Flea and Tick Season
Whether you own pets, have kids, or both, flea and tick season is bittersweet. Although it is great to see the warm weather, we also dread the insects that come with it, especially fleas and ticks. Whether it’s fleas on our pets or ticks on our “peeps”, both can come from our own back yard and both come with problems!
So, what can we do about these parasites? The pros here at Four Seasons Pest Solutions have just the answer for your concern. But first, let’s explore a few facts about these two parasitic pests.
Dog Tick
What do Fleas and Ticks Eat?
Fleas and ticks are parasitic pests which feed on the blood of mammals. This means that not only our pets are vulnerable to these blood-thirsty parasites, but our children and ourselves as well. If you’re like me, anything which threatens my children is the enemy and the enemy must be vanquished. Well, maybe not every enemy needs to be exactly vanquished, but fleas and ticks certainly do.
Flea and Tick Season brings out the blood-thirsty vectors, like this Lonestar tick, which feed on mammal blood like our own and that of our pets.
When Does Flea and Tick Season Begin?
Although they are still alive, you won’t see many ticks in the cold winter months. Like other cold-blooded creatures, ticks enter a state of low-energy when temperatures fall. As the warm summer air fades into cool fall breezes, ticks begin seeking shelter beneath leaf litter in wooded or brushy areas. Around December, when the temperatures begin falling below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, this litter acts as an insulation allowing the tick to survive until warm weather returns and a host is found.
Fleas, however cannot hibernate and do not undergo a winter dormant period. Instead, they must seek warm shelter on a host or in your home. Although much more rare, they can still be feeding on your pets and infesting your home in even the coldest months. Of course, you won’t likely find a flea or tick infestation outside during the winter, unless the winter is warm.
As March rolls around in Kentucky and Tennessee, flea and tick season usually comes with it. Warm, wet weather is best for both pests. Spring emergence coupled with the warm and wet weather means an influx of both pests while we try to enjoy the outdoors.
Four Seasons’ Flea and Tick Lawn Treatments are the right choice for your lawn!
Where do Fleas and Ticks Live?
Both fleas and ticks live primarily outdoors in wooded areas, brushy areas and tall grass. Ticks prefer shaded areas and will be found in the trees and shrubs of wooded areas and in tall grasses.
It doesn’t take a forest of trees or acres of tall grass for ticks to thrive. In fact, one tree or a small lawn will do just fine. If ticks can make their way to the property and have a host, they will survive quite well. This means that your lawn is a perfect place to live. The foreground in this picture is not a likely habitat for fleas or ticks. It’s sunny and the grass is well kept. The background, however, could provide perfect brushy and shaded habitat. Knowing where ticks and fleas can mean winning half the battle before it starts!
Although it’s rare to find ticks inside, it isn’t impossible. Serious infestation indoors might occur after a tick is introduced by a host and has laid eggs inside the home. This will generally occur in a crack or crevice within the home and can lead to further problems.
Fleas will hitch a ride on animals and go wherever the animal goes. In this way, fleas can be easily transported from one place to another. When they find our pets, they end up in our homes. Once inside, it only takes a few weeks for an infestation to break out. That’s because flea eggs will hatch in roughly two weeks when circumstances are favorable.
What About Keeping Ticks Off Humans?
This is a great question to ask and an even more important one to answer. Since ticks do carry several life-threatening illnesses, learning how to avoid them could possibly save your life or the life of someone you love.
Spending time outdoors during flea and tick season means checking yourself for ticks afterwards. It is especially important to monitor children who have spent time outdoors.
Since they are usually found living in wooded or grassy lands, you can expect to be more susceptible to them there. If you’re an outdoorsy person, you should learn to thoroughly check your body after spending time outside. In addition to education, preventative insect repellent treatments applied to the body can aid in repelling ticks.
What Are the Dangers of Fleas and Ticks?
