Full Guide On How To Spot, Treat And Get Rid Of Ticks In Your House

Know How to Inspect for Ticks
The CDC says that ticks need to be stuck for 36 to 48 hours before they can do any harm. When you or your pets come inside after being outside, especially in the spring and summer, make sure to carefully check everyone for ticks. Check these parts of your body:

Around the ears and in the hair
In between the legs
Knee backs
Below the armpits
Around the waist
Inside the bellybutton
Also, don’t forget to check your gear. Ticks can get inside on things like coats, bags, and tents, so make sure you check those things too.

Tip
Ticks that are sick with Lyme disease do not spread the disease for the first 24 hours after feeding. Also, taking a shower within two hours of coming inside can help lower your risk of getting Lyme disease and other diseases spread by ticks. It can also get rid of ticks that haven’t had a chance to connect yet. When you shower, you can check your whole body for ticks, so don’t forget to do that after being outside!

Check your pets for ticks
Ticks often come inside with animals. Ticks, like the brown dog tick, are happy to live in your home where they can feed on your pets and have a lot of babies. These things can make your pets get anemia.

Ticks are very small and may be hard to see at first on your pet. So they can feed without being seen, they burrow into an animal’s fur and connect themselves. The tick is probably full of blood by the time you notice it. Don’t wait until you see a tick that is full of blood! Take tick and flea medicine for your dogs and make sure they are clean when they come inside.

Get rid of ticks.
Different types of sprays and repellents are available to get rid of ticks, such as over-the-counter goods like DEET and homemade ones.

It has been shown that the following essential oils can help keep ticks away:

Lemon oil
Eucalyptus oil
If you want to make your own tick repellent, you should mix one or more oils with water, vinegar, and witch hazel in some way. But do your study first! Essential oils can still be dangerous if they are not used correctly, so find a method that you can trust and follow it carefully.

Wear Proper Clothing
Remember to wear the right clothes if you’re going to be outside in wooded places where ticks might be present. Before you go outside, you might also want to treat your clothes with something that keeps ticks and other bugs away.

Cover your skin, wear shoes with closed toes and tall socks, and wear long sleeves and pants made of durable fabric. Also, try to avoid going through areas with heavy brush as much as possible.

Tip
Outside, wear light clothes. Because ticks are dark, it is much easier to see them on the outside of your clothes.

Use Your Dryer to Kill Ticks
When you get back inside from being outside, put everything in the dryer on high before you wash it. That’s right, dry first, then wash and dry again. Even though it might make sense to wash the clothes first, the ticks might not be killed by the heat of the cleaner, and you don’t want to leave them there.

Dry your clothes. It’s easy for ticks to dry out. To get rid of ticks that are still on your clothes, take them off and dry them at high heat for at least 10 minutes.

Address Conducive Conditions
In pest control, a “conducive condition” is any factor in the surroundings that makes a pest problem worse. Some of these elements are food sources, safe places to hide, and others.

When dealing with ticks inside, there are a few things that should be taken into account first:

What ticks eat: Ticks eat blood. Treat your pets for ticks and check your pets and family members after being outside to get rid of their food sources.

Areas where ticks can hide: Ticks live outside, but if you want to keep them away from your home, cut back any brush or greenery that’s close to buildings or other structures inside.

How to Tell If You Have Ticks in Your Home
Because ticks are so small, it can be hard to find them inside until they have eaten blood or become a regular problem.

In the woods, brush, and tall grass, ticks like to hide. They will group together or hang out alone until an animal picks them up without meaning to.

They won’t go away for good, no matter how much you want them to. Chemical sprays may be what you want to use, but too much of them is bad for the earth and your health, and they won’t get rid of ticks for good.

It is very important to know how to check for ticks and to do it regularly if you live in an area where ticks are known to be outside or have been a problem inside in the past.

What Causes Ticks?
Ticks are parasitic arachnids that feed on the blood of animals, such as mammals, snakes, and birds. They are related to spiders and mites. In the past few years, their numbers have been going up, which is scary and means people need to be ready to take steps to stay away from them.

You can find ticks everywhere. While spring and summer are their busiest times, you can still find them in some places as late as October. They like being outside, but there are several ways for them to get inside. Here are some of them:

Hitching a ride on pets
Hiding in clothing that has been worn outdoors

How to Stay Away from Ticks
There are some important things you need to do to keep ticks out of your home:

You should give your pets a good tick medicine.
When you’re outside, use tick repellent. Know where ticks might be hidden and stay away from those spots.
Before going inside, make sure you check your family and pets carefully, especially if you’re in the woods or near thick brush.
If you want to keep ticks away from your clothes, wash them the right way and dry them in a high-heat heater.
Make sure the yard next to your house is well-kept and free of weeds.
These steps may seem like a lot of work, but they will help keep you, your family, and your pets safe from the health risks that can come with having ticks.

FAQ
How long do ticks stay alive?
Some ticks can live for up to three years before they die. Ticks can be harmful to your health during this time, depending on the type of tick.

What does Lyme sickness mean?
Lyme disease is caused by a germ that ticks carry. This sickness can spread to the heart, nervous system, and joints, and it feels like the flu and gives you rashes.

What ticks cause Lyme disease?
Toxoplasmosis is spread by Ixodes ticks, which are also known as black-legged ticks and deer ticks. You can find these ticks in some parts of North America.5

Why are tick populations going up?
Tick numbers are growing around the world because of warmer weather, habitat loss, and the trade of animals between countries.