How To Protect Your Bradenton Property From Dangerous Ticks
11/6/2021
There are some pests that you only expect to encounter in dense, wooded forests and expansive fields, but they're a lot more common around neighborhoods than you might think. Finding a tick infestation on your Bradenton property can be as confusing as it is scary. While they're usually classified under occasional invaders, it just depends on the amount of wildlife you have around your neighborhood. After all, they have to invade somehow, and their range of mobility is severely limited.
Ticks Commonly Found In Bradenton Neighborhoods
While there are nearly 100 different species of ticks within the United States alone, there are only two that pose a significant threat to the residents of Bradenton – dog ticks and deer ticks. They're both tiny arachnids, between 1/8 to 3/16th of an inch long, and they both have flat teardrop-shaped bodies. The main difference in appearance is their coloration, as dog ticks are more of a dark brown with yellow markings, and deer ticks are reddish-brown with a dark-colored circle behind their heads, also known as a scutum.
Ticks are parasitic creatures that feed off of mammals and birds to survive, which wouldn't be so bad on its own if they didn't also become vectors of disease in the process. Ticks aren't born with diseases, so not all of them are carriers, but if they feed off of the wrong host, they can pick up all sorts of nasty pathogens:
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Lyme Disease
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Babesiosis
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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
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Ehrlichiosis
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Anaplasmosis
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Tularemia
How Ticks Infest Bradenton Neighborhoods, And How To Prevent Them
On their own, ticks possess a relatively limited range of mobility. They can't fly or jump, and they move very slowly, so their only method of travel is their hosts. Ticks feed off of all kinds of wildlife – birds, squirrels, raccoons, rats, mice, deer, and wild cats and dogs, to name a few. You can't exactly prevent squirrels and birds from hopping around your Bradenton property, but if you have a sizable tick infestation, then you probably have a wildlife infestation as well. Not to worry though, there are plenty of things you can do to make your property less inviting to wildlife:
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Keep tight-fitting lids on all indoor and outdoor trash cans
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Don't leave open food or drink sitting outside
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Remove any dense underbrush from around the perimeter of your property
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Mow your lawn weekly
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Remove any brush and debris piles from your lawn
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Repair any holes and cracks around the exterior of your home
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Fill in any ground holes around your property
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Address moisture problems around the interior and exterior of your home
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Keep food stored in airtight containers
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Trim back low-hanging tree limbs and unruly shrubs
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Always check yourself and your pets for ticks after spending time in hotspots like overgrown fields and wooded areas
How To Eradicate A Tick Infestation On Your Bradenton Property
Ticks aren't just dangerous, they're tenacious and difficult to exterminate, and dog ticks are especially tough because they can actually live inside of homes. While prevention reduces your chances, it's not completely fool-proof against pests, and pests like ticks are far too dangerous to attempt exterminating on your own. Your best bet is to call in the professionals, like Keller's Pest Control.
At Keller's, we guarantee fast and effective pest control with our treatments every single time. Our pest experts are prompt, friendly, and thorough, and we always use the highest quality pest control products available. You work too hard for your money to waste it on pest control that doesn't work, and you deserve the dependable, affordable, and effective services you need. So get in contact with us today, and enjoy that sweet breath of pest-free relief.
