Benefits of Tick Control
Ticks are now not only relegated to the Northeast and Texas but are spreading throughout the country like wildfire. Even if you have never treated it before, this year, you will definitely want to get rid of ticks in your backyard. It’s interesting to discuss how ticks affect the environment.
They are food for animals, such as opossums. One could argue they’re host to bacteria, viruses, and protozoa and, as such, help support biodiversity. It’s also argued since ticks carry disease, they have a function in controlling the population of larger host animals. The argument here is blood-sucking ticks help thin out the deer population. And, when there are too many deer, they suffer more and die from starvation.
OK, so ticks have a place in the natural world. But, most people would argue they do more harm than good. They can infect livestock and completely paralyze the animal or cause a raging infection. Ticks spread diseases to humans, too. Different species spread different kinds of illness.
In the East, the dog tick carries a bacterium called Rickettsia Ricketts, which causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In the West, the wood tick is responsible for transmitting the same disease. The black-legged tick carries the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. Volumes are being written about the spread of Lyme disease and it’s a serious and growing health threat that causes extreme fatigue, rashes, and fever. If left untreated, it can lead to paralysis, an enlarged heart, nervous system disorders, and/or even death.
A Growing Threat: Urban Sprawl And Its Role In Vector-Borne Diseases
As more people have moved to the suburbs and out of the city in recent decades, they have unknowingly increased their exposure to all kinds of vector-borne diseases, not only Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but also rabbit fever, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and anaplasmosis. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control recently tripled the reported number of people who get diseases from ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas. New ailments have surfaced, such as Heartland virus, Zika, and dengue.
The weather is getting warmer, and the CDC says that is likely at least part of the reason for the surge in disease. Hot temperatures allow insect populations to flourish. Rodents and insects have been the reason for mortality in man since the beginning of recorded history. The infamous bubonic plague spread through Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Northwestern Europe from 541 to 750 AD.
Travel’s Role In The Spread of Disease
People are traveling to tropical destinations more frequently and, unfortunately, carrying disease-carrying organisms back with them. Chikungunya is a tropical disease that causes joint pain. The pain is so extreme that chikungunya is also referred to as bending up disease because of the disfiguration it causes. It first appeared in the Western Hemisphere on a flight from Southeast Asia to St. Maarten in 2013. Within one year, cases were reported all over North and South America, with the exception of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Canada.
Pest Control Treatment For Ticks And Other Disease-Carrying Insects
After reading about the diseases that insects carry, you might be tempted to wrap yourself in a blanket and not venture outside this summer. But, don’t do that. There is no reason to, not when there are pest control measures you can take to eradicate these pests from your environment.
Natural pest control may be tempting, but the truth is, you’re better off using professional pest control for your tick control. The risks are just too great to take chances. Find a comprehensive pest management program for ticks and you will be safe from the bugs this summer so you can relax and enjoy the season the way it was meant to be.
NJ Pest Control is here to help you and provide you with high-quality tick control. We are located in Randolph, NJ and provide complete pest control including tick control to the entire northern NJ area. Please contact us and we will be happy to give you a FREE quote. Ticks and Lyme disease is not a matter to put off. Your life along with your entire family could be in jeopardy.
