In the world we live in today, we have many different hazards. You must keep your eyes pealed in all different kinds of places and all different kinds of situations to make sure that you don’t find yourself in a dangerous situation. The woods are no different. Many wild animals, and insects can cause issues and problems with you or your pet. One of those pests is the tick. Ticks are very problematic, because they can be a health issue for us and our pets. They are vectors of disease, and can cause painful or itchy bites. This article will be about ticks, the dangers associated with them and how to deal with them.
WHAT IS A TICK?
The tick is a small arachnid found in tall grass. Many people believe that they are bugs, but they’re not. They have much more in common with spiders than they do with other insects such as aphids, ants or other bugs. Ticks have eight legs like a spider and classic sucking mouth parts. The sucking mouth parts are there because these insects are blood feeders. They will use their mouth parts to break through the skin and draw blood out from their host. Ticks will feed upon us, and then reproduce. They will normally only this only in the adult stages of their life. Ticks will inflate and engorge themselves, growing many times their size when they fill with blood. In many cases, it takes a few days to fully engorged with blood. Your Tulsa pest control company will have more details.
They keep from being noticed by doing two things. The first thing that they do is they will bite you in a place that you are less likely to notice. This can be an armpit or the back of a leg or knee. These places are hard to reach and even harder to see. The second thing that these insects will do is they will use an anesthetic when they bite. Their saliva actually numbs the area where they bite as they push their mouth parts into the skin. This way it’s hard to feel when you are being bitten. The problem with these bites, is that they draw blood in a way that some of the blood can go back into the wound.
THE DANGERS OF TICKS
This means that there’s a mixing of the blood. Because the blood mixed with saliva and other digestive juices, there is the possibility that bacteria or viruses can be transmitted through a tick bite. Because of this, it’s important that if you find yourself or your pet with a tick on you, that you remove that tick as quickly as possible. The best way to remove a tick from yourself or from an animal, is to grab the mouth parts of the tech with the with your fingernails as close to the bite as possible. Slowly and gently pull backwards on the tick pulling the mouth parts out as best as you can. Call your Broken Arrow exterminator for help.
WHAT IF IT DOESN'T GO WELL?
If the mouth parts break off inside your skin, this is not the end of the world. Many people falsely believe that when this happens, you are more likely to be infected with a disease such as Lyme disease or other such disease. This is not true. Your body will be more susceptible to an infection if that’s left in there, but treating this wound with alcohol can protect you from that as well. It’s important to use alcohol in the wound regardless of whether the mouth parts of been fully removed or not.
If after a few days, you start to see a bull’s-eye shape bruising around the wound, it’s important to see a doctor immediately. If you see any bruising around the wound, you should see a doctor to make sure that you’ve not been subjected to any diseases, especially Lyme disease. The bull’s-eye markings are a telltale sign of Lyme disease. Other diseases can be transmitted as well, and it’s important to be checked out by a medical professional to ensure that there are no medical issues involved with your tick bite. A good Tulsa exterminator can get rid of ticks and other pests for you.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
The best way to protect yourself from tick bites is not to get bitten in the first place. To do this, you should wear high boots, long pants and a long sleeve shirt whenever you are out in a high tick area. Fabric will go along way in protecting your and your pets from tick bites. Gloves and face masks can also be very effective in keeping ticks from biting you in places such as your hands or face. It’s important to keep your pets out of the tall grass during the summer months.
This is once tick season is in full effect. But ticks can bite any time of year. In the winter time, they are, in many cases, much more docile, and in hibernation. But that doesn’t mean that they cannot bite during this time frame. Some ticks even thrive in the cold weather. The Lonestar tick and the deer tick are two ticks that are very dangerous. They are commonly found in Oklahoma and Texas. There are other ticks here as well. Ticks are usually either soft bodied or hard bodied. There are only two soft body ticks in Oklahoma, and most of the ticks that you will find are hard bodied. Keeping yourself free from these ticks is of great importance.
ELIMINATING TICKS FOR GOOD
If you’re having any kind of issues with ticks, fleas or any other pests, it’s time to call your Broken Arrow pest control professional. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we have treatments that can eliminate ticks before they ever bite you. Making sure that you keep your self, your loved ones and your pets safe from ticks is super important. We service the greater Tulsa area including Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Bixby, Prattville, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa, Turley and much much more. Call us today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!