How To Protect Your Pets From Ticks This Summer

Person checking for ticks on their dog

Playing outside in the summer sun can be a lot of fun for you and your furry friends. However, there’s one problem that can turn a great day outdoors into an itchy and unpleasant experience: ticks. These tiny pests may seem harmless, but they can cause a whole host of health issues for our pets. 

From Lyme disease to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ticks can transmit a number of diseases to our dogs that can lead to long-term complications. Thankfully, there are several ways you can prevent ticks from latching onto your pets. To protect your dog from ticks this summer, follow these tips:

Perform Daily Tick Inspections

Every time you and your pets step outdoors, you run the risk of picking up a tick. A daily inspection can help you swiftly identify and remove these pests. After coming indoors, take a few minutes to check your dog’s fur for signs of ticks. Be sure to look in common hiding spots, such as between toes or inside of the ears. 

Avoid Tall Grass

Ticks love hanging out in grassy areas with a lot of dense vegetation, so be vigilant when venturing into the wilderness. Choose well-maintained paths and avoid letting your pup romp around in overgrown areas. To make your property less attractive to ticks and other pests, you can also keep your yard neat and tidy with regular mowing and landscaping. 

Regularly Bathe Your Pets

Regular baths are not just for fresh-smelling fur; they are also a way to battle against ticks. Use a mild dog-friendly shampoo to cleanse away any lurking critters. Remember to double-check for any ticks that may be hiding out while you wash your dog. 

Talk to Your Veterinarian

Veterinarians know which tick prevention products are safe for your pets and worth the investment. They can recommend effective repellents to keep ticks off your dog. Schedule a chat with your vet to discuss the best tick prevention options for your pet’s unique needs.

Call Leo’s Pest Control

If your property is under a tick siege, it is time to call in the professionals. Investing in expert tick extermination services can help get rid of these pests quickly and prevent them from coming back. At Leo’s, we’re proud to offer a satisfaction guarantee that ensures your property is pest-free* long-term.

Do not let ticks ruin your day or harm your dog’s health. Call Leo’s Pest Control today and say goodbye to those pesky parasites.

Common Pests During the Late Summer

A deer tick

Some of us look forward to the end of summer to finally catch a break from pests, but August and September won’t afford us this opportunity quite yet. In fact, there are several kinds of bugs and wildlife that thrive in the conditions of the late summer. If you want to ensure that the last of the warm season isn’t ruined by pest problems, you have to weave prevention strategies into your routines. To learn about common late-summer pests in Bristol and Johnson City TN and what you can do to stop them, read on for advice from Leo’s Pest Control!

Pest That Thrive in Late Summer

Late spring and early summer are commonly regarded as the height of pest season, but this doesn’t mean that the late summer and other seasons are free of pest issues. Here in Bristol and Johnson City, we commonly face the following pests in the late summer:

  • Wildlife: If an animal hibernates during the winter, you can be sure that they will be active all summer. Our late summers usually come with raccoon, opossum, and squirrel problems.
  • Bees and wasps: As long as people are gathering outside, bees and wasps are going to hang around. If you cook outside often or have a habit of leaving out sugary or protein-rich foods, you can expect bees and wasps to build nests close to these newfound food sources.
  • Ticks: Ticks breed in the early summer to produce booming populations that hang around until temperatures drop significantly again. Watch out for ticks around tall grass or dense vegetation.
  • Mosquitoes: If you don’t disturb their breeding grounds, mosquitoes can develop a consistent output of offspring that stick around into fall.

Preventing These Late Summer Pests

We want to preface this prevention information by reminding you that any serious pest infestation should be dealt with immediately by an experienced technician. However, if you want a head start on keeping these late summer pests off of your property, we have some advice for you:

  1. Look for standing water: Because mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, getting rid of all potential breeding grounds will keep them off of your property. Pour out rainwater wherever you find it — be sure to look in gutters, planter boxes, and similar places.
  2. Keep your yard tidy: Trimming plants, removing leaf piles and grass clippings, and decluttering in general will all help prevent temporary pest shelters.
  3. Seal entry points: Look around the outside of your house and any structures in your yard for gaps in roofing, siding, fencing, foundation, or elsewhere. Seal holes with a silicone-based caulk or install screens to cover window gaps.
  4. Protect your trash: Taking out your trash regularly will prevent indoor pest problems, and using lids that seal on your outdoor bins will prevent wild animals and bees.

