If you have been watching the news recently, you may have heard that this season is expected to see high levels in tick populations and thus more cases of Lyme disease. Deer ticks in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts are known to transmit Lyme disease which is why we want to help New England residents avoid tick bites and the potential transmission of Lyme disease.
Last year, Maine recorded an all-time high in the number of cases of Lyme disease, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News. This year is expected to be even worse as the weather continues to get warmer this spring and into the summer and ticks become more active. To help you gear up for a busy tick season in Maine and across New England, here are a few deer tick prevention tips from the pest control professionals at Modern Pest Services.
- Walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with ticks when out in the woods or on hiking trails.
- Apply insect repellent to skin and clothing to help repel ticks. A repellent with DEET is best.
- Wear light colored clothing so you can more easily see ticks that latch onto you.
- Once inside, check your clothing and body for ticks.
- Clothing should be put in the dryer for at least 30 minutes to kill ticks that you could have missed.
- Take a shower to wash off any unattached ticks that you may have missed in your tick check.
- Keep pets up to date on tick treatments, preferably the ones from your veterinarian’s office.
If a tick does bite you, there is no need to panic right away. You will want to monitor the area for any sign of a bulls eye rash or if you begin to develop any flu like symptoms. If this occurs, you should make an appointment with your doctor to check for Lyme disease.
If you are seeing a lot of ticks on your property, that is where our team of pest control pros at Modern Pest Services can help! Please contact us today to learn more about our tick control to help prevent ticks as well as other insects and critters from taking over your property and home this summer.