Pet owners and avid campers often ask how to get rid of ticks. Ticks are disgusting little blood suckers that can be hard to get rid of once they have infested an area. They can live in a diverse number of places and if an infestation is suspected some intensive extermination measures should be taken. There are two types of ticks, hard-shelled and soft-shelled. The hard-shelled ticks are most wide spread in America and are well known for spreading diseases like the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. Ticks can be hard to detect in the yard because they feed on so many different animals and if there is a family dog or cat they can enter the home by hitching a ride.http://www.pestexterminator.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ticks/

Removing ticks from pets, from the home or yard can seem like an impossible task, but there are defensive measures that can be taken. First, a person needs to know what to look for when hunting ticks. Once the ticks are identified it is time to remove it if its attached itself to a pet or person. This process is easy if done correctly and because ticks are such well know disease carriers it is important to watch a tick bite for signs of infection. If there is a tick infestation or to prevent one from starting read on for more information.

Ticks are not insects, but arachnids which are related to spiders and scorpions. There are three stages of growth for ticks, larva, nymph and adult. The nymph and adult ticks are the ones that will bite and attached themselves to a host. Nymphs are around the size of one number on a penny and this makes them hard to see. However the adults are much larger and very visible. The Deer Rick and the Lone Star Tick or dog tick are both carriers of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The dog ticks are black and much larger than the brown deer tick, getting as large as ½ inch in length.

These culprits typically live in tall grasses or low branches and wait at the tips for a host to brush by them. In the home ticks will hide in cracks and crevasses until finding a meal. This can make them hard to find and remove. Ticks can hitch a ride on reptiles, amphibians, birds and most mammals. This means that any tick infestation could have arrived riding another pest, like pigeons or rats. If this is the case both problems will have to be dealt with before the tick infestation is stopped.http://www.pestexterminator.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ticks/

Ticks can latch on to any area of open skin, but there are some places they prefer. On humans the places include ears, underarms, groin and the scalp. Dogs and other pets are at a greater risk of catching ticks if they spend time outside. Ticks will latch onto any area on pets as well, but prefer softer skin. This means puppies, kittens and other young pets look like a diner buffet.http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-to-prevent-parasitic-infections3.htm

If a tick is found do not use fire, Vaseline or nail polish to remove it. This will not speed the process of removing the tick.http://www.surviveoutdoors.com/reference/ticks.asp A pair of tweezers or fingers will work to get the tick unlatched. Something will be needed to put the tick in, a small vial or a film container will do. This is so if a rash of illness shows up a doctor can examine the tick.

To remove the tick grasp it as close to the embedded head as possible. Slowly pull it straight out of the skin. Watch for the head to pop out. If the head breaks of in the skin seek medical assistance for removing it. The tick may be alive after removing it so make sure the container is closed tightly and watch bite for unusual redness or swelling.http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-to-prevent-parasitic-infections3.htm

There are a few defensive measures that can be taken to lower the risk of tick bites and infestation. These are only ways to lessen the problem and a tick problem could still occur.

The Lawn

1. For yards near heavily wooded areas a trench 3 feet wide and 3 inches deep filled with gravel between the yard and wooded area could provide a barrier.
2. Light pesticides may help. However a tick are arachnids and not insects read the label to make sure it kills them.
3. A simple do it yourself pest control option is a few tick tubes. Fill paper towel tubes with a few cotton balls dipped in permethrin and place them around the yard. Mice in the yard will come to build a nest in these. Any ticks on the mice will then ingest the permethrin and die. This will leave mice alive.

Pets

1. By regularly brushing a bathing pets the occasional tick will be found and removed before laying eggs.
2. Give pets outside a resting place away from grass or at least tall grasses.
3. Washing all bet bedding, indoor and out, can go a long way in tick control.

Humans

1. Covering as much skin as possible when in areas where ticks are will help keep them from latching on. Try tucking pants legs into socks.
2. There are sprays and lotions that can be used to repel ticks. Read all labels before using.http://www.pestexterminator.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ticks/