There's just no nice way to say it. Fleas and ticks are parasites with a taste for human blood. They'll work on your pets too, of course, if you and your family aren't handy. These tiny insects survive by taking the blood of their hosts through their piercing, sucking mouth parts. This is usually painful and always uncomfortable, which makes these buggers bad enough. But sometimes, they give something back in the form of dangerous infectious diseases.
Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged or deer tick has four life stages. Shown here are the larva, nymph, and both adult sexes. This insect is a carrier of the often debilitating Lyme Disease.
Where They Are
Ticks are usually associated with tress and wooded areas, but can be carried by woodland hosts a good distance from their natural home.
As long as an appropriate host or carrier is handy, ticks can find their way onto your property even when there are no wooded areas nearby. Fleas are especially difficult because they can survive a long time separated from a host. They can lay waiting in the grass or carpets patiently for their next host. Also, their eggs, which can be found in animal pen litter, carpets, and even the cracks in hardwood floors, are not affected by control materials. Controlling an active flea infestation requires several complete efforts, inside and outside at the same time.
Treating The Problem Is A Problem
Neither indoor nor outdoor treatments alone will solve a flea problem, since the fleas will simply migrate from one to the other after the control period. And the process needs to be repeated, since flea eggs are not controlled. Even when you treat the lawn, the house and the pets in the proper sequence, it’s not a permanent fix. If your pet picks up new fleas, the whole process can begin again. On the other hand, efforts to prevent flea and tick problems can be done outdoors through repeated lawn treatment, as well as treatment of property perimeter and foundation areas. Any stray parasites that happen on to your property can be managed through regular lawn and tree care.
Protecting Your Family
Because these insects are more than a simple aggravation, you should react quickly if you suspect or know you have either fleas or ticks on or around your property.
Remember:
- Fleas and ticks can consume many times their own weight in blood taken from their host.
- Both types of insects can carry and transmit a variety of diseases when they puncture the skin.
- Control of fleas must be a comprehensive effort: inside, outside and on pets.
- Because eggs are not affected by controls, repeated lawn treatments are always needed for complete control.
Contact your neighborhood Spring-Green lawn care professional for more information.
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