One of the regular requests of our Bakersfield Pest Control experts is for the treatment of ticks. Over the years PestX have seen more than their fair share of tick infestations.  These often start from a single tick coming into your premises, usually after a walk in long grass or a day spent in the great outdoors. You would think that you would notice these bugs attached to you as you’d assume that the bites would be more painful, but they do go surprisingly unnoticed.

If you do have an infestation, PestX pest control Bakersfield can come and rid you of these pests using the latest methods and with the minimum of disruption.  One of the main reasons people choose to use PestX time and time again is because they trust us to deal with their pest problem efficiently and promptly.

Let’s be honest – it’s never just the infestation that’s the problem – it’s all of the issues they bring with them.  Ticks carry many diseases but the one they are most known for is Lyme disease.

Lyme disease isn’t carried by all ticks but it is how Lyme disease is primarily spread and here in California ticks are particularly rife in the Summer months.  Up to 20% of Lyme disease cases can result in lasting symptoms such as Arthritis in the joints, Chronic Fatigue and Cognitive difficulties as well as sleep disturbances.  

If the disease or infection is not caught immediately, even several weeks of antibiotics will not clear the infection and the effects of the disease can cause problems for months or even years after the infection occurs so it’s worth being vigilant.  Not many people realise the degree of this problem, so here at PestX we know that a tick problem needs to be kept in check and dealt with very quickly. We would also suggest in certain cases where the tick problem has been particularly bad to go and see your doctor  just to ensure you don’t have any of the symptoms from the disease.

Whilst it definitely isn’t a death sentence, you really can struggle to recover from the symptoms caused by it.  If you have been bitten by a tick you will usually have a circular rash and you may experience flu like symptoms and joint pain that comes and goes periodically.  You will usually notice a rash from 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite and it tends to look like a bullseye pattern – perfectly circular with a clear section right in the centre of the bite.

We don’t want you to panic though as research suggests that less than 5% of bites result in an infection but as with any pests we find that the information alone is helpful so that you know what to look for – forewarned is forearmed.  

One thing to bear in mind, is that even if a tick is infected, it usually has to be attached to a person’s skin for at least 24 to 48 hours in order to be able to transmit the Lyme disease bacteria.  Most people would have noticed the tick during this period but if you do find one attached to you it’s best to remove it quickly.

There are various ways to remove it but one of the best ways we suggest is by making the tick ‘let go’ of your skin by closing off it’s breathing holes.  You can do this with products such as Vaseline or oil and petroleum jelly based products. In the absence of these, rubbing alcohol or even salad oil or liquor would work too.

Completely cover the head of the tick in enough of any of these products so that it will no longer be able to breathe.  It should let go within 30 minutes so once it has relinquished it’s hold on you, you should be able to pull it from the skin very carefully with tweezers.  If it is still embedded, apply this process again as we would never recommend pulling too hard because the head can embed itself in your skin and cause infection.

If you are in any way concerned that you may have been bitten by an infected tick, you can take the insect to the doctors with you when you have your own check up and the tick can be tested too.

If you need any advice or any Bakersfield pest control assistance, give PestX a call and we’ll happily use our years of experience to provide advice specific to your needs and budget.