Proper flea and tick prevention is critical to help ensure that your family and pets avoid uncomfortable bites, but more importantly, it helps reduce the risk of disease. Flea and tick bites can lead to a host of illnesses, some with very severe symptoms.
Scientists at the Baylor College Of Medicine in Houston have recorded an increase in bites over the last few years. As a result, there have been more cases of the diseases associated with the problem.
Ticks carry a number of diseases, some of which are spotted fever, relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis, and STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness).
Things don’t get much better when it comes to the potential diseases spread by flea bites. Flea bites can lead to several diseases, including murine typhus, which caused a small epidemic in Texas in 2016.
Each one sounds equally terrible. The best way to avoid these scenarios is to call in our professionals and to take the proper steps for prevention.
Conditions Fleas & Ticks Need & How They Invade Your Yard
The spring and summer are the best times of year to have your yard treated because fleas and ticks need warmth to live. These pests thrive in temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees when the humidity is the highest. Fleas and ticks most likely invade your yard on the backs of animals, before they find a spot to lurk among your bushes and shrubs.
Three Tips for Flea & Tick Prevention
You can prevent fleas and ticks from infesting your lawn. Here are some helpful tips that you can follow:
1. Regularly spray and treat your yard.
Preventative maintenance is key because it helps to prevent an infestation. For ideal protection, you must regularly treat your property. Periodic treatment is important for fleas, for example, because they have a 4-phase lifecycle. The adults lay eggs, which hatch into larvae. The larvae become pupae, which then turn into adults. You have to target the adults to prevent egg laying, but it’s also important to kill the larvae and pupae before they become adults. The same logic applies to ticks, which should be sprayed for regularly during the warmer times of the year.
2. Learn to inspect yourself.
There are several important habits that can protect you and your family. It’s important to learn to inspect yourself, your pets, and your children after returning from time outdoors. For example, you can quickly inspect your animals for fleas by gently pulling their coats back to search for bumps or red pimples. Another dead giveaway is frequent scratching. When it comes to ticks, depending on circumstances, a bite can leave a red bump, much like a mosquito's bite, a rash, or even a sore that looks like a bullseye.
3. Keep a well-maintained lawn.
Proper trimming, pruning, and mowing don’t just make for an attractive property; they also prevent flea and tick infestations. Ticks and fleas live in the moist areas under your shrubs and bushes. If trimming is neglected, more shade is created for them to thrive. Keeping the areas under the bushes, shrubs, and trees clear can also impede their life cycle. Another wise preventative choice is to avoid planting bushes too close to your home and to keep your lawn mowed regularly.
If you’re planning a trip outdoors, you should dress yourself and your family in light-colored clothing tucked into your socks and be sure to avoid areas known for harboring ticks. Finally, be sure to use an insect repellent containing DEET, permethrin, or picaridin.
Prevent a flea or tick infestation by calling us to treat your lawn.
Call Greener Lawnscapes today at (979) 705-9545. We know how to properly treat your lawn to prevent an infestation, which will keep your family, pets, and yard healthy.