Have you ever found a tick on your body? It is an unpleasant experience, to say the least, especially when you attempt to remove it. What is even more unpleasant is removing them wrong and having their head lodged beneath your skin. The question is, are bites from these pests dangerous and what should you do to safely remove them from your skin? To help you know what to do about ticks around your Pensacola property, here is some information you will need.
Species Of Ticks That Live In Pensacola?
You might not know this but there is more than one species of ticks. In our area, there are four species that regularly bite humans. Here is how to identify each and the diseases that they can spread.
- American dog tick: The American dog tick is 3/16” long, ?” when engorged, brown, and has white to gray markings that cover its back. The most common disease this pest spreads to humans is Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
- Lone star tick: The lone star tick is ? to 1/4”, and is reddish-brown when not engorged. When engorged this pest grows to ½” and takes on a slate gray color. The diseases this pest spreads include ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, STARI, and Tularemia.
- Black-legged tick: The black-legged tick is ?” long, slightly larger when engorged, orange-brown, and has dark legs. This pest spreads Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, powassan virus, and Borrelia miyamotoi disease.
- Gulf Coast tick: The gulf coast tick is ¼” long, larger when engorged, and has white markings across its body. This pest mainly spreads Rickettsia parkeri.
How To Safely Remove A Tick From Your Skin
Removing a tick from your body may not seem like a difficult task, but it is challenging without the proper knowledge. To help you remove these pests right the first time, here are four easy steps to follow.
- Get a pair of fine-tipped tweezers and grab the tick as close to your skin as possible.
- Pull with slight pressure in a steady motion directly away from your skin. Avoid twisting, jerking, or moving the tweezers in a way that might break off the tick's head. If you are unable to remove the head and or mouthparts, clean what you can with the tweezers and let the wound heal normally.
- Once the tick is removed, thoroughly clean the area of the bite with soap or rubbing alcohol.
- Most importantly, Do Not dispose of the tick. Some tick-spread diseases are difficult to identify without the original vector that spread them. To be safe, save ticks you pull out of your skin inside plastic bags and inside the freezer. If you notice symptoms of possible tick disease, bring the tick to your doctor. They will know what to do from there.
How To Keep Ticks Off Your Property
If you are looking to avoid being bitten by ticks on your property, the trick is to remove them entirely. The most effective way to remove these pests is to hire a pest control professional. At EnSec, we offer comprehensive pest control options to protect properties against these dangerous pests. We also offer a range of other services to protect your home from other annoying, destructive, and dangerous area pests.
Call us today to find out more about our services or to schedule a time for your Pensacola property to be treated for ticks and other area pests. We will send one of our highly trained technicians your way with a solution that is guaranteed to handle your pest problems fast.