Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transferred to humans through the bite of a deer tick and is the most common disease in the United States caused from a bug bite.
Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are growing in big numbers throughout the United States, due to tick larvae attaching themselves to birds and other animals. Bird-borne ticks thus create the possibility of infectious tick bites almost anywhere in America.
Where You’ll Find Infected Ticks
Ticks are often found in wooded or grassy areas. This puts anyone that loves the great outdoors at risk, particularly those who like to hike, hunt, or go camping, as well as children, pets, and people who work in tick-prone locations.
How Humans and Animals Contract Lyme Disease
For you or your pet to contract Lyme disease, you would need to have been bitten by an infected deer tick.
This can only happen when a tick attaches itself to you or your pet. Ticks don’t jump or fly; instead, they live in low growing grasses or plants and wait for a host (human or animal) to pass by. When you or your pet brush past the plant, the tick will cling to clothing or fur, before crawling around looking for a place to attach itself and start feeding.
Once the tick has bitten, bacteria enters the skin and eventually makes its way into the bloodstream. In most cases, it takes around 36 to 48 hours of attachment for Lyme disease to be transmitted, so if you discover an attached tick, it’s important to carefully extract it as soon as possible.
If the tick looks swollen, it may have been feeding for a long enough time to transmit bacteria, which is why it’s so important to take the correct precautions if you or your pet have been in tick-prone areas.
Preventing Lyme Disease
The best way to prevent lyme disease is to avoid getting bit by a tick. This includes;
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- Wearing appropriate clothing (closed-toe shoes, long-sleeved apparel)
- Pulling socks over pant legs when outdoors
- Using insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin
- Reducing tick habitat around your property (keeping grass cut)
- Treating your property with tick spray by The Mosquito Guy
Our team of licensed and trained tick control experts can protect your family from the risk of Lyme disease, by treating your property with tick barrier protection.Talk to us today about our tick control and mosquito control service.