Mild Winter + Early Spring = Early Tick Season

Deer Tick

I am not one to complain about May temperatures in March. I love the warm weather, the smell of flowers in the air, the return of kids playing outside, the green grass and colorful landscapes (and its not bad for business either). But this warm weather comes at a price. It also means the early appearance of pesky gnats, mosquitoes, and most alarmingly... TICKS! With a house bordering woods, two dogs, a toddler who loves to play outside, a baby on the way, and a husband who continues to deal with residual effects of Lyme Disease 6 years after treatments, to say I loathe ticks is an understatement. In fact, I self admittedly suffer from acaraphobia - the fear of ticks.

So what is an acaraphobe like myself to do in what is predicted to be the worst tick season to date? The first thing I did was have our lawn care crew apply Allectus to our lawn and landscape, especially along the areas bordering the woods. Allectus is an EPA approved insecticide that is used to treat pests below soil surfaces, such as grubs, and above ground, such as ticks and mites. For those of you that don't own a landscape company or have a VA Chemical Applicator's License, lucky for you Kane Landscapes can help.

Now I feel better about letting my dogs and toddler roam freely in our yard. But the acaraphobe in me still takes other precautions as recommended by the Virginia Department of Health:

Avoid tick infested areas such as tall grass and dense vegetation

Walk in the center of trails and avoid brushing against weeds and tall grass

Keep grass and underbrush cut and thinned

Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be found easily

Tuck pant legs into socks so ticks stay on the outside of pants

Conduct tick checks on children and pets every 4 hours

Keep pets outside from April to September to help keep ticks out of the house

Use tick repellents that contain at least 30% DEET

Ask your veterinarian to recommend tick controls for your pets

Treat your lawn with an approved pesticide for tick control

Treat clothes with permanone (be sure to follow all label precautions)

The majority of ticks in our area are American Dog Ticks or Lone Star Ticks, which do not carry Lyme Disease but may carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, so it is important to be able to identify types of ticks in case you, your family, or your pet is bitten.