Professional Pest Control for Late Summer

If you have already tried a bunch of prevention methods and have had no luck keeping pests off of your property in Bristol and Johnson City TN this summer, it’s time to team up with your local pest experts. Our team at Leo’s Pest Control knows all about the pest problems that residents and business owners face year after year in our region. We can quickly assess your property for crucial vulnerabilities and put together a uniquely-crafted plan that tackles them safely and efficiently. Reach out today for a free quote!

Pest Proof Your Backyard in 10 Steps

A backyard to be serviced in Bristol TN - Leo's Pest Control

The sunshine and warmth bring everyone outdoors all spring and summer here in Bristol TN. However, we aren’t the only ones excited about the good weather. All sorts of common pests capitalize on the warmth that follows after a rainy season, and if we aren’t careful, our lack of preparation can invite them into our yards to settle, feed, and reproduce. Looking to learn how to keep pests out of your backyard? Read on for advice from the technicians at Leo’s Pest Control!

10 Pest-Proofing Tips for Your Backyard

Keeping pests out of your backyard during the spring and summer means adding pest prevention measures to your regular cleaning and upkeep routines. Here are our technicians’ 10 best tips to help you do so!

  1. Get rid of standing water: Still water provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes and a hydration source for many other kinds of pests. If you find rainwater pooling in buckets, planters, gutters, or elsewhere on your property, pour it out or cover it.
  2. Trim your plants: Unkempt trees, bushes, and brush can create shaded hiding places for pests like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.
  3. Clear away yard waste: Piles of yard waste can work as temporary hiding places for pests ranging from ants to rats. Dispose of your yard waste regularly.
  4. Use garden netting: Protecting your plants with garden netting can keep away common garden thieves like raccoons and even smaller garden pests like beetles.
  5. Mow your lawn regularly: Mowing your lawn once a week can ensure that longer grass blades aren’t trapping standing water and allowing common lawn pests to find easy shelters.
  6. Dethatch your lawn, too: A thin layer of thatch can insulate your lawn and keep it healthy, but too much will suffocate the grass and create a sheltered environment for all kinds of insects.
  7. Keep bins sealed and far away: Pests as small as wasps and as big as raccoons will take advantage of open trash cans to forage for food. Seal your bins if you can, and keep them at a good distance from your yard.
  8. Store firewood up and away: Keeping firewood off of the ground and away from your home or back deck can prevent devastating termite infestations from developing.
  9. Hydrate your lawn properly: Your lawn needs a regulated amount of water because both overwatering and underwatering can lead to pest problems. A sprinkler or irrigation system can solve this problem.
  10. Hire an exterminator: A professional pest control technician can approach your yard with the expertise to identify vulnerabilities and create a plan to keep pests off of your property.

Pest Control for Your Backyard in Bristol TN

If you want to make sure your backyard stays pest-free* all through the year, get in touch with your local pest control company. Our technicians at Leo’s Pest Control are trained to conduct exhaustive services, starting with property-wide inspections to identify problem sites, following with extermination and exclusion measures, and returning for any preventative maintenance necessary. For a free quote, contact us today!

Are Ticks Active in the Winter?

There is a noticeable lack of pests and insects during the winter. While some populations go into a hibernating state called “diapause,” others die off completely. A few species, however, remain active even in the coldest months of the year. Even though ticks aren’t as noticeable in the wintertime as they are in the summertime in Bristol TN, they are still present. Bite frequency is low because many ticks, including deer ticks, enter diapause or latch onto a host to wait out the cold. That said, bites—and disease transmission—can still happen. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye out for ticks, especially when you least expect them. Find out more about the tick life cycle from the professionals at Ja-Roy Pest Control!

What is a Tick’s Life Cycle?

Ticks can live for two to three years. During this time, they undergo four primary stages of life: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Their life cycle is heavily influenced by the seasons:

  1. Adult female ticks lay their eggs in the spring at the end of their lives. One tick can lay thousands of translucent-looking eggs, which are found in clusters under leaves, bushes, and more.
  2. In the summer, tick eggs hatch into six-legged larvae. Larvae rarely are infectious and will transition into nymphs after feeding on their first host.
  3. During the winter, nymph ticks are most active when the temperature exceeds 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The nymphs are mostly dormant during these cold months and shelter under leaf litter.
  4. After feeding on a host for four to five days, nymphs become adult ticks. During the spring, summer, and fall, these adult ticks will feed and mate before reaching the end of their lifespan.

Can Ticks Transmit Disease in the Winter?

