What are ticks?
Ticks are tiny external parasites that no homeowner is happy about discovering on their property. Their small size makes it easy to overlook these common Meridian pests. Ticks have a four-stage life cycle, and as they develop from egg to larva to nymph to adult, they require a blood meal from a new host. Their entire life cycle from start to finish generally takes about two to three years, sometimes longer, depending on environmental conditions. Ticks are active whenever the temperature is above freezing.
Are ticks dangerous?
Ticks acquire and transmit diseases that make people ill through their feeding process. Though not all ticks carry disease, many do, which means that living near large populations of ticks is a health risk. Examples of diseases that ticks spread include Lyme disease, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Keeping ticks from forming large populations on your property is one of the best things you can do to limit your contact with disease-spreading ticks; other things you can do include:
- Use a tick repellent spray when outdoors, especially in wooded areas.
- When walking in wooded areas, stay at the center of the trail.
- When spending time outside in grassy or wooded areas, make sure to wear long pants and sleeves.
- After spending time outside, make sure to check yourself and your pets for ticks.
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Why do I have a tick problem?
Ticks are a problem wherever their animal hosts spend most of their time; wooded areas, fields, parks, and, unfortunately, our backyards.
Ticks cannot fly or jump, so they move most efficiently on the backs of their animal hosts. In order to find a host, ticks crawl to the top of pieces of grass or other vegetation. When a host brushes past them, they will crawl onto their host, attach themselves and begin feeding. When full, the ticks drop off the host's body.
Wild animals living or traveling across your property are the most likely reason ticks have become a problem in your yard. Some of the tick's favorite animal hosts include squirrels, mice, deer, skunks, and raccoons.
Where will I find ticks?
If you find a tick inside your Meridian home, it is most likely because it came inside on you or a pet. They won't develop large populations inside a home because most species cannot complete their life cycle indoors.
Ticks spend their time in one of two places; on the back of an animal host or on the ground in a damp, dark area like the damp soil under leaves, shrubs, decks, or woodpiles. They also regularly hang out in grass that tends to overgrow next to decks, foundations, and walkways.
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