How to Keep Ticks Out of Your Home & Yard

A blacklegged tick on a leaf in Northern Utah - RentokilWe all look forward to the warm days spent out in the sun during summer. However, the more time we spend outside, the higher our risk of a tick bite becomes. Ticks love areas with consistent warmth and humidity, especially when humans and animals are around. They live in the woods, around hiking trails, in backyards, and many more areas. Ticks have also expanded to more regions than usual recently due to increasing temperatures.

If you have dealt with tick problems every summer around Northern Utah, read on to learn Rentokilโ€™s top tick control tips. We will teach you the reasons why ticks around and what you can do to avoid them.

Keeping Ticks Away From Your Yard

Ticks like to hang around densely vegetated areas with lots of trees or small animals around. If this sounds like your yard, you are likely to find some ticks this summer. To keep ticks away from your your hard, you can do the following:

  • Trim trees: Ticks make hiding places out of overgrown plants. If trees are hanging over your deck, porch, play structure, or any other area where you hang out, they will be able to find you easily.
  • Mow your lawn: Ticks also like to hide in tall grass, especially where animals live. If you mow your lawn once a week, it will reduce your chances of attracting ticks.
  • Clean up your yard: Any piles of yard waste, firewood, old chairs and couches, or garbage can create hiding places for ticks.
  • Prevent wildlife problems: Small animals like squirrels, racoons, mice, rats, and more can attract ticks. They will look to them as hosts to feed on and eventually make their way to you.

Preventing Ticks Inside the House

Ticks can only live indoors for up to a few days at their most resilient. However, in indoor spaces that accumulate more humidity, like bathrooms, sheds, and cabins, ticks can hang around for longer. Most ticks end up indoors because they were unknowingly brought inside by a person or a pet. Hereโ€™s how to prevent that from happening:

  • Inspect your pets: People with dogs that spend their days outside or go on frequent walks see the most tick problems indoors. Make sure to check your pets for ticks after they spend time outdoors.
  • Cover your skin: The more exposed skin you leave when outdoors, the more likely you are to attract ticks. Wearing long pants or high socks can help you avoid them.
  • Use bug spray: When going on a hike or spending the day in the sun, use bug spray on your exposed skin. This will help you avoid bringing ticks back indoors at the end of the day.

Tick Removal Professionals in Northern Utah

If you need help getting rid of ticks around your property this summer, let your local pest control company know. At Rentokil, we take pride in our holistic tick control service: a complete inspection to determine the infestationโ€™s source, implementation of pertinent tick control tactics, and advice to keep our customers tick-free going forward. Contact us today for a free quote!

Tips For Bug-Free Outdoor Living

Tips to be pest-free outdoors in Northern Utah - RentokilThis year, families are likely spending more time in their backyards than ever. Spending more time outside means more encounters with insects and pests. While most pests are just a fact of life outside, no one wants them invading their outdoor living space. At Rentokil, we know that pests in your backyard are less than ideal. For this reason, weโ€™ve gathered our top tips and tricks to make your yard less attractive to pests in general. Keep reading to learn how to get bug-free outdoor living.

Common Pests in Your Yard or Lawn

Here in Northern Utah, we are used to dealing with all types of pests all year long. However, the summer and early fall is known for its influx of insects. This includes right in your backyard! The most typical pests that invade properties in the area this time of year include:

What to do to Keep Bugs Away Outdoors

Just as you would to keep pests out of your home, itโ€™s important to implement pest prevention in your yard. Some of the ways you can make your yard less attractive to these pests include:

  • Regularly clean up your outdoor space. Leftover crumbs or spills will attracts ants and other insects.
  • Remove standing water. Mosquitoes only need a half inch of standing water to breed.
  • Keep your lawn and shrubs trimmed. Overgrown grass provides mosquitoes and ticks with shelter.
  • Be on the lookout for ant hills or wasp nests. Even a tiny mound or nest can contain thousands of insects.
  • Thoroughly inspect wood structures. Your deck or porch may be vulnerable to termite or carpenter bees.
  • Apply an insect repellent. Store-bought repellent with DEET will help repel mosquitoes and ticks.
  • Burn a few citronella candles. While not a long-term solution, this will repel mosquitoes.
  • Consider replacing light bulbs. Yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lights will not attract as many insects.

