The late fall is a time of the year to enjoy the outdoors after a long, hot, and humid summer. Florida is a blessing and a curse; we have plenty of sunshine and long stretches of hot weather that enable us to maximize our fun in the sun. However, the humid, warm Florida air provides an incubator for insects like ticks.
If ticks on your property are causing you problems, if they are on your clothing, and worse, attached to your body, you need the Fort Myers pest control team from Stat Pest Control. Our technicians arrive quickly to solve your pest problem when you call for help.
Characteristics Of Common Ticks
There are about 90 tick species in the United States and about six types of ticks in Fort Myers. Ticks range in color from shades of brown to black, depending on the species. Ticks are not insects but are arachnids and are, therefore, related to spiders. Thus, the characteristics of ticks are similar to those of a spider and include the following:
- Ticks have four pairs of legs with short, spiny hairs and claws at the end. The tiny feet help the ticks hold onto grass, leaves, and other vegetation as they await a host; they enable the tick to stay on the host once attached.
- They are non-segmented, small, and have a relatively flat body. Although ticks are arachnids like spiders, they do not have a two-segmented body like the spider.
- Ticks have a small, hard or soft body. Ticks with a hard shell have a scutum covering part of their back, and most hard-shelled ticks have a series of bumpy ridges along the back known as festoons.
- Ticks do not have wings. Like other arachnids, ticks cannot fly; instead, they crawl onto potential hosts as they travel nearby.
- Ticks draw blood from their host. Ticks pierce and extract blood using two chelicerae to cut into the skin, and a needle-like part, known as a hypostome, withdraws the blood.
- They shed their exoskeleton to grow (molting).
These are the general characteristics of the species of ticks in Fort Myers.
The Dangerous Diseases Ticks Are Known To Spread
When a tick attaches to its host using its tiny claws, it uses the chelicerae to pierce the skin. Next, the tick injects a cement-like substance to anchor the needle-like hypostome into the skin. The saliva glands produce this hardening substance; they also create and inject an anesthetic into the skin, so the host does not feel the bite. Thus, diseases spread from the tick to the host through saliva.
In 2019 a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that ticks were responsible for 50,865 disease cases in the United States. The following are diseases some tick bites in Fort Myers can spread:
- Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks): Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, B. miyamotoidisease (a form of relapsing fever), ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus
- Lone star ticks: Ehrlichiosis, tularemia, heartland virus, bourbon virus, and southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)
- American dog ticks: Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Gulf Coast ticks: Rickettsia parkeri
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), common symptoms from tick bites are fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, headaches, and rashes. Not every tick bite results in disease, but some do. For example, the blacklegged tick (or deer tick) spreads Lyme disease affecting the nervous system, heart, and joints.
Ticks are not fast feeders; it takes up to 36 hours for a tick to transmit disease. So, you should remove ticks using tweezers to pull out its head from the skin as quickly as you find them on your body.
Five No-Nonsense Tick Prevention Tips For Around Your Yard
Tick control is possible around your Fort Myers property. Here are five easy ways to prevent a tick infestation:
- Maintain a mowed lawn
- Remove leaf piles
- Trim shrubs
- Create a barrier between your property and nearby woods
- Keep outdoor garbage cans closed
Natural tick prevention involves maintaining a clean and sanitary lawn. Rodents and other animals bring ticks onto properties; removing incentives to come into your yard will limit your exposure to ticks.
Professional Pest Control Is The Best Tick Control
Stat Pest Control is your pest control company in Fort Myers. When you schedule your visit, our technicians inspect your property to determine tick hot spots, attractants, and nesting locations. Once we gather information, we will create a custom strategy to treat the area with environmentally safe products to eliminate the ticks. Contact us today to get your free estimate.
