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Winter Pests

It’s winter in Michigan, the temperatures have plummeted, and all bugs and pests are long gone…right?

WRONG!

Let us lay some facts on you. 

1) rodents are even more active in the winter

Mice, rats, and other small rodents seek to enter your home even more desperately during the frigid winter.

If you fail to seal all potential entry points into your home properly, these pests will most assuredly find their way in. From there, they will happily set up residence. If they gain access, it can be difficult to find all their hiding places in every nook and cranny in your home. 

2) bugs don’t just die

While you probably aren’t seeing as many pests scurrying about your home throughout the winter, they’re still very much nearby. Though they go unseen, that is because they are likely hibernating in some way. It may be freezing outside, but insects and rodents are quite literally snug as a bug in your 65°+ house; unfortunately, even the attics and spaces between walls aren’t cold enough to kill off most critters.

3) spiders stick around in the winter, too!

Just like with other pests, the winter temperatures, even in the extremities of your home, won’t kill off spiders in most cases, either. They find great places to hunker down for the winter. It’s not just the spiders themselves to worry about, but you should be mindful of their webs and egg sacs.

4) hotel for pests

Treat all entry points: windows, doors, vents, and crawlspaces to keep the pests out. It’s important to take precautions and pay attention during each season, so you can always be protected against these unwanted guests.

Proper exclusion and sealing up any noticeable cracks or gaps help prevent all of these pests. So many pest problems can be avoided with proactive control!

You want your home to be a sanctuary for you and your family during the winter months. Make sure you’re not also extending that luxury to unwanted pests!

Winter Flies

It’s a beautiful winter day, and the sunlight is gleaming on the snow. Taking in the view and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, your attention is drawn to an all-too-familiar sound buzzes by your ear. That’s right— buzzes. There is snow on the ground, but sure enough, there is a fly INSIDE of your house. Eager to get outside, it hurls its large sluggish body against the window. This is not your classic housefly, it’s important to note, but rather a more elusive species. The unwanted houseguest almost went unnoticed. They’re probably around even if you can’t see them!

How do flies survive during winter?

There are too many common fly species to count, and they handle winter in all kinds of ways. Flies associated with filth such as blowflies, fruit flies, and phorid flies tend to live in and around garbage all year. They nestle into the trash in sheltered areas and hunker down to preserve heat during the winter.

Other flies, like face and cluster flies, lay eggs in warm areas during the fall. The flies laying the eggs die off, but their offspring hatch throughout winter. Once they are inside, they continue reproducing— a cycle of laying eggs and hatching. To survive the cooler temperatures and decline in food sources, cluster flies enter the state of diapause to preserve energy and body heat.

What are the flies inside my home?

This winter, the flies most likely to bother you in your home are cluster flies. This species is ubiquitous in Michigan, even during winter. Cluster flies are easy to distinguish as they are big, stocky flies with dark coloration. 

Cluster flies are common around attics, basements, and doors/windows. They seek secluded places near a heat source where they can pack together and enter a state of rest called diapause. They occasionally emerge on warm days to regain heat and energy. They will often appear slow-flying and sluggish, “drunk” if you will.

How do these flies enter my home?

Cluster flies find their way inside of homes in the late summer and fall months. They quite literally cluster together in large groups on the sides of walls to soak up the warmth of the sun. As temperatures lower, the flies look for cracks and gaps they can use to stay out of the wind. These cracks may often lead them into your home, either behind the walls or in attics and basements. Common access points include cracks under the windows or door trim, baseboards, and around lights, fans, or other utility appliances.

What do flies want?

Without warmth and shelter, cluster flies can’t survive Michigan’s freezing temperatures. Most common flies can’t hibernate, either, which means they need shelter and food access. If you have a fly infestation, it means your home likely provides both of these. Cluster flies look for warm, secluded areas where they can remain in diapause for long stretches of time. They eat little and do not reproduce or cause any real damage during this time. The only times they may show themselves are on sunny days. 

How can I get rid of them?

