How Fall Wildlife Problems Bring Tick Infestations

With fall not far off, rodents and other wild creatures are being pushed into residential areas as they search for a good place to stay sheltered and warm during the colder months of the year. As these warm-blooded creatures rush past thick brush and scurry into our neighborhoods, they often pick up ticks, bringing them along into our yards and homes.

While people seem to think that tick season covers most of the summer, then starts dying off as fall begins, some ticks—such as the black-legged or “deer” tick—are just getting started. Unlike a lot of other parasites, ticks are not able to jump or fly. Instead, these clever little bloodsuckers wait in thick foliage or along fence lines for any mammal to walk by. Then, as that deer, dog, or even human brushes past their hiding spot, they quickly climb onto that host and find a place to latch on and start feeding. Female ticks commonly choose to lay their eggs in leaf litter and dry brush, meaning that when those eggs hatch, they are already in a good hiding spot to wait for a warm-blooded host. The thicker the vegetation around your home, the more likely it is that you or your pet will come into contact with ticks.

Pets that are let outside often are prone to pick up ticks that other pests brought into your yard, and will then bring those ticks from your yard into your home. Ticks also hitchhike on shoes or clothing and will then move on to an area where skin is exposed before starting to feed.

A few tips to remember when attempting to reduce the number of ticks that get into your yard include keeping your lawn neatly trimmed, removing hiding spots for ticks (such as leaf piles or thick brush), wearing long sleeves in heavily wooded areas, and cutting back any wooded areas near your home.

Ticks are often quite difficult to get rid of, due to the fact that wild animals are the reason they are brought into residential areas. Because of this, professional pest control is your best option. Russell’s Pest Control offers seasonal tick control services when ticks are most active. We have several different pest control plans, including Power, Power Gold, and Power Plus protection, which all protect you and your home from 30+ common pests. Contact Russell’s Pest Control for more information or to request your free estimate.