Flea and tick season brings on the chances for uncomfortable and itching bites. Fleas and ticks feed on blood, mammal blood. That means you, your children and your pets are vulnerable. For humans, this can spell serious problems; health problems!
Insect bites, like those on this young woman’s arm, can have differing effects on various skin types. If you are finding bites like these but only on your lower body, fleas could be the culprit. If the bites are primarily on the upper body, it’s less likely to be fleas and could instead be mosquito or bed bug bites.
Flea and Tick Season Brings the Possibility of Vector-Borne Diseases
Feeding on human blood may not be the first choice of fleas and ticks but it will certainly do. Unfortunately, when ticks feed on humans, they may transmit diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease. Both of these are serious and must be dealt with quickly to avoid possible death. When it comes to us and our children, infestations of ticks are more than just a pest problem, they’re a danger and a threat to our lives!
Tick bites can cause illnesses like Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and Lyme Disease. Should you find a tick that has spent the night feeding on your blood, you should go to the doctor and have the tick removed and properly checked for disease. Large areas like this one pictured on the lower torso can mean Lyme Disease.
In the U.S., fleas aren’t known to transmit many diseases to humans through their bites. However, as travel increases, so do the chances of flea-borne diseases. Tularemia, Bubonic plague and Murine Typhus are the primary diseases associated with fleas. Fleas affected by either can be easily brought into the home by pets.
It is important that flea and tick problems are handled quickly and effectively. That’s why hiring a professional is worth every penny. When the possibility of life threatening diseases are associated with pests, DIY treatments just aren’t going to do.
What About Keeping Fleas and Ticks off my Pets?
Pets are the number one source for indoor infestations of both fleas and ticks. Both cats and dogs can have health issues associated with flea and tick bites. It’s imperative that a pet owner understands the dangers of untreated pets to both the pet and the owner.
Preventative treatments for pets are plentiful and should be considered by any pet owner. Discuss with your veterinarian about the best options for you and your pet. Their expertise is invaluable at protecting your pet.
Other preventative measures may also be taken to reduce the chances of pet-introduced flea and tick infestations. Exterior flea and tick lawn treatments can be performed by your local Four Seasons Pest Solutions professional. These help reduce unwanted pests from surviving in your well-maintained lawn.
Regular Lawn Maintenance is Crucial During Flea and Tick Season
Additionally, keeping your lawn mowed regularly, on four inches or less, will drastically reduce infestation possibilities. Likewise, removal of brush and trees aid in population reduction. Where there is shade and plant life, ticks and fleas can prosper. Introduce sunshine and reduce the plant life and you have begun the process of reducing these vectors.
What Can Be Done To Eliminate Fleas and Ticks?
Both fleas and ticks are difficult to eliminate without the proper knowledge, application methods and products. Generally, ticks will be dealt with outdoors. Lot’s of sunshine is an enemy to fleas and ticks. Short grass and small trees allow plenty of sunshine to reach the insects and shorten their lives. Additionally, Here at Four Seasons Pest Solutions, we provide lawn treatments specifically designed to target fleas and ticks.
Once inside, fleas and ticks can still be eliminated effectively. We offer treatments which will eliminate both and help prevent them in the future. Additionally, veterinarians can provide you with treatments for your pets. This can help reduce indoor introduction of both pests.
What if I Already Have a Flea or Tick Infestation?
Don’t worry, Four Seasons Pest Solutions is ready to help. You don’t want to wait and see if it gets better or worse; it’s going to get worse. Once you realize or suspect infestation, that’s the time to call for help. That’s why we are here! We can quickly and efficiently eliminate the infestation and reduce your exposure to the possibility of disease transmission.
Four Seasons Pest Solutions is dedicated to providing a better quality of life for our clients. Our mottos are several but each have an important message; Four Seasons cares about YOU!
Any pest… Any season… We’re the Solution!
And remember, it’s okay to live among pests… but you don’t have to live with them!
