Idaho Ticks: Tips to Keep Them Away

While you are out enjoying all of the amazing outdoor recreation Idaho has to offer, don’t forget that summer is tick season in Idaho. Ticks can spread many different diseases that can have lasting effects, so it’s important to take precautions to protect yourselves, your children, and your pets.

Ticks are small arachnids that are related to spiders. They need blood meals to survive, and will feed on a variety of animals, including humans. There are three main types of ticks in Idaho: American dog ticks, deer ticks, and Rocky Mountain wood ticks. The most common and worrisome is the Rocky Mountain Wood tick. This species has a tear-drop shaped body that is brownish-red with a white colored shield on females and gray and white spots on males. Wood ticks are approximately ⅛ inches long before feeding and around ⅝ inches when engorged with blood. 

 Deceased dermacentor Variabilis tick by Retro Lenses, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Lyme disease, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tick bite paralysis are just some of the diseases spread by ticks. Since Lyme disease, the most dangerous, is very rare in Idaho, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most worrisome. This is spread by wood ticks. Possible symptoms include: fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, muscle pain, and lack of appetite. 

So, what can you do to make sure that ticks don’t interrupt your summer fun? Follow these simple tips to keep them away:

• Use an EPA approved insect repellent that contains DEET
• Check yourself, children, and pets after being outdoors. Ticks like to hide on warm areas of the body like the scalp, under arms, and behind knees. If you find that a tick has burrowed into the skin, pull it out carefully with a pair of tweezers.
• Stay on approved trails and out of the heavy brush and thick grass.
• Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toed shoes when outdoors.
• Treat clothing with permethrin or buy pre-treated clothing.
• Get rid of tick habitat around your property by decluttering and performing regular yard maintenance
• Discuss tick medicines for your pets with your veterinarian
• Hire professionals to treat areas around your home 

Your Boise Pest Control Company

For help managing pests around your home, call the experts at Averse Pest Control. We are a locally owned and operated company that knows the area and the people of the Treasure Valley. We pride ourselves on fast, friendly, and quality service. Contact us today to get started with the best pest control around.