Are ticks getting smaller?

The emergence of nymph ticks this spring, has folks asking, “Are ticks getting smaller?”

Ahhhh, springtime! There is so much to love about spring in Central Mass. In a typical year, this would be the time that families gather for graduation parties in their backyards. Evening get-togethers and grilling season would be in full force. Neighborhood invitations would be going out weekly for backyard parties. Even though we are not mixing and mingling at neighborhood parties just yet, you might still have noticed tick season is upon us just by spending time in your own backyard. If you are a hiker, perhaps you have encountered Central Mass ticks during your nature treks. Have you noticed these super-tiny blood suckers? What’s the deal with these small ticks?

are ticks getting smaller

Ticks are not getting smaller.

are fleas and ticks the same size The small ticks you are seeing are nymph ticks. Nymph ticks are in their third stage of life (egg, larva, nymph, adult), and they are tiny. If you have only encountered adult ticks, a nymph tick might fool you into thinking it’s no tick at all. You might have even wondered if it’s a flea. Nymph ticks are not only small, they can be very dangerous. Measuring about 2mm (poppy seed-sized), they are difficult to spot. A flea measures 1.5 to 3.3mm.

engorged tick Because nymph ticks are difficult to see, they can slip by us until they have already attached themselves to take a blood meal, and become engorged. Due to the fact that tick populations are on the rise, you might just now be noticing these tiny ticks – because there are so many. Another reason you might just now be noticing these small ticks is because you are spending more time outdoors for recreation, because so many recreational and dining establishments are either closed, or not open in a full capacity.

What you most need to know about nymph ticks, is that they are the biggest carrier of Lyme disease. Most nymphs have taken their last blood meal from a woodland animal – perhaps a squirrel or more commonly, the white-footed mouse. Because these animals are often carriers of the bacteria that cause Lyme, this makes nymph ticks extremely dangerous.

Protect your yard with Central Mass tick control.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

If you are seeing ticks on your kids or your pets in Central Mass, now is the time to tackle your tick problem. Tiny nymph ticks are rampant, looking for their next victim. Don’t let it be you, your kids, or your pets. Entrust all the areas around your home to a professional tick control company. Central Mass tick control professionals offer EPA-registered tick control solutions. They will apply a barrier tick spray around your yard to eliminate ticks on contact, and the spray will continue working for a couple of weeks with a micro-encapsulated, time-released formula. Reputable tick control professionals also offer all-natural solutions, which act as tick repellents, rather than eliminators. Though effective in keeping up to 85% of ticks away, the must be sprayed more often than an EPA-registered insecticide. Whichever works for you, now is the time to protect your yard.

How do ticks mate? How do ticks die?

If you are a Central Mass resident, you have likely had a tick encounter. Either on yourself, your children, or your pets. Those ticks obviously come to the end of their life cycle when found, but how do ticks meet their natural end? How do ticks die?

The 2-year tick life cycle is much about questing for their blood meal, either to survive and grow to adulthood, or to mate and produce a new generation of blood-suckers.

how do ticks die

Protect your family from tick-borne illnesses with professional Central Mass tick control.

How and when do ticks mate? Once a female tick reaches adulthood, her final quest for the ultimate blood meal begins. She is looking for this blood, so she can finally mate with an adult male tick. She will quest for blood sources for days. Once she becomes engorged, she seeks a mate.

tick laying eggs, courtesy of CDC.gov — Tick laying her army of blood-suckers – courtesy of CDC.gov

How many eggs can one female tick produce? Once the adult female tick has mated, she will lie in wait under cover of leaves, rocks, or in wood piles to lay her eggs. One female tick can produce 1,500, 3,000, or even up to 5,000 eggs!

How do male ticks die? After an adult male tick has found at least one mate, his life’s mission is complete. This does not mean that he dies immediately after mating, but they do die eventually after mating. It could be months before an adult male tick dies.

ticks on poppy seed muffin — Nymph ticks compared to poppy seed – courtesy of CDC.gov

When do tick eggs hatch? It may take less than two weeks, or up to two months for tick eggs to hatch into tiny larvae. Once tick eggs hatch, these new larval ticks must seek their own blood meals in order to survive and grow. Once engorged, they molt in the winter, and emerge as tiny, sesame or poppy seed-sized nymph ticks. Nymph ticks are spreaders of infectious tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease.

