Ticks are a spring and summer time hazard. Chances are that you will have at least one tick bite at some point during your life, especially if you enjoy spending time outside hiking, camping or hunting. Ticks are small insects that can be difficult to spot but they spread some serious illnesses and all need to be treated with antibiotics. There are things that you can do to prevent yourself from being bitten by a tick. Be Careful Where You Go It is important to avoid areas prone to ticks. If you love to spend time outdoors, you may be thinking that you really do not want to stop going outside just to avoid getting a tick. You can still enjoy time outside and be aware of areas that are more prone to have ticks. After spending time in these areas, just be sure to check yourself carefully. Ticks like areas with long grass, leaf litter and bushes that they can crawl on. You may be safer if you stay on the trail, but you can still get ticks. Wear Insect Repellent Insect repellent is one of the best ways to protect yourself from ticks. DEET is one of the most effective insect repellents for ticks and it works well on mosquitoes too. Be sure to apply it before you go into any tick prone areas and to reapply as necessary if you are spending a significant time outside. If you do not want to apply it all over, spraying the bottom on your pants and your wrists and around the collar of your shirt can help prevent ticks from attaching. Dress Appropriately Ticks need to attach directly to your skin, so dressing appropriately can make a big difference in how easy it is for a tick to attach to you. They are not face crawlers and so these steps really can make a difference. It is best to wear long pants and long sleeves. Tucking your shirt into your pants, and your pants into your socks give the ticks fewer places to find a way onto your skin. Some hunters will wear rubber bands around their wrists to close off that additional access point, especially since they are sitting still for hours at a time. Check for Ticks It is important to check for ticks in order to protect yourself. You should check your clothing as soon as you leave the area that is prone to ticks. Do this before you get in the car. Just brushing down your arms and legs and even your back will prevent you from bringing any ticks home with you. Once you get home, you should check yourself and shower right away to make sure you do not have any ticks. Check your hair line, along the backs of your knees, between your legs and under your arms for ticks. Treat Your Yard Another way you can protect yourself is to treat your yard for ticks. Treating your yard will mean that you do not have to worry about picking up ticks while enjoying time outside. Ticks can come into your yard on the back of squirrel or other wild animals and easily attach to you.
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The chances of your pet catching fleas increase in the spring and throughout the summer as your pet spends more time outside. There are number of different ways that fleas can hurt your pets. There are things that you can do to prevent fleas and protect your pets as the temperature warms up. Learn steps you can take to protect your pets.
Treat Your Yard There are treatments that you can have done to your yard to stop fleas from living in your lawn and increasing the chances of your pets catching the fleas. The fleas may come into your yard on the backs of squirrels or other wildlife. These fleas will drop off that animal and wait for another host that they can attach to. A flea treatment will kill any fleas that try to enter your yard. This treatment is safe for your pets and your family and is often done in conjunction with a tick and mosquito treatment which can also protect your family. You can also add protection in your yard by creating a gravel border around the perimeter of your yard that is at least 18 inches wide. Keeping the yard trim and neat and free of leaf debris can also help because it gives the fleas fewer places to land and to hide. These steps can protect other insects like ticks and mosquitoes. Treat Your Pets There are flea preventatives available on the market that you can use on your pets to stop them from getting fleas as they go to the park, dog parks or even to the kennel to board. These can vary from having your animal wear a flea collar to giving them an oral medication or applying drops to their backs. The costs of these treatments can vary, and it is important to remember to treat your pets regularly so that the protection will be continuous. Your vet can recommend the best solution for your pet and may only recommend these treatments during the summer. However, if you have your dog groomed regularly they may require that they have one of these treatments before you drop them off. Keep Your Home Clean and Neat Keeping your home clean and neat can make it easier to stop an infestation before it comes serious. Regularly washing your pets bedding and vacuuming may catch the one flea that made it past the other defenses before it can turn into multiple fleas. A regular cleaning regimen is important when you have pets because of all the mud they can track in, and you should keep it up even during the warmer months. |
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April 2018
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