tick control central Mass Archives » Tick Control in Central Mass

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.

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

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.

Powassan is on the rise in Massachusetts

I often write about Lyme disease, the most widely-known tick-borne illness. Central Mass residents also face another serious threat. Potentially deadly, Powassan is on the rise in Massachusetts.

The CDC reports that Massachusetts had 22 confirmed cases of Powassan virus from 2009-2018, third highest in the nation. Only Minnesota and Wisconsin had higher reported cases in that time span. In August, another Powassan case was reported in Massachusetts. Neighboring Connecticut has had four confirmed cases of Powassan so far in 2019. The most recent was October 11.

Powassan is on the rise in Massachusetts — *Deer ticks are responsible for the spread of Powassan in Massachusetts.*

How is Powassan spread?

The black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, spreads Powassan. Deer ticks feed on the blood of mice and birds, and even our cats and dogs. This makes Powassan virus a true threat to our pets, as well as our human family members. It is reported that mice can even carry infected ticks into our homes. We must remain vigilant, even in the cool autumn weather, in keeping our tick control treatments going. Your family’s health could depend on it!

pets can get Powassan — *Tick control in the fall will continue to help protect your whole family from the threat of Powassan.*

What are symptoms of Powassan? Are there treatments?

Symptoms of Powassan can take on those of encephalitis or meningitis – brain or spinal cord infections. If you have found a tick on your skin or clothing, or on your pets, and begin to see symptoms of lethargy, headache, fever, confusion, or seizures, seek medical help immediate. There is no treatment for Powassan. Patients typically require respiratory assistance, and treatment for infection of the brain or spinal cord. There is no vaccine to prevent Powassan. Approximately 10% of those infected will die of the disease.

Powassan virus threat in Massachusetts — *Powassan infected ticks can be lurking in leaf piles, wooded areas, or questing in your lawn or landscaping plants.*

What tick control and prevention measures should you take to prevent Powassan?

Powassan in Massachusetts If you are going to be outdoors, wear long sleeves and pants in light colors, so you can spot a tick easily if it gets onto your clothing. Use personal tick protection measures – repellents with DEET or permethrin are essential if you are hunting, hiking, performing yard work, or other outdoor activities we love in the fall, such as attending or hosting bonfires. Ticks are still lurking, ready to latch on for their blood meals.

Continued tick control in Central Mass

As I mentioned before, now is not the time to halt the tick control efforts around your home. Even though fall has brought cool temps, it has not eliminated the tick population. Nor are they becoming dormant, as they do in the winter. Tick control around your Central Mass home should continue until the immediate threat is gone – when temps fall consistently below 45°F.

tick control Central Mass Once ticks become dormant, yard sprays are not essential, but it is wise for Central Massachusetts residents to employ additional tick control with tick tubes. Tick tubes are placed around your property, and are filled with cotton that has been coated with insecticide. Mice will use the treated cotton to build their nests. While the insecticide doesn’t hurt the mice, it will eliminate ticks that try to feed on them – or ticks that are lying dormant in their nests. Tick tubes can greatly reduce the ticks in your yard next spring by breaking their life cycle.

Ticks are much like Game of Thrones’ Night King!

Ticks are no good for ANYONE. They prey on our families, our pets, and even our livestock. Will you be stuck trying to remove a tick from yourself or a loved one this year, and hope that said tick has not left devastation behind?

As we inch towards the series finale of Game of Thrones, I started thinking about how I might compare Central Mass ticks to the once-feared, mysterious Night King. Here are some comparisons between the two!

Central Mass ticks and the Night King are u-g-l-y, and they ain’t got no alibi!

Most obvious of all, the Night King is hideous and scary looking. The same can be said of ticks! Not only are ticks gross on the outside, but they have a mouthful of hooks that allow them to DIG IN to your flesh, and borrow!

Your sacrifice is required for their reproduction, just like the Night King built his army of Wights!

Female ticks take a few blood meals during their life cycle. They require their last blood meal in order to reproduce, and create more blood-sucking, disease spreading ticks! In search of their blood meal, they will latch on to your flesh, sink their hooks in you, and can transfer very harmful diseases, like Lyme disease.

Tick bites are your blood sacrifice!
Your sacrifice could be Lyme disease!

Central Mass ticks can survive the winter, just like the Night King!

Contrary to popular belief, ticks do not die in winter. Reputable Central Massachusetts tick prevention professionals have solutions, such as tick tubes, which will continue to eliminate ticks “out of season” and control the tick population in your yard during the next spring and summer!

Do ticks survive winter? — Like the Night King, Central Mass ticks easily survive winter!

Don’t say, “Dracarys!” Fire will not help you remove a tick – just like dragonfire won’t kill the Night King!

You do NOT want to burn ticks to get them out of your skin. Never put yourself, your loved one, or your pet in harm’s way by trying to burn a tick to remove it. This cannot end well! How should your remove a tick?

Steel vanquished the Night King, and will help you vanquish your tick!

Tweezer tick removal — Proper tick removal requires tweezers.

Valyrian steel not required! For that matter, please not your most effective weapon will not be a dagger. All you need is a nice pair of tweezers to remove and dispose of your tick.

My goal is always to inform you about the dangers of ticks in Central Mass. The best way to control them, and to keep your family safe, is to prevent them in the first place. As they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Would You Like to Know the Risk Level of Lyme Disease in Your Zip Code?

What if you could input your zip code and out would pop the percentage of ticks that tested positive for Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases? Well, guess what? YOU CAN!

Tickreport.com lists 19 tick-borne illnesses and the percentage of ticks that tested positive for those submitted in the given area. Let me show you some examples. If I take the zip codes for Lakeville and Manchester and search for the positive cases of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which is the group of bacteria that causes Lyme disease, this is what I get:

Lakeville 02347: 2 ticks tested, both tested positive. 100%

Methuen 01844: 5 ticks tested, 1 tested positive. 20%

Gloucester 01930: 14 ticks tested, 2 tested positive. 14.29%

Manchester 01944: 14 ticks tested, 5 tested positive. 35.71%

I realize this is limited information, but it’s a wonderful tool. The key is getting more people to actually get their ticks tested. $50 may seem like more than you want to pay, but take just a minute to consider what you are contributing to. Not only will you know for certain if a tick you’ve removed from you or a family member is carrying disease that requires treatment, but you are also contributing to valuable research. Research that can lead to better information for forming the right kind of tick protection in your area and also research that could ultimately lead to vaccines for tick-borne illness. It’s hard to overlook the chance to be that helpful, isn’t it?

Be Sure to Remove the Tick Safely – Then Send It In

There are some silly old tales out there about nail polish and match sticks when it comes to removing ticks. What worked for Granddad is NOT a good idea today. Follow our guideline for safe tick removal to ensure you remove all parts of the tick. Send it into tickreport.com and in 3 days you’ll know just what you are dealing with. This is such a quick and easy process for a huge step towards peace of mind when it comes to your family’s well-being.

Professional tick control in Central MA is critical to your family’s health and safety.

A reputable tick control company can eliminate 85-90% of all ticks in your yard for the season with an EPA-approved barrier spray eliminates ticks and continues to work with its time released formula. Our tick tube system goes further by eliminating the ticks in their youngest stages. That not only protects you during this season but also gets a jump on the next!

Tag: tick control central Mass