How do female ticks die? Soon after an adult female has produced her army of offspring, she meets her natural end. Her life is all about getting to adulthood in order to mate and lay eggs.

Central Mass Lyme disease prevention begins with effective tick control.

As residents of Central MA we must remain vigilant in the fight against Lyme disease and other diseases, such as the potentially fatal Powassan virus. Tick control is not a seasonal affair. There are methods of tick control, such as tick tubes, which can halt the tick life cycle with year-round protection.

Have peace of mind with professional Marlborough MA tick control

There is absolutely NOTHING good about ticks. They’re gross little creepy-crawly bloodsucking bugs that have the potential to transmit some seriously scary diseases, including Lyme disease which, as you probably know, is all over the Northeast.

Actually, it’s so bad here that Massachusetts officially declared it an epidemic in 2005. Last year, ticks were so bad that Boston 25 News called it a “tick explosion.” There are other terrible tick-borne diseases here, though, that aren’t Lyme. Things like Babesiosis, that is dangerous to both humans and dogs, and the very scary Powassan virus, which is on the rise.

marlborough ma tick control

In fact, in May 2018 the CDC released a report stating that diseases from mosquitoes and ticks have more than tripled in the United States since 2004, and unfortunately that rate does not appear to be slowing down. Further, the CDC also outright states that 80% of government vector-control organizations are not prepared to deal with this new onslaught of vector-borne diseases. All one has to do is go to the City of Marlborough’s website and do a search for “ticks” and it’ll yield little more than a PDF document, and Mass.gov just offers basic info, which is informational, but on the whole, not proactive in protecting you or your family.

Fortunately, reputable mosquito control professionals pick up the slack where the government falls behind, and with a barrier treatment spray, you’re protected from both mosquitoes and ticks in your yard by nearly 90% for up to 21 days at a time. But if it’s specifically tick protection that you’re looking for, professional Marlborough MA tick control goes above and beyond the standard barrier treatment to make sure ticks in every stage of life are eliminated. Your tick control company will take a two step approach, and enlist the help of some furry friends.

Step one in professional Marlborough MA tick control

Beginning with the same process as a traditional mosquito barrier treatment, treating the perimeter of your yard with an EPA-registered formula on all surfaces except flowers, and work their way inward. They treat bushes, trees, the undersides of leaves, woodpiles, on and under decks . . . basically everywhere. If you have any tall, grassy areas in your yard, they’ll give those special attention, because that’s prime tick territory. It’s where they’re most likely to be found, resting, breeding, and waiting to hitch a ride on their next blood meal. It’s your tick control expert’s job to make sure that’s not you or your loved ones, two legs or four.

Since barrier spray formulas are micro encapsulated and therefore time-released, you’ll be protected from ticks (and mosquitoes, and other biting bugs) for up to 21 days. And since it adheres to everything it’s applied to, it prevents existing tick eggs from hatching, thus stopping the life cycle. Just like a mosquito barrier treatment, recommended reapplication is every three weeks for maximum efficiency.

But then there’s the “the bonus round.”

Phase Two of great Marlborough MA tick control — a.k.a. “the bonus round”

tick control marlborough If you do your research online, you’ll find that other outdoor pest control companies stop at a spray when it comes to ticks. Reputable tick control companies take it a step further and use the help of the common field mouse, who is a cute, innocent, and very stealthy “helper” in the fight against ticks. Contrary to their name, “deer ticks” actually pick up things like Lyme disease not from deer, but most often from mice, bunnies, and other small critters who call your and your neighbors’ yards home. This usually happens when ticks are in their larva or nymph stage of life. So tick control technicians will strategically place these small, biodegradable tubes called “tick tubes” in places they frequent.

Tick tubes are stuffed with cotton that is treated with a mild insecticide called permethrin, which is harmless to the small animals but lethal to ticks. The idea is (and this works impressively well) that the mice or other small mammal finds this cotton and bring it back to their nest to cozy it up. In doing so, the permethrin rubs off on their fur, and when a young tick attempts to get its blood meal from one of these animals, it encounters the chemical and is eliminated shortly thereafter. This “straight to the source” approach allows tick control professionals to get rid of ticks in all stages of life and thus, halt their life cycle in your yard, ensuring 90% or more tick elimination overall.

If you prefer to stay as “green” as possible. . .

all natural marlborough ma tick control Tick control professionals also offer an all-natural solution. While all reputable tick control companies’ products are EPA-registered, there are some people that won’t settle for anything less than 100% “green.” That’s why Marlborough MA tick control professionals also offer an all-natural barrier treatment solution for your unwanted pests.

