CONTROL TICKS: IDENTIFY AND KILL TICKS IN YOUR YARD
These tiny bloodsuckers can carry pathogens that transmit disease. Here’s how to keep them away.
There are hundreds of tick species worldwide, but only a small percentage of them make their home in the United States. Of these, four are most common: the deer tick (black-legged tick), American dog tick, brown dog tick, and lone star tick.
Why Some Ticks Are Dangerous
Some ticks can transmit pathogens that can lead to different types of diseases. Some of the most common diseases include:
- Lyme disease
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Not all ticks carry or are infected with a disease-causing pathogen. Sometimes the most problematic element of a tick bite is the swelling and pain it can cause at the bite site. A bite can also lead to a rash, blisters, and possibly a burning sensation. Bites that lead to infection could cause a person to have difficulty breathing as well as nausea, fever, chills, headaches, chills, and swollen lymph nodes.
Types of Ticks
Ticks have three life stages: larval, nymph, and adult. Each of these stages requires a blood meal. In some cases, a tick might take up to three days to complete its meal before it will detach from its host. Ticks are most often found near wooded or brush-filled areas. They can also be found in areas with lots of weeds or tall grasses, like meadows. Here's how to identify some of the most common types of ticks.
The deer tick is also known as the black-legged tick. This is the culprit that is associated with the transmission of pathogens that cause Lyme disease but can also spread babesiosis and anaplasmosis. The deer tick is found most commonly in deciduous forests through the Northeast, Southeast, and upper Midwest. There is also a western black-legged tick found along the Pacific coast. Deer ticks are primarily moved around by whitetail deer and tend to search for their hosts when temperatures are above freezing.
American dog tick
The American dog tick, also known as a wood tick, is found predominantly east of the Rocky Mountains. These ticks can transmit pathogens that cause tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They are most commonly found in grassy areas with little to no tree cover. Reddish-brown in color, the American dog tick is a well-known bane of dogs and can cause canine tick paralysis.
Brown dog tick
The brown dog tick is also sometimes called a wood tick. It is found worldwide and throughout the U.S. These ticks are known primarily for spreading Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but can also transmit pathogens that cause babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. As the name suggests, this tick is most commonly found on dogs. Unlike the American dog tick, the brown dog tick is able to complete its entire life cycle indoors and is usually the culprit when tick infestations occur inside your home.
Lone star tick
The lone star tick is primarily found in the eastern and southeastern United States. These are aggressive ticks, and the female has a prominent white dot (or lone star) on her back. Lone star ticks are commonly found in woodlands and other spots with dense undergrowth, particularly in areas where animals such as whitetail deer like to bed down. Their bites can be very irritating to people. They can transmit pathogens that lead to diseases like STARI (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness), ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, and tularemia.
Kill and Control Ticks
There are several things you can do to help guard against ticks.
Keep deer away. If you live in a rural area or your property is frequently visited by deer, you should consider using deer repellents or installing a fence to keep them off your property.
Protect yourself. When working outside or going for a hike, take precautions by wearing clothing that covers your arms and legs, and use proper repellents.
- Wear a long-sleeved, light-colored shirt.
- Wear long pants tucked into your socks.
- Use an EPA-approved personal repellent designed specifically for humans.
Protect yourself. When working outside in the yard or going for a hike, wear a long-sleeved, light-colored shirt and long pants tucked into your socks, and use an EPA-approved personal repellent designed specifically for humans. After being outside, check yourself from head to toe for ticks that may have found a bit of unprotected skin to latch onto.
Protect your pets. Ask your veterinarian about effective, pet-friendly tick-control treatments, and check your pets thoroughly for ticks after they've been outside.
Keep your yard tidy. Help prevent ticks from taking up residence in your lawn and landscape by keeping it well-maintained.
- Remove leaf and brush piles.
- Cut back tall grasses and weeds.
- Keep woodpiles stacked and dry.
- If you live next to a wooded area, create a 3-foot wide barrier between the tree line and your yard – mulch or gravel will work well.
Protect your yard. You can help keep ticks from taking up residence in your lawn, gardens and landscapes by cutting back tall grasses and weeds and treating with Ortho® Bugclear™ Insect Killer For Lawns & Landscapes Concentrate. Applied with a tank sprayer or the Ortho® Dial N' Spray® Hose End Sprayer, it kills within minutes and gives you 6 months of control against ticks. Another option is to treat your lawn with Ortho® BugClear™ Lawn Insect Killer₁. The granules kill ticks by contact and will provide 3 months of protection.
