Ticks are just tiny animals. However, an encounter with them could turn your life around. The reason is that their bites could transmit a number of diseases hence the need for a truly effective tick removal process.
Like bed bugs and fleas, ticks are some of most annoying pests that you ever have to rid. But that’s not all the three of them got in common. Same as other two, ticks also survive by hematophagy or feeding on blood.
But unlike them, ticks are not classified as insects. Instead, they are scientifically categorized as arachnids along with spiders, scorpions and mites.
The Look
The anatomy of ticks is composed of just two parts – the anterior and the posterior. The anterior is also called as the capitulum which got the head and the mouth of the animal. The posterior contains their eight legs, digestive tract and reproductive organs.
There are around 900 species of ticks. And needless to say, each specie has different characteristics. However, generally, they are just classified in three families:
- Ixodidae – commonly, species of this family are called hard ticks. And as hinted, that’s because of their hard shield or scutum. But apart from that, not like the others, the nymphs and adults of them have prominent heads.

Hard Tick
- Argasidae – in contrast with ixodidae, soft-shelled ticks are under this category. Their heads are located underside their bodies and usually not visible.

Soft Tick
- Nuttalliellidae – there is only one specie included in this family and it is considered as the most primitive of all the ticks.

Nuttalliellidae
The Habitat and The Habits
Ticks are globally prevalent. But around the world, the said arachnids prefer to stay in warm and humid countries than anywhere else.
The reason behind is that low temperatures prevent their development from egg to larva. Whereas, with a humid climate, they could keep themselves remain hydrated.
In particular though, ticks are usually found on mammals, birds and even reptiles or amphibians. They specifically make a host out of them by piercing a hole into their epidermis, inserting their hypostome to attach themselves and excreting an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting.

Tick on a Dog’s Face

Tick in a Cat

Ticks on a Deer’s Ears

Tick Feeding on a Human
Medical Risks of Ticks
As earlier mentioned, ticks could bring some diseases. And that’s true. However, most of their species don’t actually transmit any kind of bacteria, virus or pathogen. Yet, no matter how small is the number of those that could cause health problems, the fact remains that they could bring in some illnesses. And because you would never know which specie you would come across with, it is best that you prevent or eliminate all ticks altogether. After all, they are of no benefits at all.
Specifically, some of those tick-borne diseases that you have to be wary of are Lyme disease, Rock Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne meningoencephilitis and Colorado tick fever. Besides them, know that the small blood-suckers could also cause allergy to red meat and even severe reaction called anaphylaxis, although symptoms of them might show up six months after the bite.
Know the Latest News About Ticks
The Tick Removal
When bitten by a tick, the first thing that you need to do is to remove it. And you have to do it right to prevent leaving any mouth part on the wound and to keep the creature from ejecting harmful fluid to it.

Proper Tick Removal
To do the tick removal, you would need a fine-pointed tweezers. Grasp the tick with it as close as possible to the skin. Then, with a steady force, pull upward. Do not crush the tick or twist it. That could leave its mouth behind and prompt it to release more toxins, as mentioned earlier. If you think you couldn’t do it right, it’s better to ask someone who could do it properly or better yet, seek medical help.
After your tick removal, disinfect the bite. Also, you should keep the tick. It will help the physician identify the specific specie that got you just in case symptoms of a tick-borne disease or allergy shows up later.
The Tick Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is the most common tick-borne disease. And so, weeks or months after your tick removal, symptoms of it could appear. Open your eyes to those symptoms for early treatment of the infection as delayed medication could lead to more serious problems.
Among the symptoms of Tick Lyme Disease are fever, headache, fatigue, depression and erythema migrans or circular skin rash with a “bullseye” appearance. If you experienced these signs but did not consult a doctor, you could experience more chronic symptoms that involve the brain, eyes, nerves, joints and heart. Specific examples of more severe signs of the disease are facial palsy, pain in the spine and weakening of the legs.
Pictures of “Bullseye” Tick Bites
Most cases of Lyme Diseases are caused by ticks on their nymphal stage. And because the nymphs are very small, they are hardly detected allowing them to feed for a long period of time. That increases the risk of developing the said illness.

Tick Nymph That Could Carry Lyme Disease
To decrease the possibility of developing a Lyme Disease, right after leaving an area infested by ticks, you should check if any of it got into you. Use a mirror to inspect all your body parts. Apart from that, inspect and remove ticks from your clothing. You could put your clothes in a dryer at a high temperature to kill the pests.
Remove Ticks In Your House
But you must remember, you also have to eliminate the ticks in your house. You couldn’t be completely safe from them if you only wash off and inspect yourself. No matter how much effort you will put on inspecting and cleaning yourself everyday, all of it will be put to waste if you wouldn’t make your home a deterrent to the eight-legged pests. Here are some steps that could help you keep them away.
- To repel ticks from infesting your house, you must not make it a conducive place for them to grow and populate. That means you must always keep your place dry. A dehumidifier could help you prevent those little animals from inhibiting your place.
- If you have pets, designate a sleeping and eating area for them and keep them away from your furniture. Also, consult a veterinarian for a solution that could remove ticks from.
- After some time outdoors, check yourself and your clothes for ticks. It is best to wash off and dry your clothes in a high temperature to kill the pests.
- Keeping your house free from ticks means preventing the pests inside and outside of it. And because ticks are more likely to hide in bushes, it would help prevent them if you cut down bushes and weeds in your yard.
- Keep your lawn mowed. The ideal height of your grass is 3 inches or below as that lowers the humidity level of the ground.
- Clean your surroundings of flln leaves. The dampness they create gives ticks a place to live.
- If you’re stacking firewood, keep them in a dry place. Again, piling them in a humid area favors tick infestation.
- Keep yourself and your kids from area with likely presence of ticks. If you can’t avoid going to them, make sure you dress to protect. Wear light-colored clothes for easy detection of ticks and tuck your pants into your boots and socks.
- And last but definitely not the least, prepare a tick-control solution. Despite your preventive steps, there is still a possibility that ticks will show up. And so, it’s best to have “tick zones” regularly inspected and sprayed.
Find the Best Tick Removal Help
There are now several products that could help you remove ticks easily from your home without using strong chemical solutions. But which of the many tick removal sprays should you purchase?
Generally, organic-based pest-contol products are the best help you could get in eliminating the pests. They could make your treatment safe as they release no harmful chemical residues. The problem is that not everyone of them could deliver their claims.
So for a tick removal spray that could surely help you eliminate ticks without polluting the environment and risking your health, why not pick Tick Bully? As approved by FIFRA 25(b), it is a pesticide-exempt solution. That means compared with conventional pesticides, it is safer. And as proven by pest companies, it works.
More than that, Tick Bully is concentrated. You wouldn’t need to apply to much of it to work. That could save you money. And safe as it is, you also wouldn’t need to evacuate your family when you have to apply it.
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