Ticks can pose significant health risks to humans and pets, especially in the upcoming peak summer months. Pest management professionals (PMPs) dealing with residential tick infestations this summer need preparation at every level to effectively knock out these pests. The Zoëcon team can help prepare you for tick season with a combination of best practices and products that will help keep your customers safe against disease-spreading arachnids all summer long.
1. Preparation and Education
Preparing for tick season is crucial for staying ahead of the game. Training sessions and workshops can equip PMPs with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle outdoor tick infestations effectively. Zoëcon Professional Products offers valuable resources and training materials to empower pest management professionals and educate homeowners about the importance of tick control, including their Tick Fact Sheet that provides information on tick species, habitats, behavior and tick control advice and treatment recommendations. Visit zoecon.com/insects/ticks to download the Tick Fact Sheet.
2. Communicating Risk Factors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease, which is transmitted to humans and pets through tick bites, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Ticks can also be carriers of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Powassan virus. Effective communication with homeowners or property managers about these health risks is essential towards timely intervention and prevention. Additionally, the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) encourages all pest control companies to help educate customers on how they can help prevent ticks on their property.
3. Maintenance Tips for Tick Prevention
Since most species of ticks thrive in shady areas and tree trunks, backyard maintenance and sanitation play a crucial part in controlling ticks. Before treatment, share these simple maintenance practices with your clients to help reduce tick populations in their yard:
- Remove leaf litter
- Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns
- Place a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas
- Mow the lawn frequently
- Keep playground equipment, decks and patios away from yard edges and trees
4. Treatment with Integrated Pest Management
To combat ticks effectively, PMPs should adopt an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. This holistic strategy combines environmental controls, biological controls, and chemical treatments for maximum efficacy. The best products for tick treatments are sensitive on the environment and to household pets. Botanical products control ticks using essential oils to repel and kill them.
5. Choosing the Right Treatment Tools
Zoëcon Professional Products offer effective and environmentally friendly solutions to combat ticks, including Essentria® Mosquito & Tick Concentrate. Featuring active ingredients derived from essential oils, Essentria® Mosquito & Tick Concentrate is an environmentally friendly pest control solution. This hard-hitting formula meets/exceeds guidelines for efficacy and formulation established by AAPCO (American Association of Pest Control Officials) and is designed for use in/with automated spraying systems, fogging systems, and mist blowers. By targeting ticks in their various life stages, it helps reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases while minimizing environmental impact.
By combining these strategies and staying informed about the latest developments in pest management techniques, PMPs can effectively control ticks and a wide variety of outdoor summer insects.
For more information on Essentria® Mosquito & Tick Concentrate and the complete line up of pest control products from Zoëcon Professional Products, click the button below.
Essentria and Zoëcon with design are registered trademarks of Wellmark International.
Image credit: James Gathany via the CDC Public Health Image library.
This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Zoecon. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The Pest Management Professional editorial staff did not create this content.