Lyme Disease Awareness Month

For more than 250,000 Americans, the bite of a deer tick meant the start of a life changing disease.  Record warm temperatures and a decrease in the food supply for the deer ticks that carry the disease mean a surge in Lyme disease cases this year, according to Lyme experts.

Mosquito Squad, the country’s largest tick elimination firm, (www.mosquitosquad.com) is on watch and has six tips to help homeowners tick-proof their yards.

“There is no doubt that ticks present a threat to the health of Americans, their families and even their pets, due to the movement and rise in the deer tick population,” said Boyd Huneycutt, vice president of Mosquito Squad, and the company’s resident tick expert.  “We urge everyone to control the factors they can, and check themselves thoroughly when in areas that can house tick populations.”

6 Cs to Tick-Proof Your Yard

Huneycutt recommends the following steps for tick-proof yards:

1.       Clear out.  Reduce your tick exposure through clearing out areas and strategic landscaping.  Ticks thrive in moist, shady areas and tend to die in sunny, dry areas. Locate compost piles away from play areas or high traffic.  Separate them with wood chips or gravel. Don’t position playground equipment, decks and patios near treed areas. 

2.      Clean.  Eliminate leaf litter and brush by cleaning it up around the house and lawn edges, mow tall grasses and keep the lawn short.

3.      Choose Plants.  Use plants and shrubs that are not attractive to deer and/or install physical barriers to keep deer out of your yard.  Check with your local nursery to determine the best choices for your area.

4.      Call in the Pros:  Professionals utilize barrier sprays that can kill live ticks on the spot and “tick tubes”.  Strategically placed “tick” tubes, prompt field mice to incorporate tick-killing material in their bedding, effectively eliminating hundreds of tick nymphs found in each mouse nest.

5.      Check the hiding places: Know tick hiding places and check them frequently. Fences, brick walls and patio retaining walls are popular hiding places. 

6.      Care for family pets.  Family pets can suffer from tick-borne disease and also carry infected ticks into the home. Talk to your veterinarian about using tick collars and sprays. As with all pest control products, be sure to follow directions carefully.

 Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Each year, more than 30,000 Americans contract Lyme disease, an illness than can have lifelong effects including arthritis, fatigue and even neurological deficits.  Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged, or deer ticks.