Have you ever been warned to stay well clear of high grass as a child? If so, do you know why this is the case and a great tool in your survivor’s toolbox? Tiny terrors are skulking in weeds and the meadows. Keep in mind that the majestic moose can fall victim as easily as you. If these invade your home, you’ll need an exterminator in West Palm Beach, FL.
What Are Ticks?
If you’ve heard of Lyme disease, you’re already vaguely familiar with its pervasive carrier. The second most infectious pest, only the mosquito, transmits more disease perennially. However, a common misconception is that a tick is an insect, when in fact, it shares much more in common with arachnids. So, scorpions, spiders, mites, and ticks are all related.
How Common are Ticks?
As the years go by, tick-borne hospitalizations are growing astronomically. In the years spanning 2014-18, north of 200,000 people got bit by these silent assailants. However, a simple trip to the grocery store or movie theatre isn’t a cause for concern. Although those places aren’t risk factors, South East Florida is home to many outdoor activities in tick territory.
Many people don’t know that there are more than 850 species of ticks, not just a handful of variations. Luckily, of these near thousand species, only 60 of them pose a threat to humans. The panhandle state is home to a variety that includes the deer tick, the most infectious tick we know.
Deer Ticks
Of the stages of tick maturity, adolescent (referred to as immature by scientists) years are when they bite the most frequently. Nymphs (immature ticks) are hyperactive in the spring and summer. These are especially hard to remove from your body due to their size (less than 2mm) and the places in which they hide. You may find a tick:
- Scalp
- Groin
- Armpit
- Back of knee
- Or another hard to see place
Contrary to what worried parents may say, just because a tick was on you doesn’t mean you were a bit. The spots aforementioned where ticks sightings are common aren’t the same places they first latch on. 99% of the time, a tick that has hitched a ride, will migrate to a warm, moisture place—it’s their preferred place to feed.
Lyme Disease
Ranking as the most common vector-borne (transmittal of disease to a person from an infected, blood-feeding arthropod) in the United States. So yes, ticks are just as infectious as mosquitoes and fleas due to Lyme disease, which has shown to be just as adverse as dengue fever, West Nile, and malaria. Symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Skin rash
- Erythema
- Long-lasting complications
Lasting effects are still being recorded and analyzed. The currently known long-term complications include chronic joint inflammation, facial palsy or neuropathy (neurological conditions), recollection inability, and even irregular heartbeats may start. While other vector-borne diseases are just as threatening, Lyme disease can be just as worse.
How Do Ticks Infest a Home?
To start, ticks won’t actively stalk you leading to a home invasion. Instead, ticks often hitchhike their way inside. An afternoon with the family and Spot may end, can end in infestations. Most of the time, once a single tick enters the home via human or pet, once laid, an infestation is well underway. A single female tick can lay up to 18,000 eggs at once.
Once a colony forms in your home, the signs mount. For starters, ticks showing up on a family member when no outdoor activity occurred in the recent past should sound off the bells. Secondly, the tiny piles of tick eggs can be on baseboards, windowsills, under furniture, and on the edges of carpeting (noticing ticks in your vacuum cleaner bags is a bad sign).
Off the top of your head, can you describe tick eggs? Probably not. However, if you notice a tiny pool of what looks like brown, orange, and tan caviar, know that you and your family have an issue. Often, it’s the eggs that are spotted well before the tick herself, if ever at all.
The only way you can deal with ticks on your own is through preventative measures. Keep your grass well maintained, spraying before you hike, and generally paying attention to areas that are tick prone are all significant first steps. However, once they enter your walls, the solutions aren’t as cut and dry.
Do You Need an Exterminator in West Palm Beach?
Knowing how to prevent an infestation and understanding how to clear one are vastly different skill sets. If you think there’s a legitimate chance that your home has an infestation of ticks or another creepy-crawly, contact a licensed exterminator. There have been no instances where an infestation hasn’t posed a health risk. When in doubt, seek help.
