FAQs About Ticks

Ticks are not insects and though they are not spiders, they belong to the arachnid family. These external parasites might be familiar to you if you have had the unfortunate encounter with them. They burrow into their host, feeding on their blood. The best way to avoid these creatures is to understand more about them. Here are all your frequently asked questions about ticks.

Where do ticks live?

Ticks live in typically grassy or wooded areas but infest in your yard, making the danger of tick bites more probable for you, your children or your pets. Read more…

How many different types of ticks are there?

There are around 850 species of ticks in the world but only about 90 species are found in the US. Ticks fall into two categories consisting of hard shell ticks and soft shell ticks. Read more…

What’s the tick life cycle?

Almost all ticks are “host ticks,” meaning they live via a host that keeps them alive. These parasites have 4 stages of their life cycle. Read more…

Is there tick repellent?

Yes, there are many good types of tick repellent on the market. Read more…

What’s the best tick repellent/spray?

According to the CDC, the best type of tick repellent is one that has at least 20% DEET, Picaridin or IR3535. It should be applied to the skin or clothing, avoiding the hands, mouth and eyes. Read more…

How do I get rid of ticks?

Finding a tick on yourself, your child or your pet is alarming and shocking. Once you see it on yourself, your first instinct might be to rip it out of your as fast as possible. Read more…

Can you spray your yard for ticks?

Treating your yard for ticks is a good way to ensure that your family and pets do not encounter them. All it takes is a few ticks to lay several thousand eggs a piece for you to have a massive tick infestation in your yard. Read more…

What’s the best tick repellent/spray/treatment for my yard?

Treating your lawn is a good place to start when it comes to tick control in your yard. Keeping your lawn short gives ticks fewer places to hide. Read more…

How do you kill ticks?

If you find a tick on yourself or your pet, when you pull it out, there are a few ways to kill them. You can put the tick between two pieces of scotch tape. Read more…

Are different tick species treated differently for pest control?

Professional pest control technicians are trained extensively on how to efficiently remove ticks from your home and yard. Read more…

What is tick prevention?

Tick prevention can encompass many aspects. Preventing ticks encompasses 4 areas: Read more…

Do all ticks carry Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is one of the scariest tick-borne diseases you can develop from tick bites. It is a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi spread through bites of infected blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks. Read more…

How do I identify Lyme disease from a tick?

If you or your loved one has been bitten by a tick, it is important to watch the bite site for the next couple days. Read more…

Are tick bites bad, serious?

First off, here in Pennsylvania if you are ever bitten by a tick, you should seek out medical attention. This is not because the bite is dangerous. Read more…

Why do ticks bite?

Ticks are parasites. The only way that they can grow to adulthood is through a blood meal. When a tick first hatches, it is in its larval stage and will immediately seek out an appropriate host. Read more…

Are tick bites itchy, painful, raised, red? How do I identify a tick bite?

One of the best ways to tell if you have a tick bite, is to find a tick biting you. Once a tick bites you, it will remain with its head embedded in your skin anywhere from three to ten days. Read more…

Do ticks lay eggs?

Ticks do, in fact, lay eggs. They can lay a lot of eggs. A single female tick can lay several thousand eggs. Read more…

Do ticks survive water?

You can go to a swimming pool, take a shower, or sit in a bathtub and any tick on your body is going to survive just fine. Ticks cannot swim at all. Read more…

Will ticks die when I shower?

You can shower all you want, but it will not kill a tick. Cold, warm, and even hot water has a hard time killing ticks. However, this doesn’t mean that a shower isn’t effective. Read more…

Will ticks die in the wash?

You have just gone on a nice hike through the Pennsylvania wilderness, or maybe you have spent some time working in your yard and you want to get rid of any ticks. Read more…

Do ticks jump?

There is good news when it comes to ticks. They do not jump and they definitely don’t fly. Ticks use other methods to find a host. Read more…

Do ticks survive winter?

The unfortunate answer is no. There are quite a few varieties of tick that take years to become adults. They survive the winter by hiding out in piles of leaf litter. Read more…

What if my dog has a tick?

There is a reason that varieties of ticks have the name the “American Dog Tick” or the “Brown Dog Tick”. Dogs love to wander. Read more…

Which tick treatment is best for dogs?

One of the best things you can do for your dog is to increase the prevention of getting a tick in the first place. Keep your grass mowed and don’t let it get very long. Read more…

Are there tick removal tools?

One of the best tools you can use to remove ticks is a pair of tweezers. Avoid grabbing the body of the tick as this can cause them to regurgitate fluid back into your body and increase the risk of diseases. Read more…

When is tick season in Pennsylvania? When does it start? When is it over?

One of the biggest culprits in Pennsylvania for spreading Lymes disease is the deer tick. The Deer tick has a hard shell and telltale black legs. Read more…