Four Smart Ways to Avoid Ticks This Summer

Given the chance, ticks will happily feast on your blood for weeks at a time. Since you will not feel pain from the tick bite and attachment, their presence on your body will likely go unnoticed. Despite a lack of pain, tick bites are dangerous due to the high chance of disease transmission. Furthermore, if you fail to remove the attached tick before the end of the feeding session, it will eventually drop off and lay thousands of eggs. When the eggs hatch, you will find yourself fighting against an amazing number of hungry, harmful pests. Thankfully, you can take the following steps to thwart this pest's feeding attempts.Apply Pest Repellent ProductsLike most bugs, ticks will actively avoid people sporting a generous layer of pest repellent. Helpful ingredients to look for in pest repellent products include DEET, picaridin, metofluthrin, citronella and peppermint. When using the repellent products, spray your exposed skin and clothes slowly and evenly. If you obtain good coverage, you do not need to repeat the application process until after you wash your clothes and body.Stay out of Thick VegetationTicks cling onto grass, leaves and other forms of vegetation in wait for an animal to come close enough to grab. Ticks detect the presence of both humans and animals to feed on by sensing odors, movement and heat. If you allow tick-ridden plant matter to touch your skin, you may end up with an interloper in no time flat. Therefore, whenever possible, you should avoid going down paths with vegetation growing too close to the walkway.Always Perform a Tick CheckSince you cannot constantly avoid contact with trees, shrubs and grasses, you should always perform a thorough tick check before coming back inside. You will need to use a mirror or enlist help from a friend to accurately scour your body for hidden ticks. While you carefully look for ticks, roll up sleeves and check your waistline in case one crawled over your clothes to reach your skin below. You should also actively brush off the outside of your clothing to remove ticks hiding on dark fabrics.Clean up after Coming InsideWhen you come inside, you can place your clothes in a dryer and spin on the hottest setting for 10 minutes to kill any ticks you may have missed during the inspection process. If you're feeling unsure about contact with ticks, take a shower and wipe down your skin with a washcloth. Perform the visual inspection once more in front of the mirror before putting your clothes back on.If you follow the above tips, you will surely avoid most encounters with these pests. If you see ticks inside your house or on your body, you can call Breda Pest Management for professional assistance.