Few things are creepier than parasites. Add 8 legs and a creepy crawly nature to something that wants to suck your blood and most people are ready to frantically run the other way. The worst part about all of this, is the parasitic tick oftentimes goes unseen.
What you don’t see threatens you 16 ways
In reality, there are more than 16 ways that a tick threatens you when you take into account the mental and emotional threats in addition to stealing your blood. The key point that is important to remember is that ticks carry and transmit diseases. This list is ever expanding, but the 16 highlights include:
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
- Borrelia mayonii infection
- Borrelia miyamotoi infection
- Bourbon virus infection
- Colorado tick fever
- Ehrlichiosis i
- Heartland virus
- Lyme disease
- Powassan disease
- Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)
- STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness)
- Tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF)
- Tularemia
- 364D rickettsiosis (Rickettsia phillipi, proposed)
Plus Pet Threats from Ticks
In addition to the threats to people listed above, there are other diseases that ticks can pass on to your pets such as bobcat fever which can be fatal to the beloved family cat. Even in situations where ticks are not transmitting disease to pets, the presence on their skin can be irritating and lead to self harm in scratching and biting attempts to resolve the tick situation.
And Hitchhiking Threats from Ticks
If you have ever tried to squish a tick, you are aware of how hardy their bodies are. This allows them to travel under the tread of shoes and go for a ride without death.
Besides the shoe trick and crawling up on you, ticks can also hitch a ride by sticking out a leg and catching your clothing or body hairs as you pass.
Most concerning is their ability to take advantage of static electric lift. It isn’t much in absolute distnace, but it allows them the travel capacity equivalent to a human jumping 3-4 flights of stairs! Does this count as flying ticks?!
Size matters
Not only do ticks have the ability to carry a ridiculous number of diseases, resist stomping, and basically fly; they also exist in unfair sizes. A regular adult tick is about the size of a watermelon seed which is hard enough to find when it finds a dark obscure part of the human body. Detection becomes more complex when hair covers the hiding place. Now take into account that developing ticks can be the size of a poppy seed. People commonly report thinking that they first thought it was just a freckle. Size matters when working on detection.
Terminate Ticks
When you find an embedded tick, completely remove it and keep the body in case it becomes medically relevant. If you are headed out into tick territory, dress appropriately and use repellants. When it comes to the space around your home and business, actively reduce ticks through anti-tick landscaping and supplement with tick control products where appropriate. The tick team at Rove Pest control has the resources you need to control tick hosts as well as directly control ticks. Reduce your risk of tick-borne diseases with Rove’s proven tick services.
Solving the Autostereogram
Give the ugly colored autostereogram puzzle a try. For tips on seeing it, go here. Otherwise, you can just scroll through the original image and then the hidden image is found below.
