What Are Ticks?
Ticks are arachnids and are closely related to spiders, mites, and scorpions. They have an oval body that expands as they consume a blood meal; adults have eight legs and lack wings and antennae. They have a four-stage life cycle and each new stage require a blood meal from a new animal host. Blood is the sole source of nutrition for ticks.
Many different tick species are living in the Los Angeles area, including:
- American dog tick
- Lone star tick
- Black-legged tick
Are Ticks Dangerous?
As ticks feed on different hosts throughout their life, they can acquire and spread diseases that make people and animals sick. Tularemia, Lyme disease, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis are examples of diseases spread by ticks in California. Coming into contact with ticks regularly or having ticks living on your property increases the risk of a tick bite.
Why Do I Have a Tick Problem?
Ticks are most problematic in areas that provide them with easy access to hosts. Ticks cannot fly or jump, nor do their eight legs allow them to move particularly fast. The easiest way for them to find a host is to wait for one to come to them. When ticks are ready to feed, they will climb to the top of grass, weeds, or other plants and wait for a host to brush past them.
Yards with tall grass, lots of landscaping, leaf piles, bird feeders, open trash cans, and outdoor eating areas are particularly attractive to tick-covered rodents and wild animals. As the animals move across your yard, ticks drop off their bodies and onto the ground. When ticks are in your yard, their next host could be you, your kids, or your pets.
Where Will I Find Ticks?
You'll find ticks on their animal hosts, in outdoor spaces where animals hang out, and in damp, dark areas of vegetation. Some of the most common places to find ticks in your California yard includes under ground cover, dense vegetation, shrubs, decks, or in tall grass or wooded areas.
Ticks are not pests that we regularly find in our homes. If you see a tick in your home, it has come inside on you or a pet. Ticks won't move indoors without the help of their host. Ticks are primarily outdoor pests and pose the biggest threat to us and our pets when we spend time outside in our yards, wooded areas, parks, and athletic fields.
How Do I Get Rid of Ticks?
Ticks are frustrating pests; they are constantly being introduced onto our properties by animals and will use you and your pets as a food source. Having a local pest professional perform regular tick control treatments is the best way to keep these pests at bay and protect your family from their bites and the diseases they spread.
At A Step Above Pest Control & Termite, we offer thorough inspections, accurate identification, and effective home pest control and commercial pest control treatments to solve your property's unique tick problem. We know how unwanted ticks are and will work closely with you to ensure they won't take over your yard in the future. To learn more about guarding your property against ticks, call your Los Angeles tick experts today!
How Can I Prevent Ticks in the Future?
Protect your Los Angeles area property from ticks with the following prevention tips.
- Maintain your lawn and keep it cut short.
- Regularly prune shrubs and bushes, especially those located near your home.
- When walking on wooded or mountain trails, stay in the middle of the path.
- Regularly trim grass and weeds near porch steps, fences, walkways, and your entrances.
- Place your kid's outdoor play areas in areas that get plenty of sunlight.
- Remove leaf piles, woodpiles, and other debris from your yard that traps moisture and provides hiding spots for tick-covered rodents and other wild animals.
- Repair defects in your home's exterior that could allow rodents and the ticks they carry into your home.
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