There are pests that seek out your home for shelter and warmth, or even come for your food, and then there are pests that are looking specifically for you or your pets. Ticks are external parasites that feed on both your and your pet’s blood for their food source. These pests and the dangers they pose have increased significantly within the past few years. The number of reported tick bites in the United States is growing in number, as well as tick-borne illnesses. It’s extremely important for pet owners to prepare for tick season in Denton, and to start doing so now.
Two types of ticks are the most commonly seen in Denton, Texas; deer ticks, or black-legged ticks, and lone star ticks. For information on how you can distinguish between these two types, take a look at our tick page in our pest library. Deer ticks can be carriers of Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, while lone star ticks have been known to spread diseases such as tularemia and ehrlichiosis.
While the number of Lyme disease cases is lower in Texas than in other states, it appears the range is expanding, which means Lyme disease is a growing concern in our state. Most of the cases seem to be within the triangle of Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Given our fairly close proximity, this means Denton is also at risk, and the range is only going to expand.
Preparing Your Home and Property for Pest Season
Now is the time to prepare for tick season, before the weather begins to warm up and ticks become increasingly active. According to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, the season for ticks can potentially be year-round. Adults are capable of remaining active through the fall and the winter, while nymphs are active in the spring and summer. There’s no time like the present to take action against ticks.
There are a few steps you can put in place to prepare your property and protect your pets. Here’s what you can do:
- Make sure to clean up debris around your yard, including leaves, trimmings, and other piles that could easily hide ticks.
- Trim grass! Ticks especially like tall grass. They cannot jump or run, so they will climb up a blade of long grass and dangle off, reaching their legs out to latch on to any sufficient host that passes by. When your pet walks by, ticks happily land right where they want to be.
- Talk with your vet. Your veterinarian can recommend appropriate flea and tick protection for your pets.
- Permethrin sprays. Permethrin sprays can be sprayed on pet owner’s shoes in hopes of bringing fewer ticks inside the house.
- Contact professional pest control.
- Securing Professional Help
Adams Exterminator, a tick control company in Denton, can help you protect your yard from ticks. If you live in Denton and are concerned about ticks in your yard, we’re here to help. We want to keep you and your pets safe.
Our professionals will use their knowledge and expertise to reduce tick activity. We offer different levels of services for your home: Home Guardian and Home Guardian+. Contact us to learn more about our programs and how we can help you.