Admittedly, cluster flies are rather difficult to control in winter. This is because they are already inside the walls. If you seal their access points now, you will trap them in your walls. That could potentially create a mess and attract other, even less desirable pests. Upon the arrival of spring’s consistently warm temperatures, cluster flies will leave your home to warm up outside. This does not always mean through their original access point, though, so don’t be surprised if you see/hear many live flies. Vacuuming up any deceased is the best method of disposing of. ‌

On the bright side, albeit a nuisance, flies aren’t really that big of a deal. At worst, consider them an annoyance. Even if cluster flies are just an annoyance, the bad news is that they’re still… annoying.

Controlling Whiteflies

All whiteflies suffer from somewhat of an identity crisis, as they are not flies at all. Their tiny, white appearance resembles moths, but they are, in fact, most closely related to sap-sucking aphids. Aphid-cast skins are easily mistaken for that of the whitefly, but whiteflies will quickly fly away if disturbed.

The fact that they hide on the undersides of the leaves, coupled with a quick flight pattern, makes them challenging to manage. Whiteflies are also fruitful because their numbers rapidly increase from two to four, four becomes eight, eight becomes 16, and so on. During the hottest weeks of summer, whiteflies may mature from the egg stage to a reproductive adult in as little as 16 days.

Damage

Whiteflies cause two types of damage to a plant, the first being direct. Whiteflies seriously injure plants by extracting juices from them, causing leaves to yellow, wither, and fall early. If the number of whiteflies per leaf is significant enough, it could lead to plant death. The second, or indirect, happens by way of adult whiteflies. They are able to transmit several viruses from diseased plants to healthy through their mouthparts.

Whiteflies (again like aphids) excrete “honeydew,” which is a sweet substance that forms a sticky coating on leaves. A fungus called “sooty mold” also quickly colonizes, which makes leaves look dirty. Generally speaking, sooty mold is harmless except when it is incredibly expansive, thus preventing light from reaching the surfaces of leaves, which stresses the plant. Sooty mold washes off easily with a forceful stream of water on sturdy plants.

Detection

Like many insects, whiteflies have nymphal and adult stages. Females lay their eggs in arcs or circles on the underside of the leaves that they spend their entire life cycle on. Whitefly nymphs have wingless, oval bodies and no apparent legs or antennae. The adults that emerge from mature larvae are winged and look like a very tiny moth.

Prevention

  • Attract beneficial enemies to your garden.
    • Plant a wide variety of flowering plants or individual insectary plants can provide beneficial insects with the habitats they require. Natural enemies of whiteflies are spiders, small birds, lacewings, ladybugs, and big-eyed bugs.
  • Scrutinize new plants. Make sure you aren’t purchasing infected plants.
  • One way to detect an invasion early is to hang sticky traps above the plants at the beginning of the season.
  • Use slow-release, organic fertilizers.
    • Maintain healthy plant growth, but make sure you do not over-fertilize with high nitrogen fertilizers. Too much nitrogen can overstimulate lush plant growth, prompting aphids to reproduce more quickly. Organic fertilizers are superior because they slowly release the proper levels of nutrients.
  • Avoid excessive pruning
  • This stimulates whitefly-attracting growth.
  • Use a row cover to exclude whitefly and other pests while still allowing light, air, and water to reach all plants.
  • Control ants by painting or spraying a 4″ wide sticky barrier around woody shrubs or trees.
    • For many sensitive trees, such as citrus, apply a protective barrier of white latex paint to the trunk before the sticky wall.

Less-Toxic Control

  • Use a syringe of water on the undersides of leaves on sturdy plants to wash off whiteflies and honeydew.
  • Use a vacuum to suck up whiteflies in the early morning when they are cold and slow-moving.
    • After vacuuming, empty into a sealed plastic bag and remove it from the premise.
  • Prune away any severely infested portions of the plant.
    • Place and seal material in bags and remove them from the premise.
    • Dispose properly and do not compost.
  • Use insecticidal soaps to kill whiteflies while causing the least harm to beneficial insects.
    • Even coverage of the underside of leaves is essential for effective use. These products do not leave toxic residues, sparing injury to the natural enemies.
  • Use spray (horticultural) oils to control whiteflies minimizing adverse effects on natural enemies.
  • To protect bees, avoid applying imidacloprid during the period one month before or during bloom. Removing blossoms before they open on young trees will prevent honey bee exposure to imidacloprid in the nectar/pollen.