Based on natural oils, this more “crunchy” approach focuses more on repelling these little nuisances than eliminating them. It’s not quite as effective as a traditional mosquito and tick control solution, but it’s pretty darn close — most homeowners notice a reduction in yard pests between 65-80%. Also time-released, this application is recommended to be repeated every two weeks, instead of the traditional three.

What do ticks look like? Can they swim?

Ticks are common in Central Mass, and most of our residents have come in contact with one at one time or another.

In many ways, ticks elude us. What do ticks look like? Do ticks have wings? Can ticks swim? Even though ticks are rampant in our area, many of us still have questions about tick habits and physical traits. Folks still wonder if they fly. How they survive winter. Here is a common list of tick questions and answers.

what do ticks look like?

What do ticks look like?

Ticks are arachnids, just like spiders. This means they have four sets of legs. They are in the sub class Acari, along with mites. Their coloring can range from light gray-ish white, brown, black, yellow, and brownish-red. Ticks are a flat, oval shape when not engorged with a tasty blood meal.

How big are ticks?

Ticks have three distinct life stages throughout their two-year life cycle. Larvae ticks are very small, and can be unnoticeable. In this stage of life, they are about the size of a grain of sand. In their next stage of life, nymph ticks have grown to the size of a sesame seed. Adult ticks are similar in size to an apple seed.

Do ticks have wings?

Ticks do not have wings. They do not fly or jump. Ticks quest by attaching themselves to plants or limbs. They hold on to leaves and grass with two sets of their legs, and outstretch their other legs awaiting a host to pass. If you are wondering how ticks cover so much territory, it is because they are transported by their hosts – animals and humans. The sheer number of ticks in Central Mass might make it seem like they are fast travelers. This is untrue without a host. Ticks are just – everywhere!

Can ticks swim?

This is an interesting question, and a common one! While ticks do not swim, they can survive submerged in water for two to three days. Do not try to kill ticks by drowning them in the bathtub or swimming pool. The only surefire method of destroying a tick in water, is by flushing them down the toilet.

Also read: What repels ticks naturally?

Do ticks die in the winter?

Do ticks die in the winter? No, they do not! Even in cold Central Mass winter temperatures, ticks are resourceful and will survive in nests of other animals or even underground. Ticks will lie dormant in winter, waiting for warm weather to return, so they can invade our favorite outdoor spaces.

Can a tick bite kill you?

Tick bites can result in illnesses, such as Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can make us very sick. Powassan virus is another tick-borne illness, which can cause a deadly brain infection. Even people, who have lived through Powassan can remain ill, or even die from the effects. Recently in North Carolina, former US Senator, Kay Hagan, died three years after contracting Powassan, which resulted in Encephalitis. She remained ill for three years before passing away.

Ticks are not just a nasty nuisance in Central Massachusetts. They are effective questing insects, who live for their next blood meal. The single best way to protect your family is with year-round Central Mass tick protection, which includes tick tubes in the winter.

Deer tick fully attaches to man’s eyeball!

Wow! Can ticks really do that?

Just when I thought that I had seen it all when it comes to ticks, I come across a post like this one. Though, Healthline.com states that ticks commonly attach and embed themselves on the groin, behind the knee, under the arm, inside the ear or bellybutton, or in the hair, it looks like this gentleman stumbled upon new tick frontiers when one attached and embedded itself to his eyeball.

Outdoor workers are very susceptible to tick invasions.

small ticks — Small nymph ticks are hard to identify with the naked eye!

Even this vigilant serviceman in Paintsville Lake, Kentucky, who practices proper tick protection while at work, was the perfect tick target! This tiny tick, purported to be no larger than the tip of a writing pen, made its mischievous way right into his eye. He, of course, noticed that something was in his eye. After repeated attempts to rinse out what he thought was some sort of debris, the barely-visible speck was not budging and so painful that he had to seek medical attention. The photos we see in the post are from the eye doctor. Even magnified, this poppy seed-sized tick is difficult to identify!

What can outdoor workers do for personal tick protection?

It is always recommended that those, who work outdoors, practice personal tick safety. Using a repellent, such as DEET or permethrin on your clothing. Wear long sleeves – the less exposed skin, the better! Keep long hair pulled back, and be sure to check for ticks throughout the day, which might be hiding on your body. Per this recent tick eyeball invasion, safety glasses are a great idea whenever possible, even if not required for outdoor workers!

