Time Keeps on Ticking

Time Keeps on Ticking

            If there has ever been an underrated pest, the tick is it. Despite its size, the tick can be menace to anyone that comes across one. With a total of 800 different species worldwide and around 200 in the United States alone, naming them can be a chore and controlling them can be a nightmare.

            There are two main categories of ticks in the world, soft ticks and hard ticks. Soft ticks will generally be found on birds and some mammals, while hard ticks are the ones most likely to bother humans. Most likely, you will come into contact with potentially four different species; dog ticks, black-legged ticks, deer ticks and wood ticks. The places you can run across them are more common than you might think. For those who like to spend time camping or hiking, it is always important to thoroughly inspect yourself for ticks upon returning home. Still, you may very well find a thriving infestation in your yard or yes, even inside your home. Do not make the mistake of thinking ticks cannot survive indoors. Studies have proven they can live out an entire life inside a home. Brown dog ticks have even been known to be more difficult to treat than bed bugs. Without proper prevention, a population of ticks can appear in a short amount of time. A female tick will produce up to 6000 eggs before dying. Those offspring will reproduce and the problem will add up in a hurry. Of course, this is not all you should be worried about. Several credible sources have done studies proving Lyme disease is on the rise in the U.S., and of course it is carried by ticks.

            According to the Lyme Disease Association, there has been a 148 percent increase in tick-related complaints. Only successful direct marketing firms see those kinds of gains. The Massachusetts Department of Health has reported similar findings. Since 2010 in Massachusetts alone, there have been anywhere from 12,000 to 14,000 reports of Lyme Disease each year. Signs of Lyme disease begin as circular discoloration appearing on the skin surrounding the tick bite. If not treated properly, Lyme disease can affect many areas of the body including the brain. An offshoot of Lyme disease is the potential to develop Meningitis which has proven as potentially deadly to humans. The bulk of this recent epidemic is occurring in the northeast, but is slowly leaking its way into the Midwest. Large populations of deer and other mammals assist in the spread of the disease as they can also carry ticks that will drop off during the animal’s normal travels.

            Now that spring is here and summer is not far behind, people will begin to spend more time outside. So do your due diligence, and inspect yourself each time after you come home. If you have plans to go camping, spray yourself with an insect repellent containing Deet. It is recommended to wear longs pants and be sure to spray shoes and ankles well. Ticks have always been around and should not act as a discouragement to spend time outdoors, but do your best to protect yourself and possibly do a little prevention work around your home to keep this overlooked pest away.