Are you tired of sharing your Charlotte, North Carolina, backyard with ticks? If you are, you are not alone. No one enjoys sharing their outdoor space with biting ticks. If you need help understanding why ticks have moved into your backyard and want some helpful prevention and control strategies, ProForce Pest Control is here to help. Ticks are unpleasant Charlotte pests, and we understand that ridding your outdoor space of them will make it easier for you and your family to enjoy your backyard.
Continue reading to learn about ticks and effective pest control in Charlotte.
Common Types Of Ticks: Identification And Characteristics
Ticks are a type of arachnid. Like other arachnids (mites, spiders, and scorpions), adult ticks have eight legs, two body segments (cephalothorax and abdomen), and lack wings and antennae. Before consuming a meal, ticks have a flattened, teardrop shape, but their body swells and becomes more rounded after feeding.
Many species of ticks call the United States home; in our region, four species are most prevalent:
American tick
Brown dog tick
Lone Star tick
Black-legged (deer) tick
The tick's small size can make identifying the exact species tricky. If ticks have become a problem on your property, contact ProForce Pest Control. We will act quickly, and our professionals will identify the species present and perform effective tick removal and control services to control their populations.
Top Tick-Borne Diseases: Warning Signs To Watch For
Ticks are dangerous because of the various diseases they spread through their feeding process. One of the most well-known tick-borne diseases is Lyme disease, spread by the black-legged tick.
The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferiis the primary cause of Lyme disease.Symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, headache, and a unique skin rash. Between 70 and 80 percent of people infected with Lyme disease will develop a rash that resembles a round, pink bullseye with a scaly raised border. If Lyme disease is left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system and cause debilitating consequences.
Other diseases that different ticks in our region spread include ehrlichiosis, STARI, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They all have similar symptoms, including fever, chills, pain, and rashes.
If a tick ever bites you and starts to develop symptoms, immediately contact your healthcare professional.
Tick Prevention: Remedy Factors That Attract Ticks To Your Property
Ticks are difficult to control because they move with their animal hosts as they travel. The more attractive your property is to wildlife, the more likely ticks will also become a problem on your property. Wildlife, bird feeders, gardens, and outdoor eating areas provide reliable food sources for wild animals and cause them to move to and from your property regularly.
In addition to making your property less attractive to wildlife, you can make changes to its landscape to help reduce tick populations.
Our top tick prevention tips include:
Keeping your property’s grass cut short.
Stacking firewood away from your home’s exterior.
Removing piles of brush from your property.
Clearing back tall grass and vegetation from your property’s edge.
Raking up fallen leaves.
Keeping shrubs and bushes cut back from your home.
To make your property less attractive to the wildlife that introduces ticks to our properties, keep lids on trashcans, maintain garden areas, remove feeders, and keep outdoor eating areas free of leftover food.
Professional Tick Control Services: Stress-Free And Effective
Partnering with a professional to control ticks near your home and other pests that have found their way to your Charlotte property is the most effective and stress-free route to take. Professionals know the behaviors, preferred habitats, and best treatments to perform to control and eliminate ticks. ProForce Pest Control is here to help you meet all your pest control needs. Contact us today to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Charlotte.
Our certified pest experts will work with you to find the best solution for your needs. Simply fill out this form for a free, no-obligation estimate.