Fleas and ticks are vectors for diseases, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, Murine typhus, bubonic plague, and many others. While every flea or tick that bites you is not going to cause you to be sick, it is best to mitigate the risk by taking a few steps to prevent exposure. Here are a few tips from our on-staff experts.

Pet Protection

If you're a pet owner, flea and tick control begins with your pet. A dog or a cat can bring fleas and ticks in from the outside, or pick them up in the corners of your home where mice or rats have dropped them.

• Make sure your dog or cat has a flea and tick collar if your veterinarian determines that this is the right choice.

• Make sure you have other flea and tick control products recommended by your vet so that you can quickly address fleas and ticks when you detect them.

• Do routine flea checks of your dog or cat using a flea comb. Search for flea dirt or adult fleas.

• Do routine tick checks of your dog or cat. Feel for bumps on the skin and check the ears and between the toes where ticks commonly attach.   

Personal Protection

When you go outside, you have the chance of bringing ticks back in with you. Fleas don't get onto humans. So these tips are focused on tick control.

• Avoid walking in tall grass.

• Apply mosquito repellent to your legs and feet.

• If you don't want to use chemical repellents, you can purchase an essential oil and create an effective tick-repellent spray. Just keep in mind that you'll have to apply this spray often to make sure it continues to do its job.

• Always do a tick check when you come back inside. Early detection of ticks on your skin can prevent disease transmission. When you find a tick on you, use it as a warning sign that ticks are in your yard and contact a licensed professional for a yard treatment.

Yard Protection

The best way to address fleas and ticks in your yard is to have your yard treated. If you're not ready to make that investment, the next best option is to take steps to get control of wild animals in your yard. Wild animals bring fleas and ticks onto your property.

• Keep bagged trash in sealed trash receptacles that can't be easily knocked over by a raccoon.

• If you have bird feeders, put them at least 20 feet away from your exterior walls.

• Protect gardens, berry bushes, fruit trees and other food sources with fencing.

• Use fencing material to prevent animals from creating a den or nest underneath structures on your property.

• Address conditions that allow rainwater to collect. These can become watering holes for animals.

• If you have trees that produce nuts, be sure to keep those nuts cleaned up.

• Keep your lawn, landscaping, and shrubs neatly trimmed.

• Remove unnecessary vegetation from your yard.

• Remove lawn clutter that animals can hide inside or underneath.

• If you pick up dead sticks in your yard, stack them far from your home or burn them as you collect them.

• Bag leaves up and remove them as you rake or mulch them. 

Rodent Prevention

Mice and rats play a unique role in the spread of fleas and ticks. A single mouse can have as many as a hundred seed ticks on its body. When that mouse gets into your home, those ticks will develop and start searching for a large animal to attach to. This might be your dog or your cat. It may also be you or another human living in your home. Take steps to seal every possible entry point in your exterior and bolster any areas that look like they're being chewed on. If rodents get into your home, contact a pest management professional to have those rodents removed. Mice and rats can be extremely difficult to control.

What We Recommend

It is always best to be proactive about flea and tick control. When you invest in a residential pest control program that includes flea and tick treatments around your home, you reduce your chances of exposure.

Plano Pest Control

If you live in Plano, Texas, you're in our service area. Reach out to us and request a free estimate to find out what pest pressures you have around your home. This inspection of your property will allow us to guide you toward the right program for your specific needs. We have options for flea, tick, and rodent control. You don't have to wait until fleas and ticks are causing a problem for you. Take charge of your pest problems by connecting with All-Safe Pest & Termite today. We're here to help.

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