Everything You Need to Know About Fleas and Ticks

Summer is in full swing here in Wisconsin! That means warmer days, longer nights, and lots of fun in your backyard. Whether it’s family time you are enjoying or relaxing on your patio, the last thing you want to deal with is annoying, harmful insects that wreak havoc not just on you but on your beloved pet. Fleas and ticks have another agenda, however, and that is to find a nice meal they can munch on irritating your furball friends and you. How can you help stop these opportunistic moochers?

First, you need to learn how to identify them. Know what they look like, where they live, and what attracts them to your backyard. Here is everything you wanted to know about fleas and ticks and ways to prevent them from ruining your outdoor fun.

How to Identify Fleas and Ticks

Flea Identification

Both fleas and ticks are tiny creatures and hard to see unless you get one on you. Fleas are reddish-brown, wingless, with narrow bodies no bigger than 1/6 of an inch long. They are thin and flat with hair and have six long legs. Their flat bodies allow for easy movement while the hair enables them to cling to their host, primarily your beloved fur animals. 

Tick Identification

Ticks are flat and oval in appearance with no wings. They come in a variety of colors, including grayish-white, brown, black, reddish-brown, or yellowish. Adult ticks have eight legs, but tick larvae have six. Once they become an adult, they are approximately the size of a pencil eraser. Ticks are capable of biting at all four of their active life stages: egg, larval, nymph, and adult.

Where Do Fleas and Ticks Hide?

The best way to avoid them is to stay away from or be cautious in areas where they live. Fleas and ticks love shady areas of your yard. This can be under trees, hedgerows, and especially under decks and porches where pets like to hide. If you live in the country, ticks are prone to hang out in tall grass or overgrown areas where they wait for deer or unaware humans to pass by.

While ticks prefer the taste of deer and human blood, fleas would much rather attack your pets than you. But once they get on your pet and are brought indoors, they can quickly become a problem. A female flea can lay up to fifty eggs a day for six months. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder an infestation can quickly occur. Once inside, fleas are tough to get rid of and may require professional help.

Dangers From Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks may seem small and harmless, but they can drive your pets crazy and can cause allergic reactions in humans. They can also carry diseases that can affect both pets and owners. 

Ticks

Ticks can carry Lyme disease, which causes rashes, joint pain, chills, fever, and fatigue. They are also known to carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can cause fever, nausea, conjunctivitis, joint pain, and muscle pain.

Fleas

Fleas are known to cause allergies, tapeworm, and Murine Typhus, which fleas contract from infected rats. Symptoms include body aches, fever, and nausea.

Tips on How to Keep Your Yard Safe From Fleas and Ticks Keep Grass Short

Ticks hide in the tall grass, waiting for unsuspecting deer and other animals to pass by. Consider mowing any tall lawn in your yard, primarily if children and pets frequent it. By cutting

tall grass, you eliminate the desirable shady areas fleas and ticks prefer, forcing them to move out and go elsewhere.

Trim Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs can harbor many insects that can invade your home, including fleas and ticks. When trees are too close to the house, they can use the limbs as bridges to enter your home. That’s why it’s important to keep your trees trimmed and make sure no branches are touching the house.

For Fleas Specifically, Keep the Yard Clean

A clean, clear yard is an effective way of preventing fleas. This includes keeping the grass cut, the trees and shrubs trimmed, and the landscape beds clean. In doing these things, you eliminate hiding places for fleas, which will drive them away from your lawn.

You will also want to keep your yard clean and clear of anything that will bring other flea-carrying critters anywhere near your home (raccoons, deer, feral cats, etc.) This includes keeping the trash in bags and cans, leaving the grill covered, and never leaving any loose food sources out. 

Block High-Risk Areas

If you have curious pets or adventurous children who like to wander into tall grass or hide under porches, where fleas and ticks dwell, you might consider blocking them.

Call The Flea and Tick Experts

You might not have control over biting insects in parks and other recreational areas but you do have control in your own yard. Before mosquitos start giving you and your family problems, call the experts at Buzz Off Mosquito Control Solutions. We have a variety of pest control services including mosquito, fly, and flea & tick control services. We offer our mosquito control service to both residential and commercial customers.

Give us a call at (715) 281-3289 or send us a short message here. Don’t forget to follow our monthly blog for the best mosquito control tips in Wisconsin.