Flea and tick season is here in the Myrtle Beach area. It’s important to know that fleas and ticks aren’t just a problem for your pets but also for you. Both of these pests can carry a number of bacteria, parasites and other vectors that can cause serious illness. For example, ticks can carry Lyme and associated co-infections, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia to name a few. Fleas can transmit tapeworm, Bubonic Plague and Tungiasis and more. While it is more common to find fleas and ticks on your pets, both have no objection to getting a meal from humans. Here are tips for protecting yourself and your pets from these pests:
1. Keep grass cut short. Fleas and ticks avoid direct sunlight. An overgrown lawn gives them more shade to hide in, whereas a short and maintained lawn allows more light to reach all the way to the ground.
2. Keep shrubs, bushes and trees well-trimmed. Similar to your lawn, maintaining shrubs, bushes and trees allows more sunlight into the plants and is less desirable to ticks and fleas.
3. Check yourself and pets for pests after outdoor adventures. Keep a flea comb handy to brush over pets to find and remove any hitchhiking fleas or ticks before they make their way into your home. When you check yourself, be sure to check your shoes, socks, coats and bags. Fleas can be drowned in soapy water. Any ticks you find should be placed in an airtight container for testing should signs of illness occur.
4. Keep up with monthly flea and tick treatments for your pets as recommended by your veterinarian to prevent your pets bringing these pests inside.
5. Carpets and rugs are an ideal hiding place for ticks, fleas and their offspring. If you’ve found them inside your home, make sure to vacuum at least twice per week and focus on low-traffic areas. Pay extra attention along baseboards, under furniture and other places where these bugs would be less disturbed by daily activities. Place a flea collar in your vacuum bag/container, if possible to kill any eggs as they hatch.
6. If your pet rides in your vehicle, be sure to also vacuum your vehicle on a regular basis. Use the attachments to get into the cracks between cushions, underneath the seats and anywhere else in the vehicle where fleas and ticks could be hiding.
7. Call The Pest Force! We have flea and tick treatments for your lawn and around the outside of your home. We also have treatments to get rid of any infestations inside your home. And, you don’t have to wait until you have a flea and tick problem to give us a call – we can help prevent infestations before they endanger you or your pets.
It’s summertime in South Carolina. Fleas and ticks are out in force just looking for you or your pet for their next meal. Protect yourself and your pets by calling The Pest Force to keep these disease-causing pests out of your hair (or fur) today.