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Tag Archives: check for ticks

Oh, Christmas Tree

The song goes, “Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree! How lovely are your branches”. What the carol fails to mention, however, are the potential pests lurking on those branches. We expect to have our homes filled with guests as loved ones. However, there are less than desirable guests that you’ll need to be on the lookout for and stop before they spoil all the holiday cheer. A vigilant combination of prevention and eradication will help to keep your home free this holiday season!

Christmas Tree Pests

You have to expect that when you bring a live tree into your home, there is a potential for pests to be living in its branches that will be brought inside as well. Examples include spiders, mites, and aphids. 

It’s imperative to carefully inspect your Christmas tree before making a purchase. However, if some bugs manage their way into your home, it’s best to use a vacuum cleaner to pick up any spiders or aphids.

You will also want to avoid hanging edible decorations, which are popular holiday staples but will obviously attract pests. Dough ornaments and popcorn garlands are tempting food choices that may attract more bugs inside of your home.

Ticks

Ticks can live in pine trees, landing on humans and animals. Since ticks are vectors for disease, you must thoroughly inspect yourself and immediately remove any ticks you may find. You can prevent ticks from hitching a ride on your body by wearing long sleeves/pants, and tucking legs into socks when outdoors. Keeping animals on an anti-tick medication also helps to prevent any passengers. 

Peridomestic Roaches

Peridomestic is a scientific term for “around the house,” We use it to refer to cockroaches that have taken up residence inside the home.

Again, prevention is the best defense. Prevent cockroaches by keeping your home free of food debris (such as leaving a rogue snack plate in a bedroom or on the coffee table). When facing an infestation, you will want to consult experienced technicians as cockroaches can become a very large problem.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs transfer from an infested house to other houses on furniture, and in baggage, boxes, suitcases, packed clothing, and bedding— especially when people travel frequently or change residences. During this holiday season, protect your home from a potential infestation by protecting your mattresses with bed bug covers, and be sure to dry all bedding on high heat before washing. Bed bugs can be prevented!

To get the most joy from your holidays this year, it pays to be vigilant against incoming pests. You don’t want any of your houseguests bothered by anything other than one another. For more information on dealing with tree pests, silverfish, ticks, and other annoyances or to get started on pest control and eradication program, please contact the licensed and professionally trained experts at Hogarth’s Pest Control today.

Ticks in 2020

It’s a public health concern perfect storm: With outdoor recreation one of the only exceptions to Michigan’s stay-home order during the current COVID-19 crisis, more people are heading outdoors— just as ticks reach peak season.

Michigan is home to various species of ticks, a few of which become active early this time of year. The deer tick, known as the black-legged, is perhaps the most notorious of them all; this is because they can carry the Lyme disease-causing bacteria.

Not all of Michigan’s tick species harbor dangerous bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, several species do, and they can live in a variety of habitats, including people’s backyards.

Try to avoid habitats that ticks frequent. Ticks tend to prefer grassy and wooded locations. Avoiding these spots may be difficult if you’re also trying to hike or walk outdoors, which is why the following prevention tips are essential.

Don’t stray from the path. 

This is especially relevant today as we find ourselves amidst a coronavirus crisis—trail maintenance may be limited, many park restroom facilities are closed, and people are supposed to stay six feet away from others even outdoors. Stick to the middles of trails whenever possible. If you must step to the side to let others pass, try to do so in a clear area and avoid coming in contact with brush and tall grass.

Do a “tick check” after coming indoors.

As you come indoors, check over your clothing for ticks (wearing clothes in light colors make them easier to find). Check children and pets for ticks, too. Look carefully: Adult-stage black-legged ticks are sesame-seed sized, while the nymphal-stage (which are more likely to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme) is the size of a poppy seed.

Be extra vigilant throughout the summer season.

Ticks are most active between April and September, though black-legged ticks can be active any time there are consecutive days above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the “peak” Lyme disease transmission season in Michigan is in June.

Shower within two hours after coming inside.

Check all over your body, paying close attention to any crevices such as armpits, scalp, and groin. As an extra precautionary step, put your clothing in a dryer for 10 minutes on high heat. This kills ticks before washing.

Use insect repellent or treat your clothing before heading out.

The CDC recommends using products that contain permethrin, which you can use to treat footwear, clothing, and gear, as well as EPA-registered insect repellents.