Create a tick barrier around your home. Add an extra layer of defense against ticks by treating doors, windows, and other entry points with Ortho® Home Defense Insect Killer For Indoor & Perimeter2 With Comfort Wand®. On non-porous indoor surfaces, it will protect against ticks and other common household pests for 12 months. Be sure to follow all label instructions.
If you do get bit by a tick and experience symptoms that include a bulls-eye rash, headache, fever, fatigue, or joint pain and stiffness, visit your healthcare provider immediately for evaluation and treatment.
Vipande vya Mti: Vipande vya Mti katika bustani yako: Vipande hivi vidogo vinavyochoma damu vinaweza kubeba vimelea vinavyosababisha magonjwa. Hapa ni jinsi ya kuwaweka mbali. Kuna mamia ya aina za chui duniani kote, lakini ni asilimia ndogo tu ya chui wanaishi Marekani. Kati ya hizo, nne ndizo za kawaida zaidi: chungu wa mwituni (chungu mwenye miguu meusi), chungu wa mbwa wa Marekani, chungu wa mbwa wa rangi ya kahawia, na chungu wa nyota ya upweke. Kwa nini chungu fulani ni hatari? chungu fulani wanaweza kueneza vimelea vinavyoweza kusababisha magonjwa mbalimbali. Baadhi ya magonjwa ya kawaida ni pamoja na: - ugonjwa wa Lyme - Rocky Mountain spotted homa Si vimelea vyote kubeba au wameambukizwa na ugonjwa-kufanya pathogen. Nyakati nyingine tatizo kubwa linalotokana na kuumwa na chungu ni uvimbe na maumivu ambayo huenda yakasababisha mahali ambapo chungu hicho kimekuma. Kuumwa pia kunaweza kusababisha mchochota, vidonda, na labda hisia ya kuchoma. Kuumwa na mtu kwa sababu ya ugonjwa huo kunaweza kumfanya mtu awe na matatizo ya kupumua, na pia awe na kichefuchefu, homa, baridi kali, maumivu ya kichwa, na kuvimba kwa tezi za limfu. Aina za Ticks Ticks zina hatua tatu za maisha: larva, nymph, na mtu mzima. Kila moja ya hatua hizi huhitaji chakula cha damu. Katika visa fulani, huenda chungu akachukua hadi siku tatu kukamilisha chakula chake kabla ya kujitenga na mwenyeji wake. Mara nyingi chungu hupatikana karibu na maeneo yenye miti au yenye vichaka. Pia zinaweza kupatikana katika maeneo yenye magugu mengi au nyasi ndefu, kama vile nyasi. Hapa kuna jinsi ya kutambua baadhi ya aina za vimelea zinazopatikana kwa kawaida. Mdudu huyo anaitwa pia mdudu mwenye miguu meusi. Hii ni sababu ya kuambukizwa kwa vimelea vinavyosababisha ugonjwa wa Lyme, lakini pia inaweza kueneza babesiosis na anaplasmosis. Mdudu huyo hupatikana kwa kawaida katika misitu ya majani yenye majani mengi katika maeneo ya Kaskazini-Mashariki, Kusini-Mashariki, na sehemu ya juu ya Midwest. Pia kuna chui mwenye miguu meusi wa magharibi anayepatikana kwenye pwani ya Pasifiki. Vipepeo wa mwituni husafirishwa hasa na mwituni mwenye mkia mweupe na huwa wanatafuta wenyeji wao wakati joto likiwa juu ya kiwango cha baridi. Tick ya mbwa wa Amerika (American dog tick) ni aina ya tick ya mbao inayopatikana katika maeneo ya mashariki ya milima ya Rocky. Vipepeo hao wanaweza kueneza vimelea vinavyosababisha tularemia, ehrlichiosis, na homa ya Rocky Mountain. Kwa kawaida hupatikana katika maeneo yenye nyasi ambayo hayana miti. Kwa sababu ya rangi yake ya kahawia-nyekundu, kaswende wa mbwa wa Marekani ni hatari sana kwa mbwa na anaweza kusababisha kupooza kwa kaswende wa mbwa. Nyakati nyingine chui wa mbwa wa rangi ya kahawia huitwa pia chui wa mbao. Inapatikana ulimwenguni pote na kotekote Marekani Vipepeo hawa wanajulikana hasa kwa kueneza homa ya Rocky Mountain, lakini pia wanaweza kueneza vimelea vinavyosababisha babesiosis na ehrlichiosis. Kama jina lake linavyodokeza, chawa huyo hupatikana kwa kawaida kwenye