Pet Article

FLEA CONTROL - TACKLING TICKS - DOG TICKS

Did you know, ticks rank high up there with bats, snakes and spiders, creatures that can create fear and disgust in some of us just by the mention of their name. Whilst some of these creepy crawlers can have beneficial characteristics, ticks really need to be given a wide berth. These blood sucking parasites are carriers of several diseases, one known to most of us as Lyme disease. This disease first appeared in the Northeast around the late 1970s, it's slowly taking a journey along the riverbanks in some in Mid-Atlantic states, heading towards the Midwest.

Ticks belong to a class called Arachnida, which includes mites, spiders and scorpions among its other members. There are some 850 species of tick. They have a ravenous appetite for blood which enables them to transmit diseases, namely; Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis, (which can be a deadly disease with flu-like symptoms), Tularemia, (which can cause skin sores) and Babesiosis, (a disease not disimilar to malaria). Only last year, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new tick borne disease namely, Powassan Encephalitis, which had appeared in New England. Some scientists indicate that there may be other tick borne diseases which have not as yet been identified.

Ticks are very patient creatures. Ticks make their way onto leaves and branches of trees, they then hitch a ride on a passing host. Deer and mice are their usual form of transportation. When they have found their host and meal ticket, ticks wander around their hosts until they can find a suitable place to dig in and feed. A female tick can feed for three days and up to a week, this will increase her size to around 200 times more in weight. Once she is satisfied, she falls to the ground where she can lay around 1,500 to 2,000 eggs. The cycle will then begin over again. Many ticks, especially those that use dogs as their, host are known as three host ticks. This represents each stage of life; larva, nymph and adult.

If you can't help but venture into areas which are likely to be infested with ticks, cover up with light colored clothing, this will help you see the ticks more easily so you can pick them off before they find their way onto your skin. Always tuck shirts into pants, which in turn are tucked into socks to eliminate as many entry points as you can. Keep checking for ticks regularly whilst outdoors.

When you come back indoors, make sure you remove your clothing as soon as possible and put it into the washer (ticks can be drowned). Shower and inspect yourself thoroughly for ticks, paying special attention to areas of your body that are covered by hair.

You can identify areas which may be infested by ticks in an around your home by making a tick drag. Attach a couple of yards of white flanneling to a long stick, sweep the cloth along suspected areas of your home and yard. The ticks that have been waiting or a host will cling to the cloth, You will then be able to see them easily and can drop the cloth into a pail of hot soapy water which will drown the ticks which were attached to the flanneling.

Try to create conditions ticks dislike by keeping vegetation around your home cut short, this will let sun and breeze air your yard and keep it dry.

Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control

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