What’s Bugging Your Blue Box?
While the bees are getting all the good buzz, ticks are getting a bad rap – and for good reason. These little critters carry a potentially life-threatening disease – Lyme Disease.
There are some really interesting facts about ticks, that you probably didn’t know. For example, Health.com provides us with these facts:
- Ticks are not insects, they are arachnids, which means they are more closely related to spiders.
- Only a few types of ticks spread diseases, with the biggest culprit being the black-legged tick.
- If a tick bites you, it’ll probably stick around for a few days.
- Ticks don’t start transmitting diseases ASAP.
- Ticks can spread multiple diseases at once.
- Most internet home remedies don’t work.
- You SHOULD remove a tick with a pair of tweezers.
- The symptoms from tick-borne illnesses can show up within a few days.
- Not everyone with Lyme disease will get a rash.
- Just because a tick can transmit diseases, it doesn’t mean it will.
- Lyme disease rates have been climbing steadily.
- There’s no Lyme disease vaccine for humans, but there’s one for dogs.
- You’re most at risk for a tick bite in the summer.
- You can protect yourself against ticks.
- You should do a tick check every two to three hours.
Ticks live in a variety of places, including long, tall grass. This can become a hazard for a recycling truck driver when they are collecting your curbside blue box. Placing your blue box out of the long grass can help prevent potential tick bites. Keeping your grass trimmed as well deters ticks from making a cosy home in this safe and shady area.
Ticks are tougher than we think…they’re very hard to kill. Preventing the opportunity for a tick to live near your home is the best defence we have!