Take The Bite Out Of Ticks!

Let's have a frank and honest conversation about tick-related disease in Virginia. There are a lot of opinions floating around. Some say ticks in Virginia are worse than in any other state in the country, and that Lyme disease is rampant. Others say, "I've been bit by ticks for years and never had no Lyme disease." So, which is it? Are ticks in Virginia the things of nightmares or are they as harmless as some people think? The answer is both.

 Harmless

Can you get bitten by a tick and have no effects at all? Yes. Not all ticks carry disease, and some ticks don't spread disease to humans until they are adults. So, if you're deathly afraid of taking a walk in the woods, you shouldn't be--especially if you take these precautions:

Check for ticks when you come in from outside. Most tick-borne disease requires more than 3 hours to enter your system and some can be as much as 24 hours. If you catch ticks early, you may be able to pull them off with no harmful effects.

If you want to take additional precaution, you can tuck your pant legs into your socks. Ticks don't drop from the trees. They always climb up. That means tucking those pant legs in will help you to see those ticks before they climb high enough to bite you. It also helps to wear bright colored pants so you can clearly see them. Ticks are small.

What about Lyme disease? Don't ticks spread Lyme disease? Yes. But if you take the above precaution, you can lower your chances of being bit by a tick that could from transmit it to you. Lyme disease takes 24-48 hours to be transmitted.

The Things Of Nightmares

There are several nasty diseases that ticks can give to humans, and all of them can be contracted in Virginia. If you live in Northern Virginia, up near D.C., the CDC charts you as a high risk for contracting Lyme disease. The reason is that deer ticks are primarily responsible for spreading this life-altering disease, and they are more abundant in the North.

It is also important to know that deer ticks can hitch a ride on birds. This gives them the mobility to go all the way from Connecticut to Florida. If you live on the East Coast, there is no safe place to hide from Lyme disease.

What can we learn?

Ticks spread disease, but you can prevent it. Protect yourself when you go into the woods, and control the tick presence in your yard by getting a tick treatment for your yard. The fewer ticks you have in your yard, the less you have to worry about being bitten.

As with most diseases and pest issues, prevention is the key. Here at American Pest of Northern Virginia, we care about you knowing the facts. We also know that with the proper prevention and precautions your exposure to ticks can be lessened. Contact us today to discuss all the advantages of a year round home pest service plans.