What if you bring home a tick anyway? Read about Central Mass tick removal and testing.

As always, I urge all Central Mass residents to take advantage of professional tick control and protection for their home. Keep your family and pets safe from the threat of ticks by eliminating up to 95% of ticks on your property with an EPA-registered tick control spray.

Westminster Tick Control – Break the 2-Year Life Cycle of Ticks

You might think the fall is the end of tick season and that you will soon be protected from tick bites with the approaching colder weather. If so, you are partially correct.

Ticks in Central Mass will begin to go dormant in weather below 45 degrees F. by hiding in the nests of white-footed mice. No amount of cold will eliminate ticks and there’s one other fact you need to know about the fall and ticks.

A tick’s life cycle is usually 2-years long. Ticks that were eggs last fall are now nymphs. They have taken two blood meals to reach this stage in their life cycle. Because of these two blood meals, often taken from several small animals or birds infected with Lyme Disease, they are now the most infectious to humans. Next spring these nymphs will leave the mouse’s nest. They will be the size of a poppy seed, making them difficult to see on our clothes and skin. After their third blood meal next spring, they will become larger during mid-summer and be adults in the fall of next year. At this last stage of their life cycle, the males will fertilize the females and the females will produce a new generation of ticks in your yard.

Westminster tick control is available now, to protect you next year.

Now is the time of year to interrupt the tick’s life cycle in your yard and reduce your exposure to nymph ticks next spring. By using a tick tube program, you can eliminate ticks around your home even before next spring. The tick tubes are placed out now will provide nesting material, treated with tick insecticide, the white-footed mouse will use to build its nest this winter. This nesting material will eliminate ticks in the nest without harming the mice. The net result is fewer ticks in your yard next spring and a head start at eliminating your family’s exposure to ticks all summer long.

When you sign up for Westminster tick control spray treatments next summer, it will eliminate 85-90% of the ticks in your yard all summer long. Treatments are scheduled at your convenience every 21 days. The spray will eliminate newly hatched ticks, nymph ticks and adult ticks in your yard. Ticks brought into your yard by any animals such as squirrels, raccoons, fox and deer will be eliminated by the spray. Using the tick tube program now and the barrier spray next spring through next fall will reduce your exposure to tick-borne infections.

The town of Westminster has posted an online document explaining the Steps You Can Take in preventing ticks in your yard. The document highlights the importance of using a licensed applicator in treating your yard to prevent ticks. A link to a Tick Management Handbook published by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention is also in this informative document.

A licensed Westminster tick control spray applicator will be fully trained and qualified in providing the tick tube and barrier spray services you need to protect you, your family and pets.

Now Is The Time To Reduce Ticks In Your Yard Next Summer

You may think that ticks die off with cold weather in the winter. A very cold winter means more ticks die off.

Many people still seem to have this notion but it’s not true. Ticks become dormant in the winter but don’t die off. Like most of nature, they are survivors and know how to do it very well.

During a tick’s 2-year life cycle, they go from an egg to a larva in their first year of life. Late in their first year, before winter, they are molting into nymphs. In order to grow from larvae to nymphs they need their first blood meal. Most will make this transition inside a white-footed mouse’s nest where they have warmth and an available blood supply to complete their transition into the nymph stage. Birds may also make a suitable blood meal for them before seeking the warmth of the mouse’s nest for winter.

The following spring they will be fully developed nymphs and begin looking for their next blood meal. It is at this time of the tick’s life that they are most likely to transmit Lyme Disease. The time of year is usually May through mid-July in MA.

Their very small size and need for a blood meal will require both male and female ticks to get that meal anywhere they can. They are able to hitch along on a mouse or human and continue to search for that blood meal until they have enough to molt again into an adult. Nymphs will quest at this time by reaching out from grass and bushes hoping to attach to a warm-blooded mammal like your dog, coyote, fox, raccoon, their friend the white-footed mouse or you.

In many areas, the white-footed mouse population is 85-90% infected with the Lyme bacteria. Taking a blood meal from an infected mouse in their nest guarantees the larvae tick or nymph tick is also infected with the bacteria. Voles, squirrels and other rodents may also serve as meals and many carry the Lyme bacteria.