Garden Planning & Pests

If you’ve stayed up-to-date with our blog, then you probably recall a post from a few months back discussing garden pests. While all of that information is relevant, it is essential to consider a few more factors that should be taken into account when gardening.

The home landscape is a complex habitat mainly consisting of vegetables, flowers, turf, and other foliage. For the majority, gardens are a relaxing place where we tailor the environment to our aesthetic and physical needs. Yet the garden is also home to nuisance pests. As a result, residential landscapes have become the depository of nearly 11% of the conventional pesticides used in the USA. Indeed, acre for acre, your cousin’s tomato patch has more pesticides than a farmer’s soybean field! Fortunately, the garden is also home to the natural enemies of these pests. Most gardeners come to know a great deal about their plants’ growth needs, but often know little of the resident insects within their garden.

We do not consider many of the insects in a garden to be harmful. The vast majority of North American insect species are either harmless to humans and garden plants or beneficial. To properly utilize the work that natural enemies do, we must first identify them and help them flourish. By using natural enemies to control pests, you reduce the need to use pesticides.

Garden placement

Garden placement is imperative for botanical survival. Be sure to keep gardens away from the home or structures, as they will cast shadows; keep planting areas at least 10ft from walls. Crops planted in the shade are less productive and may be more susceptible to disease and insect damage than planted in full sun.

Who are Friends of the Garden?

Most of us are familiar with ladybugs, spiders, and praying mantids; we know their diet consists of a lot of bad bugs. In addition, there are many other ‘natural enemies’ that are also taking care of pests. There are three major groups of natural enemies— predators, parasitoids, and pathogens.

Predators, such as ladybugs and spiders, eat much prey throughout a lifetime. They are often the most visible natural enemies in our garden and are larger and more robust than their prey. Some are agile hunters, while others sit and wait to pounce on a victim. You can promote beneficial predatory insects by including flowering plants in the garden.

Parasitoids are insects that develop as young in a host, leading to the eventual death of the said host. Unlike predators, most only kill only one object of prey during their juvenile stage. Many wasps and flies are parasitoids, but they are typically small and therefore go unnoticed.

Pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, nematodes, protozoans, and fungi— cause diseases. Many of these happen to naturally occur in our gardens, while others must be introduced. Commercial companies have begun to develop many of these pathogens as spray and bait formulations, making them more comfortable for us to use.

How To Avoid Common Garden Pests

To minimize beetles, clean up the garden and rotate crops every year. Hang birdhouses in the garden as birds enjoy eating worms. Water gardens in the morning only as slugs and snails prefer feeding on wet foliage. Encourage birds, snakes, frogs, and toads because all of these critters eat slugs and snails.

Carefully inspect all new plants for white flies before purchasing from a nursery. This is actually a constructive tip for preventing all of the vegetable garden pests.

COVID-19

As of March 24th at 12:01 AM, Michigan is under a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This order will last 21 days, at least, and will significantly affect many of our resident’s lives. This has caused many of our residents to fall into somewhat of a panic (hello, toilet paper shortage). Many of you have asked how this affects the services we provide, especially as spring progresses and more critters awaken from their long winter’s nap. That being said, there are a few items we would like to address; hopefully, this will clear up any confusion you may have before making a call.

According to the executive order, businesses deemed as essential can continue to operate; even as more quarantines and restrictions are put in place. Both the National Pest Management Association and Michigan Pest Management Association firmly believe that structural pest control is an essential industry; one that must continue to provide the valuable services we offer during the COVID-19 pandemic. These services protect our customers from not only emotional distress but more importantly, from an array of diseases. However, despite operating as usual, the questions do not stop there, and for a good reason!

There are many questions surrounding COVID-19, including how it spreads. With spring progressing, there have been concerns about potential disease transmission from insects. It is imperative to note that COVID-19 does not spread via pests. While the most accurate and up-to-date resource for information on COVID-19 remains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we’ll dive deeper into the differences between common vector-borne diseases and various coronaviruses to help dispel any myths about transmission.

