How To Get Rid Of Ticks In Your Home In College Park, MD
Ticks are certainly not the kind of bugs you want around your home. They are not only a danger to your pets and animals but also to you. This is because they are carriers of Lyme disease, which is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S.A. Reports on this disease are over 30,000 cases every year. While this may be scary, there are measures you can employ for a tick-free home in Prince George’s County.
As a College Park, Maryland resident, below are some of the measures you might consider putting in place:
#1: Tick control tubes
Biodiversity may just be what you need to help you deal with a tick problem. Depending on the size of your yard, experts can help you know how to space out the control tubes for maximum effect. Knowing areas that are prone to tick breeding and infestation will also help greatly in targeting these bugs.
White-footed mice are actually the vermin that infect ticks with the bacteria that causes disease. Placing tick control tubes around your yard—which are stuffed with cotton that contains the insecticide permethrin—can kill ticks and keep them away. How? Mice (yes, they almost always exist near your landscape) will steal the treated cotton and use it as nesting material, preventing an infestation. Lay down these biodegradable tubes in July or August, and then again the following May. Read more from Prevention.com…
It is important to be careful after going around your home placing the control tubes. Since these are tick breeding areas, the bugs may attach themselves to your clothes or skin. Bathing and washing your clothes using soap after outdoor activities will eliminate your chances of being a tick carrier.
#2: Physical Barrier
Ticks are known to breed in grassy areas and forests. Having a physical barrier may be an effective way to keep them out. You may need to know the best material to use to construct a barrier. The barrier material can also be treated with tick repellent for maximum effect.
If you live at the edge of the woods and want to keep your yard as tick-free as possible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends creating a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and any wooded areas. This can prevent the ticks from migrating into residential areas. Read more from Health.com…
You may also choose to clear out long grass near the wooden areas or along your yard perimeter and ensure that the leaves are composted. If you have an outdoor garden, be sure to maintain it in such a way as to prevent it from harboring ticks. Bear in mind that keeping your lawn landscaped also helps prevent ticks.
#3: Pesticide spray
Experts have come up with various pesticides to help in tick control. Spraying your compound from time to time will help greatly in reducing the chances of tick breeding. Ticks are found to breed better in summer, so you may need to spray more frequently in summer than in winter.
You can spray areas in your yard with a pesticide that contains bifenthrin (the gold-standard chemical for tick control) yourself, but a licensed pest control pro will know exactly when to spray (sometimes, in early spring, summer, and fall) and where. You typically at least want to spray along the perimeter of your yard, but you may want to coat just about everywhere, depending on where you live Read more from Womens Health Mag…
Pesticides can also be sprayed on your animals and pets. If you have a pet that loves the outdoors, you may need to be keen as they could easily bring ticks indoors. Caring for your animals will increase their comfort by preventing the itchiness caused by ticks. Ticks are also known to destroy animal hides, reducing their quality.
Having adequate knowledge about ticks will help a great deal when it comes to eliminating them. For example, you need to know their breeding spots, favorable weather, and how they spread disease. Clearly, ticks can be a nuisance, but knowing how to handle them will give you the upper hand, keeping your home free from diseases.
If you come across these stubborn bugs, get professional help. Backyard Bug Patrol has just the experience necessary to keep your home pest-free. Call us today for tick control services.