Avoid Ticks This Summer

Written by webadmin on July 3, 2014. Posted in Permatreat Blog.

Have you ever wondered how ticks amazingly appear on your body after a short walk outside?

Ticks do not jump, fly or drop from trees so how do they find their way to a human host?

They wait and then grasp passing hosts from tips of grass, low-lying shrubs, and leaf litter. The majority of ticks grasp onto the lower leg and then crawl up the body seeking a warm place to feed and hide.

Deer ticks live in the woods, sustained by the higher humidity levels of the forest or in shaded, sheltered areas. The tiny nymphal deer tick makes its home in the leaf litter that accumulates on the forest floor, around stonewalls and under ground covers.

Deer play a critical role in the reproduction of the deer tick. Deer live at the edge of the woods, where they feed on shrubs and other small plants as they move throughout their territory. They transport ticks from property to property. Deer do not infect ticks with Lyme disease. Ticks become infected after feeding on infected mice and other small mammals, such as chipmunks.

Landscaped yards provide deer with an ideal food source. The deer browse a wide variety of flowers and shrubs, many commonly used by homeowners to landscape their properties.

Consider turning your yard into a “tick safe zone”:

A tick safe zone is composed of lawn and is as sunny as possible and begins nine feet or more from the edge of the woods. It should surround your house and encompass the areas of your yard that you and your family regularly use. This includes walkways, areas used for recreation, entertainment, and gardens. Your tick safe zone takes advantage of the tick’s own biology and behavior to keep ticks away.

Avoid these tick habitats from April to October: