Using Tick Box Tick Control Systems to Prevent Lyme Disease◀ Back To Blog
July 25, 2019
Lyme Disease: chances are that you have at least one friend or family member who has contracted Lyme Disease, and frankly it’s a pretty scary topic; often people would rather not think about it at all. It’s important that you don’t fall into that category, because the fact of the matter is that people most often contract Lyme Disease on their own property. It’s a danger that lurks close to the home, and it’s not as simple as just getting tick treatments, because ticks often get into home and onto properties through other animals, the most common host being common household rodents.
Luckily, a system known as the Tick Box Tick Control System has shown to be an extremely effective system when it comes to reducing tick populations significantly. But what is it? Let’s learn a bit more about the threats that Lyme Disease carrying ticks pose, and just how this vaunted control system works.
What You Need to Know About Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a specific kind of tick, the blacklegged tick (more commonly known as a deer tick) and can cause a number of symptoms that range from uncomfortable and irritating at first to more severe symptoms as the disease progresses. According to the CDC, symptoms include:
- A rash at the bite site that steadily grows--sometimes to a size of 12 inches or more
If Lyme Disease is contracted, but remains untreated for a period of time after being bitten, some of the following, more worrisome symptoms can arise:
- Severe joint pain and swelling
- Tendon, joint, and bone pain
- Heart palpitations
- Brain and spinal cord inflammation
- Numbness and/or tingling in hands and feet
- Problems in short-term memory recollection
These more serious symptoms can begin to show just days after the bite but can also sometimes take months; this variation of time can make Lyme Disease difficult to recognize right away, so if you notice any of the early symptoms, be sure to seek treatment immediately.
If you are a pet owner, keep in mind that cats and dogs can also contract Lyme Disease, with symptoms being an unusual amount of lethargy, joint inflammation, and lack of appetite. If you have an outdoor dog or cat, make sure that you’re checking them for ticks, especially if they tend to roam in wooded or grassy areas.
How Can I Prevent Ticks from Infesting My Yard?
Ticks don’t travel very far on their own; in fact, they often end up in yards by latching onto mice and other wild animals, essentially hitching a ride to a location with more available hosts to feed on: your yard. That’s what makes a Tick Box Tick Control System so effective: it targets not just ticks, but also the mice that often unknowingly carry them.
It works like this: a plastic box, containing both a tick insecticide (called Fipronil) and wildlife bait, is placed into the problem area. This bait will attract any wildlife that may be carrying ticks, and treat them with the Fipronil, which is not harmful to the wildlife--only the ticks they may be carrying. Wildlife can then exit the plastic bait box, and go about their day, with a treatment that will prevent any ticks for around 40 days. This is a process that will not only help to keep ticks out of your lawn, but will also help to prevent any wildlife that currently lurks around your property from acquiring Lyme Disease, which will help to stop infected wildlife from spreading the Lyme Disease bacteria to humans or domesticated animals.
How Can I Access This Service?
Thomas Pest Services has got you covered. We have extensive professional experience in the proper placement and deployment of Tick Box Tick Control Systems, so we know exactly where to best install the boxes so that they will be as effective as possible. These systems have been shown to reduce tick presence by up to 88% in the first year alone, which makes it the most effective tick treatment program out there! Reports of Lyme Disease have nearly doubled since 1991, and we want to stop Lyme Disease in the Capital Region and Adirondacks in its tracks; the Tick Box Tick Control System is a huge step in the right direction!