It is not unusual to find insects and rodents in Leon Valley. Some pests are more dangerous than others. For the uninitiated, ticks are parasites that live on blood. These small insects usually feed on other animals and can spread life-threatening diseases, such as Lyme Disease. No matter whether or not you have a pet, you should not let these insects thrive on your property. Immediately after spotting the initial signs, it’s best to call a Leon Valley pest control company. Here’s more about ticks and the need for exterminators.
How to identify ticks?
Because ticks, bed bugs, and termites often look similar, people tend to get confused. Ticks are eight-legged arthropods with a leather-like body. They can latch to the host and feed on blood for a long time. As ticks consume more blood, they grow exponentially in size. A tick that has fed on a host for days can almost look like a small marble and may appear greenish-blue in color. Two common families of ticks are found in Leon Valley – family Ixodidae and family Argasidae. You are more likely to encounter the latter.
Signs of tick infestation
If you have a pet at home, check their paws and body after every walk. Since ticks feed on animals for days, they often leave a wound behind. You may also find that your dog is more irritated than usual. Ticks can technically bite humans, but you may not see any immediate symptoms. Some people are allergic to tick bites. Tick-borne diseases often cause symptoms like fever, nausea, headache, muscle pain, and chills. In dogs, ticks are known to cause tick fever, which can be fatal. Humans have diseases like Lyme Disease to worry about.
Calling pest control
Just because you managed to kill a few ticks doesn’t mean anything. Ticks can thrive in harsh conditions and hitchhike on animals. Dogs and cattle are often the easiest hosts for these nasty insects. If you have animals at home, spending on preventive pest control is a good idea. If you have already found ticks on your property, call a professional exterminator and get an overview of the situation. Most of the known pest control companies in Leon Valley offer a free initial inspection, and you can expect to get a detailed estimate too.
The cost of pest control depends on whether you have other pests at home. The best idea would be to request an inspection first.