mbwa. Tofauti na tick ya mbwa wa Marekani, tick ya mbwa wa kahawia inaweza kukamilisha mzunguko wake wote wa maisha ndani ya nyumba na kwa kawaida ni mhalifu wakati infestations tick kutokea ndani ya nyumba yako. Tick ya nyota ya upweke Tick ya nyota ya upweke hupatikana hasa katika mashariki na kusini mashariki mwa Marekani. Hizi ni chungu zenye jeuri, na mwanamke ana nukta nyeupe iliyo wazi (au nyota ya upweke) mgongoni mwake. Vipepeo wa nyota pekee hupatikana katika misitu na maeneo mengine yenye misitu mikubwa, hasa katika maeneo ambapo wanyama kama vile nyati wa mkia mweupe hupenda kulala. Kuumwa kwao kunaweza kuwa chukizo sana kwa watu. Mimea hiyo inaweza kusambaza vimelea vinavyosababisha magonjwa kama vile STARI (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Disease), ehrlichiosis, virusi vya Heartland, na tularemia. Kuua na Kudhibiti Ticks Kuna mambo kadhaa unayoweza kufanya ili kusaidia kujilinda dhidi ya ticks. Weka nyati mbali. Ikiwa unaishi katika eneo la mashambani au mali yako hutembelewa mara nyingi na nyati, unapaswa kufikiria kutumia dawa za kuondoa nyati au kuweka uzio ili kuwazuia wasije kwenye mali yako. Jilinde mwenyewe. Wakati wa kufanya kazi nje au kwenda kwa hike, chukua tahadhari kwa kuvaa nguo zinazofunika mikono na miguu yako, na kutumia repellents sahihi. - Vaa shati lenye mikono mirefu na rangi nyangavu. - Vaa suruali ndefu zilizoingizwa ndani ya soksi zako. - Tumia dawa ya kujikinga iliyokubaliwa na EPA iliyoundwa hasa kwa ajili ya wanadamu. Jilinde mwenyewe. Wakati wa kufanya kazi nje katika bustani au kwenda kwa hike, kuvaa shati la mikono mirefu, la rangi nyepesi na suruali ndefu iliyofungwa kwenye soksi zako, na tumia kinga ya kibinafsi iliyokubaliwa na EPA iliyoundwa maalum kwa wanadamu. Baada ya kuwa nje, angalia mwenyewe kutoka kichwa hadi vidole vya miguu kwa ajili ya kuambukizwa kwamba inaweza kuwa kupatikana kidogo ya ngozi unprotected kwa latch juu. Walinde wanyama wako wa kufugwa. Uliza daktari wako wa mifugo juu ya matibabu bora ya kudhibiti kuvu na kuangalia wanyama wako kwa uangalifu baada ya kuwa nje. Weka bustani yako safi. Ili kuzuia vimelea kutoka kuhamia kwenye uwanja wako, fanya kazi ya kuhifadhi vizuri. - Ondoa majani na vichaka. - Kukata chini nyasi ndefu na magugu. - Weka rundo la mbao limewekwa juu ya rundo na kuwa kavu. Ikiwa unaishi karibu na eneo lenye miti, fanya kizuizi cha futi moja kati ya mstari wa miti na uwanja wako - mchanga au mchanga utafanya kazi vizuri. Linda bustani yako. Unaweza kusaidia kuzuia vimelea kutoka kwa kukaa katika lawn yako, bustani na mandhari kwa kukata nyasi ndefu na magugu na kutibu na Ortho Bug Clear Insect Killer kwa Lawns & Landscapes Concentrate. "Kutumia ""Ortho Dial N' Spray"" ni kuua ndani ya dakika na hutoa miezi sita ya udhibiti dhidi ya kuambukizwa." Njia nyingine ya kuondoa wadudu ni kutumia dawa ya Ortho Bug Cleaner. Granules huua vimelea kwa kuwasiliana na itatoa miezi mitatu ya ulinzi. Fanya kizuizi cha kuua chawa karibu na nyumba yako. Kuongeza safu ya ziada ya ulinzi dhidi ya kutu kwa kutibu milango, madirisha, na vitu vingine vya kuingia na Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer kwa ajili ya ndani na Perimeter 2 na Comfort Wand. Kwa upande mwingine, kwa uso wa ndani usio na madoa, italinda dhidi ya kuambukizwa na wadudu wengine wa kawaida wa nyumbani kwa miezi 12. Hakikisha unafuata maagizo yote yaliyo kwenye lebo. Ikiwa umenyongwa na chui na una dalili za ugonjwa kama vile maumivu ya macho, maumivu ya kichwa, homa, uchovu, au maumivu ya viungo, tembelea daktari wako mara moja kwa ajili ya tathmini na matibabu.