Some pests are so dangerous, a single encounter with them can lead to serious health concerns. As parasitic pests that feed off people’s blood and spread harmful diseases, ticks fall firmly into this category. Learning how to prevent them from infesting your property and how you can protect yourself from being bitten will help you stay tick-free in Fort Worth.
What Ticks Are Around?
Most people know that ticks are dangerous parasites, but people don’t often realize that there are many kinds of ticks and that preventing them differs by species. Here are some of the most common ticks in Fort Worth:
- Deer ticks: Also called black-legged ticks, these ones are the biggest transmitters of Lyme disease in the world. While they all have black legs, females have a more noticeable, amber-colored blood sac on their backs.
- Lone star ticks: Named after our very own state of Texas (that should clue you in on just how common they are here), lone star ticks have a telltale white speck in the middle of their backs.
- Brown dog ticks: While they get their name from their habit of infesting pets, particularly dogs, brown dog ticks can actually bite people and a wide range of wild animals.
Tick Bites: What You Need To Know
While not every tick bite leads to the transmission of a disease, the risk of contracting potentially harmful illnesses is real. Ticks don’t need to be disease vectors for you to not want them feeding on you. The thought of blood-feeding ticks puncturing your skin is gross enough even without the larger health concerns. Seek medical attention if you notice these symptoms of a tick bite:
- Welts: The puckered wounds that ticks leave behind on the skin after their feedings can be extremely itchy. They can look a lot like other bug bites, however, so you’ll need to inspect further to determine if it was a tick.
- Rash: A tick’s saliva can sometimes cause allergic reactions on the skin, leading to itchy or burning rashes. This can be the first sign of some tick-borne illnesses.
- Fever or chills: One of the first symptoms of Lyme disease is a high fever.
If you notice these or worse symptoms after being bitten, get a professional test right away.
Tick Prevention For Your Fort Worth, TX Property
In order to avoid ticks, you need to prevent them from invading your property in the first place. They like to cling to tall grasses or vegetation and wait for animals or people to brush past. To keep them away from your property, take these steps:
- Landscaping: Because of their behavior of clinging to leaves or grass, encroaching plants and overgrown lawns can attract ticks to come near. Keep your lawn well maintained to avoid attracting parasites.
- Crack sealing: Ticks are incredibly small and can fit through even small cracks and holes. Regularly check for and fix any that you find around your exterior.
- Treatments: Professional lawn treatments can ward off ticks completely, as well as a host of other local pests. Get started today by calling your local tick experts!
White Knight Has Total Tick Protection
Though the risks of contracting a tick-borne illness are small, there is still too great a risk to want to take any chances. Rather than try to keep up on prevention all on your own, or living in fear that ticks might find a way onto your property, get peace of mind from White Knight Pest Control. We know how to inspect your property for ticks and other warning signs of infestation. If problems are found, our proven pest control treatments are guaranteed to get rid of ticks. We’ll keep attacking them and following up with you to make sure that they truly stay gone.
Don’t risk dangerous tick bites by not implementing the proper pest control treatments on your property. Contact us at White Knight Pest Control to get started with one of our Fort Worth pest control plans right away!