What are Vector Pests?

Vector pests such as mosquitoes and ticks play significant roles in the transmission of many serious diseases. Worldwide, mosquitoes are the leading vector pests responsible for the transfer of infections to humans. They are responsible for spreading malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), yellow fever, and others. Ticks are responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne infection in the United States; as well as many others such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis.

What are Coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses, which are common to humans, are well-known causes of the common cold and flu and were first identified in the 1960s. There are four main subgroups of human coronaviruses; they mainly transmit through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. This is done by simple acts such as coughing and sneezing. Droplets, often microscopic, from the infected person are inhaled by someone nearby (usually within a three to six-foot radius); also via contact with a contaminated surface— such as one that was just coughed or sneezed upon, then inadvertently touching one’s face or eyes; or by something as simple as sharing an eating utensil. This is why it is imperative to wash hands and refrain from touching our faces during this time.

How is COVID-19 Different From Other Coronaviruses?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and now COVID-19 are zoonotic coronaviruses– meaning they are viruses that have jumped the species barrier from their regular animal hosts to humans (Think Bird and Swine flu). This happens through direct contact with an infected animal, as well as indirect contact or eating contaminated food. Zoonotic diseases are also prevalent, and once they transmit to humans, they continue to spread through person-to-person contact as well. This makes proper handwashing and other preventative actions outlined by the CDC paramount to public safety.

Can Pets Contract Coronavirus?

Dogs and cats can contract certain types of coronaviruses, such as the canine respiratory coronavirus, but we believe this specific coronavirus to not be a health threat to pets.  The CDC says that “while this virus seems to have emerged from an animal source, it is now spreading from person-to-person.” The CDC also states that “there is no reason to think that any animals or pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this novel coronavirus.” Fortunately for pet owners, the virus survives best on smooth surfaces, such as countertops and doorknobs. Porous materials, such as pet fur, tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contract them through touch.

While the world is in an uproar unlike any we’ve seen, rest easy that we are doing as much as we can to ensure the protection of your home. We have received training in the use of proper PPE (personal protective equipment); as well as practicing proper hygiene to cut back on the spread of any germs. So, if during this 21 day period you hear/see any unwelcome guests around your home (in-laws not included) please do not hesitate to call. Remember: no question is a stupid question, and we look forward to answering yours!

AKC Staff. “Can Dogs Get Coronavirus?” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 20 Mar. 2020, www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/can-dogs-get-coronavirus/.

“Animals and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/animals.html.

Fall Fruit Fly Tips

There’s so much to love about the early fall months; fresh apples, donuts and cider, flowers, colorful hikes, camping, and so much more— however, one of the most significant negatives of the first warm fall months is fruit flies. We’ve written about these nuisances before, but the continued warm temperatures in Northern Michigan have seemingly allowed infestations to maintain. And if you’re like us, you love the goodness of having fresh fruit available and that glass of wine to enjoy without the hassle of these aggressive pests, so, we thought we would offer some DIY methods in curbing the seemingly endless issue.

Unfortunately for homeowners, the average natural life span of fruit fly adults (in optimal temperatures) is forty to fifty days. Females have the capability to mate and lay several batches of eggs in that time, which allows the fruit fly population inside of a home to multiply quickly.

Now, many commercial traps can aid in ridding your home of them, and we even offer them to customers. That being said, there are also some natural and effective remedies that you can do by using goodies found in your pantry that’s inexpensive and effective.

Keep in mind, however, that to curb an infestation, it is imperative to start at the source. Ensuring any houseplants you may have are potted in high-quality soil, maintaining clean drains, keeping all areas dry, washing dirty dishes, and keeping trash receptacles tightly closed are all effective methods. If these efforts remain unsuccessful, it may be time to seek out other options.

Below, we’ll share some at-home methods that are proven effective if you’re experiencing a visit with those pesky rascals.

Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV is genuinely a heaven send for attracting fruit flies. They absolutely cannot stay away from it. Mixing the vinegar with a few drops of dish soap is a timeless method in trapping and killing the flies.

