Q. When do adult ticks lay their eggs and hatch?

Adult ticks will lay their eggs in the spring, which will then hatch into larvae in the summer season. The larvae tend to become most active in the month of August. At this point, these ticks do not have Lyme disease, because they must feed on an infected host in order to become infected.

Q. What are the life stages of a tick?

A tick has three life stages over a two-year period. There is one blood meal (feeding) per stage before they molt into the next stage. Remember, though, that a newly hatched larvae cannot pass Lyme disease onto a human, because they don’t yet have the disease. The disease must be picked up from an infected host. That host is usually a mouse.

After its one blood meal, the larvae will transform into nymphs in the fall. This is the most dangerous life-stage of a deer tick, because they are still as tiny as larvae, but may now be carriers of Lyme disease.

The nymphs will remain inactive throughout the winter and early spring. May through June is the period of peak activity for the nymphs. After they have their blood meal, they drop off the host into the leaf litter and molt into adults. These adults look for their blood meal hosts in the fall, most actively in the months of October and November.

The adults that haven’t attached themselves to a suitable host in the fall become active early in the spring, during which they search for their last blood meal. This last feeding and mating must occur in order for the female adult deer ticks to lay their eggs. Remember: These eggs will not hatch into larvae until the summer.

Q. How do I know if I’ve been bit by a disease-carrying tick? And what should I do?

If you, a friend or a family member experienced a tick bite in the autumn, it was most likely by an adult. If the tick was tiny, it could have been a nymph that was actively searching for an early blood meal. Either one of these two stages of tick could be a carrier of Lyme disease or other co-infections.

Here at Peter Benz Landscaping, our timing for the tick tube installations is on time — and perhaps even a bit early — for the egg-laying season in the Bucks County and Montgomery County areas. We are also going after the dangerous nymphs with this first treatment.

Q. How exactly do your tick tube installations work?

The goal is to get the cotton into the nests of the mice so the permethrin in the cotton binds with the oils on the mice’s fur. In the spring, any ticks, adults or nymphs that come into contact with the mice from these treated nests are killed as they try to feed on the hosts.

The second application of tick tubes in the summer is targeted to the newly hatching larvae, as well as the nymphs and the adults that these mice may encounter in their travels. Incredibly, there can be anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 deer tick larvae born in one mouse nest. It’s best, of course, if all these larvae are killed in the nest (by coming into contact with permethrin-treated cotton) before they leave.

The price for the two tick treatments varies based on the size and amount of thick mouse habitat available.

Please contact us as soon as possible if anyone you know needs help battling Lyme disease. Anyone who has been infected recently, by the way, should be able to get rid of the infection quickly with the use of antibiotics. Doxycycline tends to be the most commonly prescribed option. It is when the disease goes undiagnosed for a lengthy period of time that it becomes more difficult to beat.

What’s a Deer Tick?

Deer ticks are also known as “black legged ticks,” and can be confused with other kinds of ticks, especially dog ticks. They live by attaching to and then feeding off of unsuspecting hosts; their favorite host is the white tailed deer, as their name suggests.

What They Look Like

Small, brown and flat, deer ticks have eight black legs. Because of their small size and unobtrusive color, they appear nearly invisible; they’re about the size of a sesame seed. They’ll turn rust-colored or brownish-red after they’ve fed.

How You Acquire Them

Contrary to what is sometimes popular belief, deer ticks don’t “jump onto” their hosts. Instead, they make their way to your clothing or your pets’ fur by simply “brushing onto” you or your pets as you pass.

Why They’re Dangerous

• They carry bacteria and viruses – which can be transmitted to you and your pets

Dear ticks can be dangerous because they are carriers of many bacteria and viruses, which they can pass them on to you once they bite you. Deer ticks are the primary carriers of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

• You won’t feel the bite

The deer tick bite is painless when it occurs, so that you won’t feel it. You won’t know that you’ve been bitten until you begin to have symptoms of illness – which is why it’s imperative that you don’t get them on you at all. And remember, your pets are at risk, too.

Where Do Deer Ticks Commonly Live?

• In forests and in heavily wooded areas

Deer ticks are most commonly found on their preferred hosts, white tailed deer, and therefore frequent heavily wooded areas and forests. However, they also like other hosts just fine are not picky. They live “on top of” grass and leaves, meaning that it’s very easy for them to crawl right onto your clothing or skin, or your pet’s fur.

• On the edge of suburbia

Yes, that’s right. Even if you live in a suburban area, you’re still at risk for deer tick infestation and thus exposure to dangerous diseases like Lyme disease. As suburbia (and urbanization) advances into previously “wild” locations, they also advance on those areas where deer ticks live. Because of that, you’re not safe even if you don’t live in or near a forest or heavily wooded area.

How Can You Tell If You Have Deer Ticks?

Unfortunately, the only way to really tell whether or not you have ticks is to spot them or their effects (bites) – on you, or on your pets. Actually finding deer ticks can be difficult to do because they are so hard to spot. The unfortunate result may be that you won’t know you’ve actually got them until you begin to experience symptoms of illness – and by then, it’s too late; you’ve already been exposed. At that point, seek medical treatment.

What Can You Do About Deer Ticks?

While certain preventative measures (wearing long sleeves and pants, for example) are often touted as good protection against deer ticks, remember that these little pests like nothing more than transferring onto clothing to get to you. Therefore, even if you do wear long pants, you’re not necessarily going to prevent deer ticks from getting on you. What you really should do is to test for them first and then control them with specific professional services.