Preventing Lawn and Yard Pests

We all know that pests and insects are a fact of life outdoors. But that doesnโ€™t mean you have to let them ruin your outdoor barbecue or time spent playing with your kids! By preventing pests outdoors, you can help prevent them from getting inside. For more information, the team at Rentokil is here to help.

How to Prevent Summer Lawn Pests

Grubs are a common summer lawn pest in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. Learn more from RentokilKeeping a lawn alive and healthy is hard enough. When you have a lawn pest problem, it can be even harder. Unfortunately, summertime in Utah is a haven for lawn pests, many of which hatch in the late summer and remain active through the fall months. Lawn insects can threaten the health of your roots, damaging existing turf and preventing new growth. A single insect can make a big impact, making it important to learn how to prevent summer lawn pests. The lawn experts at Rentokil are here to share their top tips for keeping lawn pests away for good.

Most Common Summer Lawn Pests

There are several pests that cause the biggest headaches for residents every summer. These include:

  1. Chinch bugs. These pesky insects cause iregula patches of brown in turf when they suck juice from your grass. They love the heat and attack areas in full-sun
  2. Caterpillars. Certain species feed on the actual blades of grass and can quickly eat away at large patched of grass entirely.
  3. Grubs. These immature beetles live under the soil and feed on grass roots. They typically hatch in the late summer.
  4. Fleas & ticks. Although these don’t damage your lawn, they will happily reside in areas in your yard during the summer, endangering your family and pets.

What Can You Do to Prevent Them?

Some of the signs that you have lawn pest damage is brown spots or dying patches. Even wilted blades and bite marks could be signs of a bigger lawn insect problem. To prevent full-blown infestations, it’s important to keep a close watch on your lawn during the summer. Damage can be done before you really notice it, making it essential to keep an eye out. As soon as you notice possible lawn pest activity, it’s best to contact a professional lawn care company. Trying to get rid of them on your own with pesticides can further damage your lawn.

Year-Round Lawn Insect Prevention

The team at Rentokil has a unique understanding of the summer lawn pests in our area. Because these insects can pose such a big threat to the health and longevity of your turf, it’s important to enlist our help to control any infestations as well as keep future pests away. Contact our lawn care experts today to learn more about how we can help prevent summer lawn pests.

Can a Mosquito Bite Transmit Coronavirus?

Mosquito bites do not transmit coronavirus. Rentokil in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho.

No, you are not going to get COVID-19 from a mosquito bite! There is a lot of information about this virus as the pandemic is underway, but we thankfully know that vector pests such as mosquitoes and ticks do not transmit coronavirus. Here at Rentokil, we know how distressing times are right now. As always, our focus is our commitment to the health and safety of our communities throughout Northern Utah and Southern Idaho, which is why we want to dispel the myth that mosquitoes are spreading this virus. Mosquitoes and ticks may be vectors for other deadly diseases, but these are vector-borne diseases that are not passed from person to person. In this blog post, we’ll explore what that means.

Difference Between Coronavirus and Vector-Borne Diseases

Coronavirus is a respiratory virus that is said to pass from person to person, which is why it is so contagious. People are being exposed to the virus from droplets from saliva or nasal discharge, which are typically generated when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Research has shown that it can be spread through contaminated surfaces, and it is increasingly considered to be an airborne virus. Mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases are of an entirely different nature than this current virus. The biggest difference is the fact that vector-borne diseases do not spread from person to person contact! While there is a lot of uncertainty about the coronavirus right now, it’s safe to say you will not get it from a mosquito or tick.

What Diseases do Mosquitoes and Ticks Transmit?

Since mosquitoes and ticks do not transmit COVID-19, what diseases do they spread? Unfortunately, some of the world’s worst diseases are transmitted by these insects:

  • When vector pests feed off a diseased host, they can transmit pathogens that may infect other hosts it subsequently bites.
  • Mosquitoes are infamous for transmitting malaria, Zika virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, and more.
  • Ticks play a role in the transmission of Lyme disease, which is currently the most common vector-borne disease in the United States.

Pest Control During the Pandemic

Mosquitoes and ticks may not transmit coronavirus, but they are still dangerous pests that need to be taken care of by a professional pest control company. As always, the Rentokil team is here for you. We will continue to provide essential pest control services to our neighbors and customers all year long.

With new information about the coronavirus coming out every hour, we want to encourage our customers to seek more up-to-date info and follow guidelines released by the WHO and the CDC, as well as your state and local public health agencies.