Essential Oils & Herbs

Basil, peppermint, and eucalyptus are a few of the herbs that help to deter fruit flies. Placing these in tea bags or muslin sacks and hanging them around the house can help to prevent them.

Lavender, camphor, (be very cautious with this one), peppermint, clove, and lemongrass essential oils deter fruit flies as well. They simply can’t stand the smell. Dab some cotton balls and wipe the oils around the home, especially in the kitchen area, and deter them all while making your home smell naturally amazing. Another method is dipping tea bags into essential oil blends and hanging around the home.

Beer & Wine

It’s no wonder why these pests like a good glass now and then. Fruit flies are lushes of a sort and love the smell of red wine, and it will draw them in very rapidly! So, a small glass of leftover wine used to trap them, similar to the apple cider vinegar method, works exceptionally well with attracting, trapping, and killing the fruit flies. Beer is a close second, which is no wonder why you will find hoards of them buzzing around your recycling. The same method words for beer as well, so whichever beverage you have handy should do the trick.

Fruits

Place jam, jellies, or ripened fruit (especially bananas) into a jar covered with plastic wrap to attract the fruit flies.

Incense

Fruit flies hate all smoke but especially smoke from incense—their bodies can’t handle inhaling it. When they inhale, they die fairly quickly, which can help leave you fruit fly-free.

Closing Tips

Keeping fresh fruit refrigerated, reducing any standing water including in vases, as fruit flies are attracted to the sugar water in most flower arrangements, and getting rid of any rotting fruit (the yeast is where they lay their larvae).

If all else fails, there is hope on the horizon as fall progresses. Studies show that at 60°F, the lifespan of fruit flies significantly decreases. When the temperatures fall below 53°F, these flies stop developing entirely. While the first frost may not seem like something to look forward to for many of us, those experiencing a fruit fly infestation can rest assured that these unwanted houseguests will soon be gone— until next year, that is!

Citronella Ants

During the late summer and fall and also in late winter/early spring months, the invasion of flying yellow or reddish-brown to black ants is common.  Also known as citronella ants, the winged female swarmers are golden-yellow while the males are black. Their nickname is the citronella ant because when crushed or alarmed, it gives off a pronounced citronella or lemon verbena-like odor. Homeowners often fear that these 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm long-winged insects are termites. However, in most cases, they are usually reproductives of either the smaller or larger yellow ant.

Although there is one species of subterranean termite living in Michigan that will swarm in the fall months, most termite swarms are active March to late May. This necessitates knowing the difference between the flying ants and flying termite species.

  • Antennae: Termites have beaded antennae similar to keychains; flying ants have elbowed antennae with the bend at or near the middle.
  • Wings: Termites have four wings, all equally lengthed and almost twice the length of their thorax. Though ants also have four wings, their hind wings are shorter than the front wings and are not twice the body length. Also, ant wings have prominent wing venation. The wings of termites have no prominent veins and resemble milk glass.
  • Body shape: Ants have a three-segmented body, with their waists constricting like an hourglass between each segment. Flying termites have two body segments without the constricted waist.
  • In most instances, termites shed their wings shortly after swarming.

Habits

Citronella ants typically nest outside next to foundations or under concrete or wooden slabs. They survive almost exclusively on honeydew, which is a sweet material made by root-feeding mealybugs or aphids. Therefore, workers seldom invade homes or structures in search of food in contrast to many other ant species. However, they may cause problems by pushing dirt through cracks in foundations and slabs. The winged yellow ants can and do cause concern when flying into living quarters, creating a termite-like fright. Also, a very large number of yellow ant reproductives (with wings) and the smaller workers (without wings) may congregate on the side of a building on a mild fall to an early spring day, which can also cause a scare.

Tips for Control

Colonies do not require professional pest control unless the swarmers enter a home or structure. Even in these cases, treatment may not be possible because it is difficult to know precisely where the colony is located beneath the structure. Sealing all cracks in the floor where the swarmers enter can stop the swarm from entering a home or building, but the ants will likely find other cracks. Any treatment of extreme cases will involve drilling and treating beneath the slab, thus requiring the services of an experienced professional.

