Well, we are finally at our summer time temperatures hitting 110 degrees.  Many people in the Phoenix Area will be finding ways to keep cool all summer long.  A lot of people will head to the ocean a mere 5 to 6 hours west of us in either San Diego or Los Angeles areas, some will travel North to Flagstaff and East to the White Mountains which will take 2 to 4 hours to get somewhere cooler than the heart of Phoenix.

Now some of you might wonder where this is leading to, on a pest control blog, obviously people want to stay cool when it’s hot! Duh…  Anyway, I want to talk about travelers, little hitch hikers.  You know, our friends the Ticks and Bedbugs.

When we go camping or hiking in Arizona’s cooler spots – there is a strong likely hood that we will take the dogs, and that your dog will be roaming the beautiful mountainside sniffing, rubbing under bushes and shrubs, playing in the creek, etc…  all the time – putting themselves at risk of picking up those hitch hikers that will travel all the way back home to move into their new permanent residence with you, your family and your pets. 

Or when you stay at a hotel/motel or even worse a hostel – you too are susceptible to picking up the occasional traveler – the Bed Bug and bringing them straight back to your bedroom at home.  I’m not focusing on Bed Bugs on this blog, but you can read additional information on the Bed Bug resurgance under bed bugs category here on my blog.

Arizonans should take precautions against tick bites because some ticks carry germs that cause disease, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever.  In order to prevent exposure make sure to avoid areas where ticks live, such as outside of the trails on the margins, in brushy and grassy areas, and leaf litter in forests.  Try to avoid contact with logs, tree trunks and fallen branches.

Check yourself, children and pets after recreating in wooded areas, and remove ticks promptly and properly. 

How to properly remove a tick:

1. Use tweezers to grasp ticks by mouth parts as close to skin as possible and pull back gently.  Or, use your finger nails covered with tissue paper.  Avoid squeezing the body of the tick, if possible.
2. Immediately was the bite site with soap and water.
3. Save the tick for identification.  State health officials can identify the tick to determine if it is a species that may transmit disease.
4. Preserve tick(s) in 70% alcohol and send to: Arizona Department of Health Services: Vector-Borne Diseases Program, 150 North 19^th Avenue, Ste 140, Phoenix, AZ  85007  

I found this website http://www.tickpicture.com/pictures/american-dog-tick.html  that had some great pictures of ticks and some good information, so rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I am including their link in my blog.

For more information or Tick control services, contact Invader Pest Management at 623-435-0228 or visit www.invader.net.