Winter ticks are generally dormant, or nymphs, so bites during that time are rare. When temperatures fall below 37 degrees Fahrenheit, adult ticks that are unable to locate hosts retreat beneath leaf litter or other surface vegetation, becoming inactive. Unless there has been an unusually warm winter, adult ticks will resume searching for hosts in late February or early March. There is a chance you could still be bitten by a tick if winter temperatures are mild. Since it’s possible to get infected by a tick even in the winter, it’s imperative to stay vigilant about preventing tick bites.

Seasonal Tick Control Services

Leo’s Pest Control knows ticks and the diseases they transmit are major concerns. Tick control experts are standing by to help you if you are concerned about ticks on your Bristol TN property. Let us know how we can help!

Guide to Safely Removing Ticks

In the spring and summertime, ticks are not only one of the most common pests but also the most dangerous. Ticks are infamous for transmitting a number of diseases, namely Lyme disease. The good news is that this transmission is rare: only deer ticks can transmit it, and only some deer ticks are carriers of the disease. However, because there is a risk of tick-borne illness, it’s crucial to learn about safely removing ticks.

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month. The experts at Leo’s Pest Control are here to share a guide to safely removing ticks from you,a pet, or a family member. Keep reading to learn more!

Lyme Disease & Ticks

Certain deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks, carry and spread Lyme disease. These tiny parasitic insects can and will attach to any part of the body but are often found in the groin, scalp, and armpits. Unfortunately, most people are infected through the bites of nymph ticks, who feed in the spring and summertime.

The good news is that when a tick is safely removed within the first 24 hours, the chances of contracting a tick-borne illness are low. It is only when an infected tick has been attached for 36–48 hours can the bacterium be transmitted. You can protect yourself from the potential dangers of a tick bite by learning how to remove and dispose of the tick.

Tick removal guide - Leo's Pest Control in Bristol TNTick Removal Guide

When it comes to removing a tick, tweezers are the best tool. In fact, the following method is backed by the CDC and the ASPCA. Safely removing ticks is best done by adhering to the following steps:

  1. Grab a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. Carefully pull back any hair from the skin surrounding the tick.
  2. Firmly grasp the head or mouth of the tick with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible. Avoid grasping the tick’s body to the best of your ability, as this could inject the tick’s blood into the skin.
  3. Firmly and steadily pull the tick outward in a straight motion. Try to not twist the tweezers, as this could dislodge the head, leaving it embedded in your skin.
  4. As soon as the tick is removed, carefully clean the area of the bite, as well as your hands, with soap and water.
  5. To safely dispose of the tick, place it in a sealed bag or jar with alcohol. Another option is to flush the tick down the toilet. Do not crush the tick.

If you begin to notice a rash developing or any other symptoms after removing a tick, get in touch with your doctor immediately.

Professional Tick Control in Bristol TN

Ticks may be tiny, but they are one of the most dangerous pest problems. Learning how to prevent ticks and how to safely remove them in a timely manner is the key to staying safe from tick-borne illnesses. The experts at Leo’s Pest Control are here to answer any questions you may have about ticks—contact us today!

Afraid of Rodents and Bugs? 2021 May Not Be Your Year

Rodent control services in Bristol Tennessee; Call Leo's Pest Control

Entomologists from Leo’s parent company, Rentokil Provide their Pest Predictions for 2021

READING, Penn. (Jan. 4, 2021) — As if 2020 didn’t present enough challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 could be a banner year for pests around the country.

To help residents prepare for 2021, entomologists from Rentokil used field knowledge and data to provide their predictions for pests in the upcoming year.

1. Rodents, Rodents Everywhere:

With shutdowns across the country, it’s no surprise that rodents are on the rise nationwide. Empty buildings, the scarcity of food and warmer winters have combined to create a rodent apocalypse.

“We’re seeing more rats in urban, suburban and rural settings because of the shutdowns,” said Marc Potzler, Board Certified Entomologist. “Food sources are cut off, and rats are having to travel to scavenge for food. We’ve seen rats out in public during the day, which is highly unusual.”

Warmer winters have also allowed for mice populations to boom in residential areas as it allows for a longer breeding season and there is a lower population loss due to hard freezes.

“Right now is the perfect time to rodent-proof your home,” said Potzler. “Make sure to repair any gaps on the exterior of your home, such as around garage doors, windows or pipes.”

2. Mosquitoes on the Move:

Mosquitoes populations have been increasing over the last few years. Aedes species, which are disease-carrying mosquitoes, are also moving to new areas. These mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and Zika virus, among other diseases.

