Protect your family from ticks

With the news encouraging everyone to stay home, many (including pets) in the Omaha metro are spending more time in the backyard enjoying the return of warm weather. Paradise Lawns loves to help our clients achieve healthy, lush lawns. We also strive to educate and protect people from potential backyard risks, even when they aren’t making front page news. We are talking about ticks. Knowledge is key to staying safe, so let’s find out more about these common parasites and learn what can be done to prevent them and keep you safe this summer.

A real threat to Omaha lawns

Depending on where you live, ticks are known to transmit a large number of illnesses and diseases such as: 

•       Lyme disease
•       Powassan virus
•       Rocky Mountain Spotted fever
•       Anaplasmosis
•       Babesiosis
•       Tularemia
•       STARI
•       Ehrlichiosis 
•       Heartland virus
•       Red Meat allergy

You may be wondering how ticks can be associated with so many different diseases. The answer lies in the fact that ticks are parasitic. They need blood from a host to survive. If the host has one of the above conditions, the tick will be exposed through infected, ingested blood. The condition is then passed to the next animal or person through the saliva the tick secretes as it embeds itself to access the blood of the next point of contact. 

The Life of a Tick

Ticks go through four life stages over the course of 3 years: 

• Egg
• Six-Legged Larva
• Eight-Legged nymph
• Adult

At each stage, they need to feed from a host to survive.  It is during any of these stages that they may encounter a diseased host and later transmit the illness.   

 

What You Can Do

According to the CDC, “ticks can’t fly or jump, but many tick species wait in a position known as ‘questing’. While questing, ticks hold onto leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold the first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb on to the host.” 

Be extra diligent if your property has a wildlife feature that is mowed infrequently. Sometimes ticks hitch rides on wildlife that enters your yard (squirrels or rabbits for example), so anytime you are outside, it is a good idea to check for ticks after. 

Don’t panic! It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours for a tick to find a suitable spot to feed, so you can often remove ticks before they have embedded their feeding tube (head). If it has not attached itself, you are not at risk for disease. So, taking preventative measures like conducting a thorough tick check; showering; or using a sticky lint roller over your clothing and skin immediately after being outside can help reduce your chance of exposure greatly.

If you find a tick after it has attached itself, remove it with a sterile, sharp tweezers and then treat the spot with rubbing alcohol.  “Do not try to remove them with alcohol, essential oils, or open flames. Using these methods may cause the tick to “vomit” into you, increasing the chances of disease transmission.“

There are many different types of ticks. So, if you remove a tick, save it in an airtight container for identification purposes. TickSpotters.org can help you figure out what type of tick you have encountered, and the risks associated with each species. The CDC also has a geographical map showing which types are most prevalent in your area.

 

Your Omaha lawn forecast this summer

Pests.org predicts an above average threat level for summer 2020 with warmer weather conditions predicted, meaning we will potentially have ticks around longer than average.

Keep your family safe this summer with organic Omaha lawn care

Paradise Lawns wants you to feel safe and comfortable in your yard, so we offer Ant, Flea & Tick Control using an all-natural insect control product made with 100% organic ingredients. By applying a blanket liquid application every 4-6 weeks for a total of 5 applications, you can have peace-of-mind all summer long. The spray also continues to provide residual repellent control in addition to initial contact control. 

Non-toxic tick control solutions mean no waiting period to use your lawn. It is safe for you and your pets to enjoy your yard immediately after a treatment / application. It also means that neighborhood wildlife known for consuming ticks such as opossums, turkeys, and ducks, won’t face chemical ingestion threats.

As a bonus, our product not only eliminates ticks, but also controls mosquitoes, fleas, gnats, ants, aphids, millipedes, mites, spiders and other nuisance insects. We all need one less thing to worry about these days, so call Paradise Lawns today 402-612-1527 or click here to discuss how you can enjoy your summer while keeping your family safe and tick-free.