Take a look out your back door. Outside looks pretty innocent, doesn’t it?
But your backyard is a haven for fleas and ticks. And if you have pets that go outdoors, when they come inside, they bring those pests--and the diseases they carry--with them. And you didn’t even invite them and their nasty blood-sucking tendencies in.
Seriously, who wants that? No one wants to be scared of what could be lurking in their own backyard.
Time to get rid of these nasty pests. But how do you do it? When you consider bringing in a professional pest control company to help you take back your Maryland yard, you want to know you’re choosing the right one.
Here are some tips for controlling fleas and ticks in your yard and choosing the right pest control company for the job.
Facts About Fleas and Ticks In Your Yard
Let’s start with fleas. They are those pesky, wingless insects with long, flat bodies that feed on blood. They like to reside on pets, wild animals and human beings because they’re a great food source.
Ticks, on the other hand, belong to the arachnid group. Most ticks are dark in color--from brown to black. Like fleas, they crave blood from animals and humans. Drinking blood enables them to produce and lay more tick eggs.
Let’s look at signs of flea and tick infestations, list where they hang out in your yard and review how you can prevent and eliminate them.
How To Know If You Have Fleas or Ticks In Your Yard
So because fleas and ticks in your yard can be very hard to spot, you might not realize you have a problem.
If you have pets that spend time outdoors, a big first sign of a flea infestation is when your cat or dog is constantly itching and scratching. You might also notice some hair loss, an irregular appetite, and bouts of extreme tiredness. Your cat may even develop red skin and bumps as a result of an allergic reaction to fleas.
Ticks hitch a ride on your dog’s fur or your leg as you’re taking a walk, and you may not know it until you get back home and feel something funny on your skin. Your pets can’t tell you they feel an annoying presence, but you can usually inspect their skin for ticks when you get home and find them pretty quickly. Their dark, circular bodies are small but easy to spot. If you don’t spot them, you might notice swelling, pain, nausea, or a headache once they’ve been on your skin for awhile.
The biggest concern about fleas and ticks in your yard is that these annoying pests bring something worse than their itchy bites. They are also a common source of illness, some of which can be serious. Ticks are known for spreading Lyme disease. And you can catch typhus or cat-scratch fever from fleas, among other things.
Where Fleas and Ticks In Your Yard Hang Out
So when they aren’t sucking the blood from your pets and family members, fleas and ticks in your yard are hanging out in their favorite places.
Outside, fleas prefer shady spots where the air is cool and moist. Think woodpiles and shrubs, as well as in landscaped areas where rodents and small mammals also find shelter. Ticks also prefer the shade and hide along wood or brush lines at the perimeters of your home, as well as in tall grass, leaf litter, and on limbs and branches. All it takes is a walk past where these pests are hiding for them to jump onto you or your pet.
Once fleas and ticks jump from your yard to the people who bring them indoors, they can quickly take root in your carpets and furniture. There they’ll wait, emerging from their hiding spaces as a snack walks by to bite. How can that one flea multiply so fast? Female fleas can lay up to 2,000 eggs each.
How to Prevent Fleas and Ticks In Your Yard
Prevent fleas and ticks in your yard by keeping your lawn well mowed.
Keeping swing sets, tree and dog houses and other children’s play sets or sports equipment away from wood or brush lines at the far edges of our property is also important. That way children aren’t always playing in the areas fleas and ticks prefer in your yard.
When children and pets go exploring in the woods or in areas of tall grass, make sure they wear insect repellent and long pants and tall socks to cover areas that fleas and ticks can latch on to. You can also inspect them quickly for the pests when they return home.
How a Pest Control Company Can Help You Eliminate Fleas and Ticks In Your Yard
Flea and tick control services are typically provided by lawn and pest control companies.
You want to hire a pest control company in Maryland that has experienced technicians who are much more likely to recognize a flea and tick problem in your yard.
Flea and tick control applications typically include a liquid application to the lawn, flower and shrub beds and other harborages near tall grasses and trees. They are applied every 30 days starting in March or April when temperatures have hit 50 degrees, and ending in October.
To keep fleas and ticks in your yard at bay, six applications is best, but professionals recommend no fewer than three applications.
Treatments typically range between $55 and $69 per application for a 5,000 to 10,000 square foot yard.
Choose The Right Flea and Tick Control Service
When fleas and ticks get out of control, they can make life miserable for you, your pets and your family.
To best control them, you must target areas where they are on your pets, in your house and in your yard.
We understand that controlling fleas and ticks in your Maryland yard can become overwhelming. Natural Green wants to help you make the most informed and best decision in choosing the right pest control company for you. We are happy to take the time to assist you in comparing programs and prices.
Want to learn more about what it will cost to get those fleas and ticks out of your Central and Southern Maryland yard? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice. Then you can play catch with Fido in the backyard without fear.