Testing and Then Control Is Best

Deer Tick Control Equals Lyme Disease Prevention

The best way to protect yourself against deer tick infestation is to have a professional inspect your property for deer tick infestation. Once that’s done, your professional will install Damminix Tick Tubes® to both eradicate the current deer tick population and prevent re-infestation. After treatment, exposure to deer ticks and resultant Lyme disease dropped by 90%.

• No harm done to pets or other animals

This method of deer tick eradication and reinfestation prevention does not harm pets or other animals in the environment. The only creatures affected by the chemical used, permethrin, are the deer ticks themselves. Housed in biodegradable cardboard tubes, these treatments are safe for you, your family, the environment and your pets.

Take Control, Now

• With a Lymenator tick test

If you’ve found a tick a host already, make sure to preserve for testing. Call Peter Benz Landscaping and ask to schedule a Lymenator tick test. The test can tell within 10 minutes whether or not a tick is infected with the Lyme disease pathogen, so that you can seek treatment as early as possible if needed.

• By controlling deer tick infestation

Let a professional inspect your property for deer ticks and then install Damminix Tick Tubes® to both eradicate existing deer tick populations and prevent them from returning. Contact Peter Benz Landscaping today for a consultation.

At Peter Benz Landscaping we put a strong focus on helping our clients prevent the spread of Lyme disease through a variety of tick control services in Bucks County. These services include the installation of deer fencing and Damminix Tick Tubes. If you or someone you know has already been diagnosed with the disease, here are some helpful suggestions on how to take care of yourself.

Diet

The bacteria and microbes of the disease feed on glucose for energy so you should try and cut as much as this out as you can. This means to eat less of sweets and simple carbohydrates like cakes, pastas and breads. Lyme microbes can actually produce chemicals that can make you crave sweets so that you can feed them. The more you are able to avoid giving into them, the better you will feel. Resist the urge to feed the problem!

Vitamin C

Once you cut out the glucose you will need to give the Lyme disease microbes another source of food. A raw form of vitamin C, called ascorbic acid, is very similar to glucose and tricks the microbes into eating it. The ascorbic acid actually oxidizes inside the organism and kills it. The acid can also be very harsh on your stomach, so it’s important to follow these directions:

Mix the powdered vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in a cup of six to eight ounces of water with the baking soda in a ratio of 1:1, using about ½ teaspoon of each. Try to do this at least three times per day and after a couple of weeks you may be able to increase your intake. This actually helps to kill the Lyme disease microbes so take in as much as you can handle.

Natural Salt

Ingesting Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt makes the body uncomfortable for Lyme disease microbes and forces them out of hiding. Herbs of Light (sold at Whole Foods) makes capsules that are convenient to take with meals. The recommendation is approximately one capsule for ten pounds of body weight per day (maximum of ten capsules daily).

Apple Cider Vinegar & Baking Soda

Lyme microbes thrive in acidic environments which our bodies tend to be. By consuming both apple cider vinegar and baking soda you help raise your PH levels toward to the alkaline side where Lyme microbes struggle to survive.

Since you will already be consuming baking soda, just drink one ounce of apple cider vinegar (Bragg Organic Raw Unfiltered) three to four times a day, preferably between meals. You can drink it straight or mix it with water.

Flushing

After following the previous steps, you will make your body an uninviting environment for the Lyme microbes to survive, and you will need to flush them out. You can do this by drinking water, exercising and sweating. It’s recommended you drink eight ounces of water about every thirty minutes.

Exercise enough to sweat but don’t push yourself past your physical limitations. Try taking a walk or bouncing on a trampoline, a proven helpful exercise for Lyme patients.

Flushing out the dead microbes is so important because keeping them in your body can lead to feelings of queasiness and exhaustion, also called Herksheimer’s Reaction.

Probiotics

Take a probiotic (Primal Defense Ultra from Garden of Life) thirty minutes before or two hours after you eat once a day for the first few days. Then try taking two a day for a week and then increase to three a day for the next few weeks.

Please note: This protocol was created by people suffering from chronic Lyme disease searching for relief.

Remember, you can help you and your family by preventing the spread of Lyme disease through our tick control services. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.

Make sure you and your family are aware of the following symptoms Lyme disease may cause and contact your physician right away if you notice any sign.

Early Symptoms: These can occur within a month after being infected with Lyme disease.

• Rash: This is the most vital and obvious symptom associated with Lyme disease.  A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite, although a red bump associated with a tick bite doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Lyme disease. But, if the redness increases over the next few days, forming a bulls-eye pattern it is a serious sign of a Lyme disease infection. Some people may develop this rash in several different places on their body.

• Flu-like Symptoms: You want to keep an eye out for feelings like: fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache (usually associated with the bulls-eye rash).

Later Symptoms:  Several weeks to months after being infected you may notice some of these symptoms.

• Joint Problems: You may notice outbreaks of severe joint pain and swelling, especially in your knees. The pain can shift back and forth between different joints.

• Neurological Problems: Some serious issues may occur weeks, months or even years after you have been infected. These issues may be inflammation of your brain membranes (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness of your limbs and impaired muscle movement.

Don’t let anyone in your family come in contact with any infected deer ticks. By taking advantage of tick control services, you can avoid the dangers and threats of Lyme disease. Contact Peter Benz Landscaping to have one of our experienced tick control technicians install the right tools to decrease the population and prevent the spread of Lyme disease on and around your Bucks County property.