What to do if a tick bites you

  1. Gently remove the tick with tweezers, being sure to pull the tick straight out without squeezing or twisting.
  2. Save the tick somehow and snap a photo for identification.

Living in Michigan, it is important to now your ticks.  Ticks are a very common occurrence throughout the summer months for humans and animals alike. Be sure to protect your entire family, including your pets, against ticks this summer by familiarizing yourself with Michigan’s most prevalent species.

Tick-ed Off

I was driving yesterday, windows down, my hair blowing in the breeze. Beside me in the passenger seat, our German Shorthaired Pointer, Milo, sprawled out lazily, enjoying the rare occurrence of riding shotgun. He laid his head back, both ears flopping over to expose the smooth inside. That’s when I saw it. Strange and definitely foreign looking, I ran my thumb over what looked to be a large skin tag on the inside of his left year. My initial thought was that it had to be a tick, as I had read multiple pieces detailing this year’s influx in tick populations. That being said, Milo has been on tick medication for the majority of his life and I didn’t think much of the ‘epidemic’. However, seeing one latching onto him was entirely different.

When my husband came home (he’s the bug guy, not me) he immediately checked the ear. Sure enough, there it was. A female deer tick! She wasn’t fully burrowed into Milo’s skin just yet, which made extracting her fairly simple. This was both of our first run-ins with discovering a tick on a dog, and we are now fully aware of how rampant they are this year.

All about Ticks

Ticks are tiny insects, typically the size of a sesame seed. They feed on blood from humans and other animals. Ticks partially burrow into the skin, and prefer to feed in heavily vascular areas like the head. The danger associated with ticks is simple: Lyme disease. The CDC reports more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease each year, and health officials believe that 75% of these cases are caused by ticks. White-footed mice and chipmunks are the most well-known hosts of Lyme disease due to the bacteria they house. When a tick, and most commonly a deer tick, feeds on these rodents, they become a vector for the disease and transfer it to humans and other animals as a result.

Lyme disease manifests itself as a multi-system inflammatory disease that affects the skin in its early, localized stage. It starts out as a red rash in a bullseye pattern around the bite mark. From there, it spreads to the joints, nervous system, and other organ systems in its later, more advanced stages. If diagnosed in its early stages and immediately treated with antibiotics, Lyme disease is almost always cured. The disease in its later stages can also be treated effectively, but because the rate of progression and individual response to treatment varies from patient to patient. In humans, an attached tick must take a blood meal and then transmit the bacterium, borrelia burgdorferi, to infect a host with Lyme disease. In most cases, a tick requires at least 36 to 48 hours to have enough time to feed and spread the bacterium.

Tips for keeping Ticks away:

  • Keep firewood and debris away from home
  • Hang bird feeders away from the home
  • Mow yards and pathways regularly
  • Wear long pants and long sleeves while walking through tall grass or in the woods
  • Apply DEET insect repellent to clothing before walking through tall grass or in the woods
  • Always check yourself or have someone else inspect you for ticks after walking outside
  • Make sure pets are on flea and tick medication from their vet

Contrary to popular belief, ticks do not jump on to their hosts. They hang out in heavily wooded areas and on shrubs, bushes, and tall grasses, waiting for the hosts to brush up against the vegetation.  If you find a tick on your skin, it needs to be removed immediately. Make sure to thoroughly inspect all clothing after being outdoors— always check children and pets. If a tick burrows deeply into your skin, seek care of a professional. Mouth parts left behind can cause infection!

How to remove a tick yourself

  1. Using tweezers, gently grab the tick as close as possible to its mouth. The body of the tick should be above the skin.  Avoid touching the tick with bare hands! Using nitrile gloves is beneficial.
  2. Lift the tick from the skin with even force. ensuring you are squeezing the mouth.Squeezing can cause the stomach contents to leak from the mouth, which can cause infection. Do not pull, turn, or twist the tick as this increases the chances of separating the mouth from the body. Make sure to remove all mouth pieces and remnants left behind.
  3. Upon removal, clean the area with soap and water.

Hogarth’s now offers a new method of tick control; a multi-year process that results in 88% total population reduction of ticks in the first year, and up to 97.3% of ticks by the end of the second year. If you have discovered a tick on yourself, your child, or your pet, do not hesitate to give us a call. This kind of pest prevention requires continual effort. We will be happy to help remediate this potentially dangerous problem. Keep your pets and loved ones safe this summer season!