Ticks are a very dangerous pest. These insects will bite and draw the blood of mammals. Once they do, diseases can sometimes be transmitted through the bite and can be very dangerous. It’s important to protect not only you and your loved ones, but also your pets from these insects.

A good Broken Arrow exterminator is the key to dealing with these. So let’s take a good hard look at ticks and what we can do to stop them.

Ticks come in two categories. We have hard ticks and soft ticks. This refers to their outer body structure. A hard tick has a hard shield-like plate, while soft ticks have a softer, leathery exterior. Ticks can expand considerably as they feed on blood.

Ticks feed on blood during multiple stages of their life cycle. They can find their way onto vegetation and wait for a host to walk by. Here they’ll grab onto the fur or clothing of a mammal, make their way to the skin, and then attach their mouthparts to feed. It can take many hours for some ticks to feed, and they’ll stay there as long as they can.

Removing a tick if you find it is something that needs to be done carefully. Using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to grab it as close to the skin as you can and pulling it straight out with steady pressure is the best way to remove an attached tick.

Keeping ticks out of your yard to begin with is a great plan. In order to do this, the first thing to do is to keep your grass mowed. Ticks thrive in areas with tall grass and vegetation and can use those areas to come into contact with your pant leg or a pet’s fur.

The other thing is to keep wooded areas cut back as far as you can. This is where ticks can also thrive. Other wild animals, such as deer and raccoons, can carry ticks and are often in these wooded areas. Keeping those areas trimmed back can help.

Also, you can have a Broken Arrow exterminator come out and do a chemical treatment that will treat appropriate grass, vegetation, and other tick habitat according to the product label. Professional application equipment can distribute a pesticide mist into targeted areas where ticks are likely to come in contact with the treatment.

Keeping ticks at bay is very important to keeping your family healthy. Calling your Broken Arrow exterminator is the first step in dealing with them. TermMax Pest Control is a great option if you think you’re having a problem with these. Contact us today if you think we can help.