“There is an increase of mosquitoes across the country, but notably on the West Coast, and they are adapting each year,” said Eric Sebring, Associate Certified Entomologist. “We have seen evidence of behavior adaptation, where mosquitoes lay their eggs strategically to hatch throughout the season.”

Protect yourself and your family from mosquitoes by removing any standing water on your property. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as one teaspoon of water. Also, wear EPA-approved insect repellent while spending time outside.

3. Bed Bugs:

The chatter about bed bugs was quiet in 2020, but that’s not because they have gone away.

“As people begin to travel again, we will start to hear about bed bug infestations,” said Sebring. “Bed bugs can be dormant for several months at a time, so they can emerge when a food source, humans, become available.”

Bed bugs are considered hitchhikers, traveling from place to place on people, luggage, clothing and other personal belongings. Homeowners and businesses such as hotels, colleges, hospitals, senior living facilities, retail stores, and libraries have experienced problems with bed bugs.

If traveling, inspect the bed by pulling back the sheets to examine the mattress. Check your luggage before packing and unpacking, and look for signs of living or dead bugs the size of an apple seed or black fecal smears.

4. More Time Outdoors = More Pests.

From hiking to gardening to dining al fresco, there is no doubt that the pandemic has forced people to spend more time outdoors.

In 2021, we will see the outdoor pest pressures continue:

Ticks: Ticks are responsible for transmitting several diseases, including Lyme disease, to humans and animals. These small insects are found in grassy areas and in the woods, so it is important to inspect yourself and your pets after spending time outdoors. Cover as much skin as possible while outdoors, wear long pants, long sleeves, closed-toed shoes, and tuck pant legs into socks. Light-colored clothing will also help any ticks you pick up stand out.

Ants: “As soon as the weather starts to warm up, we will see an increase in ant populations,” said Tom Dobrinska, Board Certified Entomologist. “Most of the ants we are dealing with are odorous house ants. When spending time outside, make sure to clean up any food, water or sugary substances and ensure that your home is free of any holes or cracks for them to enter.”

Stinging Insects: Stinging insects, such as wasps and yellow jackets, emerge at the first sign of warm weather, and as warm weather seasons are getting longer, stinging insects have more time to create issues. Make sure you check for nests early in the spring as they are smaller and get early nest treatment. Make sure to keep windows and doors shut, and secure outside bins so stinging insects are not attracted to the contents.

5. Termites Aren’t Going Anywhere

Termites are a pesky problem, and unfortunately, are not going anywhere. Termites can cause extensive damage to structures, especially homes. As people are moving out of cities during the pandemic to more suburban areas, education about termite protection is key.

“We received more calls for termites this past year than we have in many years,” said Potzler. “It’s important to raise awareness for homeowners now to have proactive protection to keep from costly repairs in the future.”

6. Pests in the News:

There are a few pests that will continue to steal the limelight in 2021.

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is an invasive pest that has been making its way across the country since it was first introduced from Asia in 2001. Besides its pungent odor, this stink bug has become a nuisance for homeowners as it gathers in large numbers on the sides of houses and buildings and enters through small cracks in the home. “The brown marmorated stink bug is here to stay,” said Dobrinska. “We will continue to see this species emerge in late spring in large numbers.”

The Spotted Lanternfly will continue to wreak havoc across the Northeast and beyond. The invasive pest, first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, is spreading across the Northeast, with New York reporting its first sighting this year. The pest can significantly damage trees and plants.

“The Spotted Lanternfly is becoming a big problem in the Northeast, and it will continue to spread,” said Potzler. “It can be devastating for agriculture and is a nuisance for homeowners.”

The egg masses look like a smear of mud on trees and outside of homes. It’s important to scrape the egg mass off, put it in a bag with rubbing alcohol and throw it away, and then call the state department of agriculture.

The infamous “Murder Hornet,” also known as the Asian giant hornet, grabbed many headlines, causing homeowners to panic trying to decipher the difference between stinging insects in their yards and this aggressive species. The Asian giant hornet is the largest hornet species in the world, growing up to 3 inches in length. Currently, the Asian giant hornet has only been found in the Pacific Northwest.

“We know that there was one colony found and eliminated in Washington State,” said Sebring. “Unfortunately, if there is one, there will be more.”

While your chances of being stung by an Asian giant hornet are fairly low, the sting can be dangerous as the venom volume is higher, causing more pain. The hives are primarily built underground or in hollows in trees. If you suspect it is an Asian giant hornet or any stinging pests, call your pest management provider to assess the situation as soon as you spot activity.