Tick Safety At Home

Late Spring and Summer are prime tick season in Oklahoma and lately we have been getting calls left and right from customers finding ticks on their pets and even themselves. There is a very real concern with this, as Ticks can carry a variety of life altering ailments including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, and even trigger Alpha-Gal syndrome – an allergy to red meat that develops after a tick bite. According to Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma and North Carolina have the highest rates of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the United States.

If you love spending time hiking or biking the trails of Oklahoma you are probably well acquainted with taking precautions to avoid tick exposure. Wearing clothing with coverage (like long pants instead of shorts) and tucking them in, using a repellant that is labeled for ticks, and staying on the trails instead of out in the brush is helpful. But what about your own back yard? Here are a few tips to keep your family (both human and furry varieties) and friends a little safer.

1) Mow frequently and keep brush and long grasses away from your home and edges of the lawn.

2) If you live in a woodsy neighborhood you may find it helpful to create a barrier of wood chips, rocks, or gravel placing it between the wooded area and your lawn. It is recommended this barrier be at least 3 feet wide. This will help reduce tick access to your yard.

3) If you have wood piles stack them neatly in a dry area away from your home. This should be done anyhow to prevent termite damage to your home but will help with ticks also. 30 feet away is generally recommended.

4) Regularly clean and remove debris from under bird feeders.

5) Help your furry family members out by supplying them with flea and tick collar5) Consider spraying your yard. This will help greatly in reducing not only tick exposure but fleas, ants, and other insects as well, allowing you and your family to spend more time outside in greater comfort. If you have questions about yard sprays, give us a call we would love to hear from you.