BMSB

The brown marmorated stink bug, otherwise abbreviated as BMSB, is an invasive species; as it was introduced to the US from Eastern Asia in the mid-90s. It is also known as the East Asian or yellow-brown stink bug. The BMSB was first collected in the United States in Allentown, PA in the fall of 1996, but was not identified until years later in 2001. From there, it quickly spread east. Today, BMSB has been identified in 44 states including Washington DC. The stink bug’s native range includes China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Stink Bug Odor

BMSB is aptly named by the odor they emit when they feel threatened. It is thought that this odor aids in protecting against predators. The bugs produce the smelly chemical in a gland on their abdomen. Some species can actually spray the several chemical inches. The smell has often been compared to potent herbs like cilantro.

Interestingly enough, the composition of the odor is comprised of chemicals commonly used as food additives and is actually present in cilantro. This smell can linger for hours so it is in your best interest to try to avoid the bugs or carefully sweep or vacuum them up if they have entered your house.

Physical Attributes

Stink bugs are characterized in several different ways. They are described as “large and oval-shaped” and “shield-shaped”. Adult BMSB can reach almost 2 cm in length and are almost as wide as they are long. Their legs extend from their sides, which makes adult bugs appear even larger. The BMSB is brownish in color with lighter bands on their antennae and darker bands on their wings.

Adult stink bugs are strong fliers and fold their wings on top of their body when they land. The wings of nymphs are not fully developed but they do appear as they become an adult. Mature wings are an identifier of adults.

The nymphs are very tiny when they first hatch and are yellow and red in color. As they mature the yellow fades to white. Nymphs have bright red eyes during this stage of their lifecycle. They molt or shed their skin 5 times as they mature. Nymphs become larger each time they molt. By their final molt, the nymphs are almost as large as adult stink bugs.

Habits

In general, adult BMSB feed on fruits and the nymphs feed on leaves, stems, and fruit. The life cycle of BMSB typically involves mating, then reproducing, and feeding from the spring months to late the fall. Upon the cold temperatures, stink bugs seek shelter to spend the winter in a dormant phase known as ‘diapause’.

BMSB search for overwintering sites in late fall before the weather conditions change drastically.  They spend the winter in diapause inside homes or buildings, usually within the walls, attics or crawl spaces. However, diapause may not be the total competition of their season. If the weather warms up for long enough, overwintering stink bugs may be misled in thinking it is time to exit diapause and become active once again. Stink bugs will then reemerge in early spring and become active.

BMSB mate and create up to 3 generations per year depending on their habitat. Colder areas only see one generation each year, whereas warmer areas will likely see two or three. Stink bug females typically lay 20 to 30 eggs. These eggs are light green and barrel-shaped, attached side-by-side in a mass on the underside of a host plant’s leaves. The eggs will hatch within four to five days and from there the nymphs will begin to feed.

Signs of an Infestation

In most cases, homeowners will first detect stink bugs by their large invasions in the fall months. Finding large numbers of living or dead stink bugs is also a sign of an infestation. Stink bugs will show themselves on sunny sides of homes where they enjoy warming themselves. Farmers often detect an infestation by the damage caused to their crops.

Threats

The BMSB cannot sting and is also unlikely to bite humans or animals. The stink bug’s mouthparts are grouped into the piercing/sucking category, but they do not use blood as a food source like mosquitoes, bed bugs, or biting flies. Their mouths are not structured in a manner that allows them to bite through human skin.

Stink bugs are relatively harmless to humans, though they do have the potential to spread throughout the country. This could result in harm to the agricultural industry, as they destroy crops. BMSB can cause damage to fruit trees, ornamental plants, and gardens, but they are more of a nuisance pest than an actual threat to humans. They do not spread disease or cause structural damage.

To avoid a potential infestation of these pests, proper exclusion is of the utmost importance. Hogarth’s is well-versed in varying types of exclusion for residential and commercial properties. We will seal entrance holes around pipes, windows, ridge vent and soffits. It is important to note that exclusion alone will not always fix the issue; the home will need to be treated to keep every BMSB away from the structure. Call us today!

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!