Control Ticks: How to Identify and Kill Ticks

These tiny bloodsuckers can carry pathogens that transmit disease. Here’s how to keep them away.

There are hundreds of tick species worldwide, but only a small percentage of them make their home in the United States. Of these, four are most common: the deer tick (black-legged tick), American dog tick, brown dog tick, and lone star tick. While ticks can carry some nasty diseases, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your pets, and also to get rid of ticks before they can bite.

Why Some Ticks Are Dangerous

Some ticks can transmit pathogens that can lead to different types of diseases. Some of the most common diseases include:

Lyme disease
Tularemia
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Ehrlichiosis

Not all ticks carry or are infected with a disease-causing pathogen. Sometimes the most problematic element of a tick bite is the swelling and pain it can cause at the bite site. A bite can also lead to a rash, blisters, and possibly a burning sensation. Bites that lead to infection could cause a person to have difficulty breathing as well as nausea, fever, chills, headaches, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and flu-type symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms following a tick bite, visit your healthcare provider immediately for evaluation and treatment.

It's important to detect ticks early—pathogen transmission only occurs after a prolonged period of time. The longer a tick is left to feed, the more likely they are to transmit a pathogen to the host. Because tick bites are not painful, inspection is the best way to detect the presence of ticks on your body.

Types of Ticks

Ticks have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. After hatching from their egg, each of these stages requires a blood meal to advance to the next stage. Most ticks have a three-host life cycle (one host for each life stage), meaning they will feed, drop off, and then attach to another host. Ticks take several days to complete its meal before it will detach from its host.

Ticks are arachnids and are closely related to mites, spiders, and scorpions. They appear flat and oval in shape. Ticks do not have antennae or wings. However, ticks do have a Haller's organ located on their first pair of legs which detects temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and other chemical and environmental cues. This organ helps them locate a suitable host, and they are the only animals that have this organ.

Adult ticks that have not yet begun to feed might be the size of an apple seed. After they've taken a blood meal, they appear rounded and plump. Tick larvae, often called seed ticks, are typically the size of sand grains while nymphs might appear about the size of a poppy seed. Seed ticks have six legs, but the adults and nymphs have eight.

Here's how to identify some of the most common types of ticks.

Deer tick

The deer tick is also known as the black-legged tick. This is the culprit that is associated with the transmission of pathogens that cause Lyme disease but can also spread babesiosis and anaplasmosis. The deer tick is found most commonly in deciduous forests through the Northeast, Southeast, and upper Midwest. There is also a western black-legged tick found along the Pacific coast. Deer ticks are primarily moved around by whitetail deer and tend to search for their hosts when temperatures are above freezing.

American dog tick

The American dog tick, also known as a wood tick, is found predominantly east of the Rocky Mountains. These ticks can transmit pathogens that cause tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They are most commonly found in grassy areas with little to no tree cover. Reddish-brown in color, the American dog tick is a well-known bane of dogs and can cause canine tick paralysis.

Brown dog tick

The brown dog tick is also sometimes called a wood tick. It is found worldwide and throughout the U.S. These ticks are known primarily for spreading Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but can also transmit pathogens that cause babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. As the name suggests, this tick is most commonly found on dogs. Unlike the American dog tick, the brown dog tick is able to complete its entire life cycle indoors and is usually the culprit when tick infestations occur inside your home.

Lone star tick

The lone star tick is primarily found in the eastern and southeastern United States. These are aggressive ticks, and the female has a prominent white dot (or lone star) on her back. Lone star ticks are commonly found in woodlands and other spots with dense undergrowth, particularly in areas where animals such as whitetail deer like to bed down. Their bites can be very irritating to people. They can transmit pathogens that lead to diseases like STARI (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness), ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, and tularemia.

Kill and Control Ticks

Ticks are most often found near wooded or brush-filled areas, but they can also be found in areas with lots of weeds or tall grasses, like meadows. These parasitic arachnids are most active between spring and fall, sometimes called "Tick Season," though some ticks, including deer ticks, are active unless temperatures hit freezing. There are several things you can do to help guard against ticks.

Protect yourself. When working outside or going for a hike, take precautions by wearing clothing that covers your arms and legs, and use proper repellents.

Wear a long-sleeved, light-colored shirt.
Wear long pants tucked into your socks.
Use an EPA-approved personal repellent designed specifically for humans.

Protect your pets. Ask your veterinarian about effective, pet-friendly tick-control treatments, and check your pets thoroughly for ticks after they've been outside.

Inspect yourself and your pets. Each time you venture into an area where ticks are likely to be present, you should perform a careful inspection of your pet and yourself as soon as you return home (ideally, before you even enter your home). This is important to do even if you've used a repellent and dressed accordingly.

Keep your yard tidy. Help prevent ticks from taking up residence in your lawn and landscape by keeping it well-maintained. Ticks prefer tall grasses and weeds to hide in, and they also like to stay in the shade.

Mow regularly.
Remove leaf and brush piles.
Cut back tall grasses and weeds.
Keep woodpiles stacked and dry.
Keep toys and outdoor play equipment in a sunny spot.
If you live next to a wooded area, create a 3-foot wide barrier between the tree line and your yard—-mulch or gravel work well.

Keep deer away. If you live in a rural area or your property is frequently visited by deer, you should consider using deer repellents or installing a fence to keep them off your property.

Protect your yard. You can help keep ticks from taking up residence in your lawn, gardens and landscapes by cutting back tall grasses and weeds and treating with Ortho® Bugclear™ Insect Killer For Lawns & Landscapes Concentrate. Applied with a tank sprayer or the Ortho® Dial N' Spray® Hose End Sprayer, it kills within minutes. Another option is to treat your lawn with Ortho® BugClear™ Lawn Insect Killer1. The granules kill American dog, brown dog and deer/black legged ticksticks by contact and will provide 3 months of protection.

Create a tick barrier around your home. Add an extra layer of defense against ticks by treating doors, windows, and other entry points with Ortho® Home Defense Insect Killer For Indoor & Perimeter2 With Comfort Wand®. Be sure to follow all label instructions.

What to do If You Get a Tick Bite

If you discover a tick on yourself, a family member, or a pet, don't panic. The key is to deal with the pest right away, but with care. Do not light the tick with a match (an old-fashioned method for killing ticks), squeeze its body, smother it with a substance like petroleum jelly, pierce it with a sharp object, or hand-remove it with your fingers. Instead, use a pair of tweezers to extract the tick from the skin. You want to grasp the tick's head, or as close to it as possible, and pull steadily outward from the skin. Try not to squeeze and rupture the tick's body, as its fluids could leak onto the bite area. After removing the tick, flush it down the toilet and treat the bite area with antiseptic.

Your best option, however, is to contact your doctor or veterinarian if you need help removing a tick. If you experience symptoms that include a bulls-eye rash, headache, fever, fatigue, or joint pain and stiffness, visit your healthcare provider immediately for evaluation and treatment. Additionally, if you would like to determine whether or not the tick was infected with a pathogen, consider mailing the specimen into a designated laboratory for testing. (Note: these tests may cost a small fee.)

Ticks can be a nasty pest, but you don't need to be afraid of them. If you take care to protect yourself and your pets, you'll be just fine.