Scientists have been working on how to interrupt this cycle of the larvae becoming infected in the mouse’s nest and eliminating them at that point, before they become nymphs in their second year. One effective method to do this is with tick tubes. Each fall, mice look for nesting material to build or refresh their nests. They need soft, lofty material in order to stay warm during the winter. Ticks need a place to hide and stay warm as well and the thick material and mouse’s body heat make an ideal winter home for them.

Reduce ticks in your yard now with tick control tubes.

Tick tubes are designed to provide the nesting material for the mouse. The cotton material contains an insecticide that rubs on the mouse’s fur as it moves around in the nest. This insecticide is not harmful to the mouse. However, when a nymph tries to attach to the mouse for their blood meal it is prevented by the insecticide on the mouse’s fur. The tick dies and the mouse is unharmed. The net result is you have fewer ticks to deal with in your yard next spring and summer.

Using both a perimeter spray and tick tubes are a double whammy to your yard’s tick population. Ticks that survive the winter, or are brought onto your property by other animals like raccoons, coyotes, fox, opossum, etc., are eliminated by the perimeter spray. An EPA-approved professional tick control barrier spray will be 85-90% effective against ticks. Adding tick tubes to your tick prevention program drops the total number of ticks down even before the spray is even applied the following spring. In the end you, your family and your pets have a lower risk for tick-borne infections while enjoying your yard next summer.

Also read: Should I be worried about ticks at my suburban home?

Three Super-Easy Tips For Getting Rid Of Ticks

The University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center is a great resource.

I wanted to share their top 3 easiest tips for getting rid of ticks that anyone can do, NO EXCUSES!

getting rid of ticks

In a page titled, TickSmart ™ Tips for TickSafe Living!, 5 tips were given by the Center but 3 are the most simple and easy ones to do.

Tip #1 involves duct tape.

Where would repair people, mechanics and homeowners be without this 11^th Wonder of the Fix-it World? Well, there’s yet another use for it when it comes to ticks. Before ticks become attached to your skin or your dog’s skin, tear off a piece of duct tape and “stick it to them”. Blotting up any ticks on the skin removes the tick and prevents them from becoming lost before you can throw them out. Use a big enough piece of tape to fold it over the tick after removing it and seal them inside. When you’re done, throw the tape in the trash. How easy is that?

The second tip involves your toilet.

It’s OK; this one isn’t as bad as it sounds. Since you have some privacy and your pants and lower garments are off it’s easy to spot any ticks on your skin. Ticks like to hang out for a free meal in grassy and brushy areas. They climb to a height anywhere from our ankles to knees. They dry out quickly in the heat and sun so they try to find shade ASAP. When they find you, that shade is under your clothes and not outside the fabric. Once they get near your skin, they begin looking for places where the skin is thin and where the biggest blood supply can be found. That is usually in the creases and folds of our skin, such as your waist and groin area.

Using the toilet exposes these areas to our view more than any other time of the day, so it’s a good time to check for ticks in areas of our body normally hidden from our view. If you feel a bump on your skin in an area and you can’t see clearly, it’s a good idea to inspect more closely with a mirror and flashlight. Larvae and nymph ticks are very small so you may miss them if you are in a hurry to check. Finding a tick embedded in your skin and removed within the first 24 hours it attaches will greatly improve your chances of not getting a tick-borne infection.

What’s a dryer have to do with Tiverton tick control?

Hard ticks and soft ticks all need moisture, especially hard ticks like deer ticks. Other soft ticks take a bit longer to dry out. So tip #3 is to put the clothes you wore outside in the dryer as soon as you come indoors. Do this before washing them. Ten minutes on high heat will dry out hard ticks and 15+ minutes will dry out the softer ones. Washing won’t destroy ticks, no matter how hot the water. Remember, they need moisture and are active in warm months so warmth and water are their two best friends. Very dry and hot are their worst nightmare. Once your clothes are finished in the dryer, wash them knowing you won’t be releasing any ticks into your closets or clothes hamper.

Don’t forget your Charlestown tick control.

In addition to these tick tips, you can prevent ticks from ever reaching you when at home in your yard. A licensed tick control company can apply a perimeter spray in your yard that serves as a barrier to ticks, as well as mosquitoes, eliminating 85-90% of the ticks in your yard. Preventing ticks from ever reaching you is one of the most effective ways you can prevent tick-borne infections in your family. In addition, you will enjoy your yard more during warmer months knowing everyone is better protected.