detecting animals' breath, odor, heat, moisture, and movement. Tick bites are often painless, but they can cause several infectious diseases. Ticks are considered one of the most disease-transmitting pests, as they transmit diseases to and from their hosts.
Tick-Borne Diseases
Lyme disease – comes from hosts deer and mice, which in this case are infected by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. Once a tick bites them, the tick will carry Borrelia burgdorferi, and then all humans that come into contact with the tick will be potentially bitten and become infected by the bacterium, developing Lyme disease. It is important to note that it is not transmitted from infected mice biting humans. Colorado tick fever (CTF) – comes from hosts such as squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. These 3 hosts may be infected with CTF while not exhibiting any sign of illness.
Once a tick bites any of these 3 hosts, it will be a carrier of CTF, and transmit it to human and deer. There is no current study claiming that this disease can be transmitted from a person to a tick, to a person...but a person-to-person blood transfusion transmission has been reported. Tularemia (Rabbit fever) – has several animal-to-animal modes of transmission. It can infect birds, humans, other mammals such as rabbits, cats, and dogs, etc. It may be transmitted through ticks, mosquitoes, and flies. Powassan (POW) Virus – comes from mammal hosts such as mice, and is transmitted to humans by an infected tick. It does not transmit from an infected human to a tick or human-to-human.
Tick Control
- If you have pets at home, check and remove their ticks.
- Use tick repellents for yourself and your pets.
- Use spray insecticides at home.
- Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE). It is a natural, toxic-free substance that you can apply to your pet’s bedding. It is also effective in killing other insects.
- Clean your home regularly and thoroughly, especially the areas where your pet frequents.
- Wash your clothing and bedding, as well as your pet’s bedding using hot water. Avoid having contact with tall grasses and shrubs when outdoors, because tall grasses are the hiding spot of ticks.
- Cut down the grass around your property.
- Wear light-colored clothes that will help you easily notice ticks crawling on you.
- Create a non-toxic natural tick repellent using citrus, lavender, or peppermint. Boil any of the three in water, let it cool, transfer it to a spray bottle, and spray it on your skin.