Spring = Tick Season - Exterminator Morganville NJ

Spring = Tick Season

2019: predicted to be the worst in years - As we head into the worst tick season in recent history, it’s important to be extra diligent about ticks in your yard. Health and insect experts are saying it’s a perfect storm of conditions that will create a tick population explosion: a mild winter and lack of acorns. First off, the mild winter allowed ticks to thrive and emerge earlier than they usually do. When it comes to the lack of acorns, when oak trees produce a huge acorn crop (such as it did back in 2010), a large rise in the white-footed mouse population occurs in following years, as well as a rise in the blacklegged deer tick population. Ticks have lots of mice to feed on and are otherwise occupied.

This year, though, they will be turning their attention to other blood meals – humans – because there aren’t as many mice to feast on. As you are likely aware, ticks carry tick-borne disease like Lyme disease.

Where are the Ticks?

Ticks are detected all over the Northeast but a new study shows the states with the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease are those from Maine to Virginia, as well as those in the upper Midwest and a small part of Illinois. Each year in the U.S., 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC by state health departments.

In 2010, the last year reported, 94 percent of the reports originated from 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The CDC points out that Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the country.

Tips for Tick Prevention

Ticks, most prevalent in tall grass and wooded areas where large animals like deer live, can be found in your yard, on hiking trails and in fields. When you know you’ll be in this kind of environment, wear long sleeves and pants, tuck pant legs into socks, use a tick repellant containing DEET, and use clothing and camping gear treated with permethrin.

A thorough tick check is crucial when you arrive home and take a shower. If you spot a tick, gently remove it with a slow, steady pull. You don’t want the mouthparts or body to remain imbedded in the skin. Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and water. Then, flush ticks down the toilet or wrap them in tissue before throwing away. If the removed tick is engorged, place it in a baggie and bring it to a lab. If you think you’ve been bitten by a tick, head to the doctor as soon as possible.

Contact Cavanaugh’s Professional Termite and Pest Services

If you suffer from a tick infestation in your yard this spring, contact us today for an appointment. Rest assured, we have extensive experience with tick pest control.

Exterminator Morganville NJ - Pest Control Morganville NJ