Spring is finally coming. We’ve been waiting all winter long, daydreaming about warmer days. Spring is the time of year when we get to start enjoying our backyard again. We can enjoy having BBQ’s, playing fun games with our family, and so much more. Unfortunately, warm weather won’t be the only thing returning—ticks will be making their return to your backyard as well. It’s important that homeowners know what to look for when it comes to ticks as well as the risks they pose to families.
Ticks are usually flat and oval shaped, except after feeding when they become larger and more rounded in shape. They are fairly small, about 1/8 of an inch long which means they aren’t always easy to spot. Ticks have the potential to be very dangerous…when they feed they can spread a variety of diseases to humans (and pets). They can transfer diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and Lyme disease. Most common to Maine is Lyme disease, an inflammatory illness that can cause very serious medical issues later in life such as cardiac disorders, arthritis, and neurological problems. Since 1986, thousands of cases of Lyme disease have been documented in Maine, the majority were reported in Southern Maine. If a tick is removed and treated within 24-48 hours infection can be prevented. More serious illnesses can potentially be prevented if treatment is started early after diagnosis. The bad part is that early detection is rare because tick bites often go unnoticed.
The only real do-it-yourself solution to prevent a tick bite is to eliminate any hiding spots on your property. You can do this by cutting back grass, bushes, and trees, moving wood piles away from the home, and clean up wooded areas. You should also be sure to carefully check family members and pets to make sure no ticks have latched onto skin or onto clothing after spending time outside. Have someone check you, too. While these important steps will help, the best way to be sure that your property is protected against ticks is to contact your local pest control company. For residents of South Portland, Big Blue Bug Solutions is the place to call with your tick problems.
Big Blue Bug Solutions offers a highly effective tick control plan so you can enjoy the upcoming spring. We want to help you take back your backyard by implementing tick control strategies that include: the identification of areas that develop and harbor ticks; the reduction of breeding sites; and larvae control. By combining all of these together, our pest control professionals can reduce tick populations by up to 90% all throughout the tick season. We provide the options of one-time treatments as well as season-long coverage. Here at Big Blue Bug Solutions, we want to make your backyard safe again.