Let’s Talk Ticks

Let’s Talk Ticks

by Rob Kennedy, Jaxtimer Landscaping, LLC Operations Manager and Kristin Gayle, Marketing Coordinator

 

Early Spring is the beginning of tick season here in New England. With tick-borne diseases on the rise, it’s important to learn about ticks in your region and the diseases they can carry. Tick-borne diseases can be very severe and even life threatening. Taking the right steps to avoid tick bites will protect you and your family while enjoying the outdoors.

Cape Cod inhabits 3 types of ticks; the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick, the American dog tick and the lone star tick. Deer ticks can transmit pathogens that cause lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and relapsing fever. Dog ticks can transmit the pathogens that cause tularemia and rock mountain spotted fever. The lone star tick can transmit the pathogens that cause ehrlichiosis, stari and tularemia.

The most important step that can be taken to prevent Lyme disease (and other diseases) is to check your body for ticks every day after coming in from brushy or wooded areas. Before heading outside, apply an insect repellent containing DEET on your skin and products containing permethrin for your clothing. Also, when walking in wooded areas, wear long-sleeved light colored shirts and long pants tucked into socks.

If you find a tick on your body, you want to remove it right away. Use pointed tweezers,  grasp the tick by the head and pull straight up. After removal, store the tick in a plastic bag and date it. This will allow you to ID the tick and then send it off for testing if needed.

To learn more about tick-borne diseases and how to protect yourself and your family, visit Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. This program serves as a resource for accurate, unbiased information on pest management and on the prevention and education of tick-borne illnesses.

https://www.capecodextension.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/All-About-Tick-Infograph-8.29.2017-1.pdf

Jaxtimer Landscaping, LLC takes preventative steps to eliminate tick habitats around our client’s properties by keeping grass short, removing weeded areas, disposing of leaf litter and brush debris that cause moisture, trimming trees, graveling and mulching the perimeter of the property, and more.

We also offer tick and mosquito sprays to help keep the ticks and mosquitoes away. We have already priced all of our landscape client’s properties for this service. Please contact your account manager if you are interested in this service.