Here in northern California, we are lucky enough to have the mountains, plains, and coast as well as plenty of trees, shrubs, and tall grass. It’s nice not having to go very far out of town to be in nature. Sadly, something that comes with nature being so close is that we have a greater likelihood of seeing and being bit by ticks.
Ticks of Sacramento
There are quite a few kinds of ticks in the Sacramento area. These ticks live in tall grass and shrubbery, waiting for someone to latch on to. Here is a list of the ticks that you can find around town.
- Dermacentor albipictus (The Winter Tick)
- Dermacentor occidentalis (Pacific Coast Tick)
- Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain Wood Tick)
- Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog Tick)
- Ixodes pacificus (Western Black Legged Tick)
- Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown Dog Tick)
Scary, huh? Although it appears that there is a large variance of tick species here in northern California, there is really only one tick that regularly is found here in our area. That tick is the western black legged tick, and it accounts for nearly 90 percent of the tick population.
Ixodes pacificus (Western Black Legged Tick) (Aka Deer Tick)
As the most common tick in our area, we thought we’d tell you a little more about it. Something that you may not know is that ticks are not insects, they are arachnids. Adult Western Black Legged ticks have 8 legs, making them more like spiders than bugs. Although ticks are technically arachnids they cant move around well like spiders, in fact, they can’t jump, move quickly or drop from trees. The black legged tick is native to the American west, as well as parts of British Columbia.
Habitat
Ticks are known to live in woodland habitats, in trees, shrubs or tall grass. With no physical ability to search for its hosts, ticks crawl along the ground from bush to bush, waiting for a mammal to brush up onto the bush or tall grass, where the tick latches on to its host and begins to feed. Don’t let the bush in your yard be the one that harbors a tick, instead call an residential pest control service today.
Health
The black legged tick is the largest carrier of Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis. Once the tick has latched onto its host by burying its head in the host’s skin, it begins to feed on the host’s
blood. When you remove the tick, make sure you get its head out, as the head of the tick can still transmit lyme disease. If the tick is infected with lyme disease, it will infect the host within 24-48 hours, so it’s important to check often for ticks when in the woods.
Kick Ticks Out of Your Yard
As long as ticks are in your yard, there is a chance that someone may pick up one of these nasty little hitchhikers. Keep your family and friends safe by calling Earthwise Pest Management. Contact us for a free quote or consultation, and we will help you get rid of the ticks with our pest control experience and expertise.
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