With winter rapidly approaching, you may be worried about ticks migrating into your home and the best forms of tick prevention. Most of the time ticks struggle to survive in an indoor environment, due to lack of humidity, but occasionally they find a way in.
Pets are the most common way for ticks to get into your house. Be sure you check your pets often and talk to your vet about treatment and tick prevention options.
Whenever you plan to spend time in wooded areas, be sure to appropriately for keeping ticks away from your skin. Long pants, sleeves, and boots can keep most of you covered. You may also consider tucking your pants into your socks for added protection and wearing gloves if you are doing yard-work in tall grass or shrubs. Make sure you also wear a tick repellant.
Detection and Safe Removal
If you suspect you have been exposed to ticks, it is vital that you thoroughly check your entire body and all your clothing. If you find a tick, carefully remove it immediately. Find a sharp-tipped pair of tweezers and grab onto the part of the tick’s mouth that is closest to your skin. Slowly pull it out. DO NOT squeeze the tick anywhere else on its body or try to burn it.
Tick Treatment for Your Home
Ticks will be looking for small, dark cracks to hide in, such as baseboards and door casings. They can also fall off of pets and onto carpets and furniture. They generally travel upward, so you’ll also want to check the corners of your ceilings.
- Vacuum: Vacuum everything in sight and do it often. Use attachments to get in all the corners and cracks and to reach high places. Move slowly across carpets and furniture as well as pet bedding. Also, make sure to empty the canister outside and into a sealed bag.
- Hot Dryer: If you’ve spotted ticks on your clothing, the most effective method is to put them in a very hot dryer. Sometimes ticks can survive through the washing machine cycle, but cannot last an hour in a hot dryer.
- Hire a Pest Control Company: The safest and most effective way to ensure your home is tick-free is to hire a professional pest control company. When it comes to pests, it’s often best to hand it over to the experts. Start by checking out some of the services offered by Sage Pest Control in North Carolina.
Tick Prevention for Your Yard
Ticks love to hide in tall grass, fallen leaves, and woodpiles. Make sure you keep your lawn short and regularly mowed and clean up any piles of leaves that have accumulated. Wood needs to be stored in a dry place away from the house.
Ticks do not travel large distances on their own, they hitch a ride on other animals, like dogs, cats, and deer. Putting up a fence can keep tick-carrying animals out of your yard.