All posts by alindell

 
Everyone and their Great Aunt Edith seem to have friendly advice on how to remove a tick. The trick is knowing how to sort the myths from the facts—getting tick removal wrong could be dangerous. For example, burning a tick with a match and painting over it with nail polish are not safe ways to remove ticks (no matter what Aunt Edith says). Methods such as these can increase the risk of contracting Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. So, let’s take a look at how to remove a tick the right way.

The Importance of Using Safe Tick Removal Techniques

The proper way to remove a tick is unlike removing any other type of insect from the body. While you can simply brush away most bugs, a tick attaches to the body, bites the skin, inserts a barbed feeding tube, and begins drinking blood. Ticks differ from most biting bugs in that they burrow into the skin and remain attached to the body even after biting. Because many ticks carry diseases, they can pass these diseases to their human host while attached.

Certain unsafe removal methods can cause the tick to salivate and regurgitate into the bite site, which may increase the risk of disease transmission. This is just one reason why it’s essential to learn how to remove a tick safely.

What Are the Incorrect Tick Removal Methods?

As noted, removing a tick improperly can be even more damaging than leaving the tick to disengage on its own. In addition, it can increase your chance of contracting a tick-borne disease and infection. The following methods are NOT the proper way to remove a tick:

• Applying heat to the tick’ body with a hot nail or match.
• Covering the tick with petroleum jelly, alcohol, nail polish, or gasoline.
• Killing the tick while it’s still attached to the skin.
• Crushing, squeezing, twisting, or puncturing the tick.
• Handling the tick body with bare hands.

Now, let’s review how to remove a tick safely.

Proper Tick Removal Methods

While you may be eager to remove a tick from your body or your child’s body as quickly as possible, it’s important to have the right supplies on hand first. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pointy tweezers – Choose tweezers with a pointed tip, not square. Your typical eyebrow tweezers likely aren’t pointy enough and might tear the tick’s body.
• Rubbing alcohol or soap and water – You will use this to clean the site thoroughly once the tick is removed.

Once you have these items ready to go, take the following steps to remove a tick safely to minimize the risk of infection:

• Clean the area surrounding the tick bite with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
• Take your pointed tweezers and place the point down into the skin so you can grasp the insect as closely as possible to the tick’s head.
• Use slow, firm motion and apply steady pressure to pull the tick straight up and out of the skin—avoid jerking or twisting. If the tick breaks, make sure to go back to the bite site to remove the remaining head. If you are unable to remove the head, seek medical attention.
• Once removed, avoid handling the tick with bare hands. Use the tweezers to place the tick’s body into a container with a blade of grass if you wish to keep it alive to send away for testing. Or safely dispose of the tick by flushing it down the toilet.
• Use rubbing alcohol or soap and water to clean the bite area once again.

When you use this proper way to remove a tick, you can limit the damage caused by the bite. But remain alert to possible symptoms so you know if and when you should seek medical attention. 

Control Ticks and Other Pests with Mosquito Joe

You can never be too cautious about tick bites and preventing tick-borne illnesses. Now that you know how to remove a tick safely, you can take steps to enjoy outdoor fun free from these biters. Reach out to your local Mosquito Joe for barrier treatments designed to eliminate ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. Call us at 1-855-275-2563 or contact us online to schedule professional tick control services. We’re making the outdoors fun again!

Ticks gross many people out. Check out these recommendations for cleaning gross things more painlessly from our friends at Molly Maid. Molly Maid is another member of the Neighborly® family of home service brands.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ticks

How do ticks transmit disease?

Because ticks drink the blood of their hosts, either human or animal, they can pick up any disease their host is infected with. The tick then transmits the disease through its saliva. When the tick bites, a small amount of saliva enters the new host’s skin. 

However, improper tick removal methods can stimulate the tick to salivate more heavily into the wound, increasing the transmission of pathogens. This is one reason it is essential to learn how to remove a tick safely. 

Do tick bites itch or hurt?

Typically, tick bites do not itch or even hurt. You are unlikely to even feel a tick bite, making regular checks for ticks essential. If you find a tick on you, a family member, or a pet, be sure you know how to remove a tick safely so you can limit the potential transmission of disease and infection.

How to check for ticks?

It’s critical to check for ticks thoroughly after returning indoors. Spotting ticks early can help reduce the risk of disease. Once a tick attaches to the skin of its host, the potential for transmission of a tick-borne disease increases significantly after 24 hours. Therefore a visual examination of your body and lightly skimming with your hands across your skin, especially in places you cannot see, is critical to early tick detection. 

A shower will wash off any crawling ticks. This is also a good time to search for ticks with your hands. Pay particular attention to underarms, behind ears and knees, under hair and on the scalp, inside the belly button, around the waist, and groin area. If you find an embedded tick on you or your pet, use the proper way to remove a tick, and discard it safely.

What are tick bite symptoms?

Several different tick-borne diseases have similar symptoms, like fever, chills, aches, pains, and a rash. If you get bitten by a tick, be sure to remove the tick safely and, if possible, save the specimen for examination should you, a loved one, or a pet develop any symptoms. If you do develop symptoms within a few weeks, seek medical attention and submit the tick you removed for testing.

For reference, a Lyme disease rash has a characteristic bull’s eye appearance. The bite location will be red and slightly swollen, with the area around it clear and surrounded by a ring of reddened skin.

Contact Mosquito Joe for Tick Control Services Near You

You can never be too cautious about tick bites and preventing tick-borne illnesses. While it’s great to know how to remove a tick safely, it’s so much better to prevent tick bites! So, add an extra layer of protection to your outdoor fun with Mosquito Joe’s tick barrier treatments. We can will help to protect your family and property from ticks and a variety of biters, including mosquitoes, fleas, and gnats.

You know your tick control service will be done right and on time because Mosquito Joe is a Neighborly company. Our services are backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise and the Mosquito Joe® Satisfaction Guarantee!

Contact Us

Secure your patio and property for bite-free fun! Just reach out to your local Mosquito Joe for barrier treatments to eliminate and prevent ticks.

Call us at 1-855-275-2563 or contact us online to schedule professional tick control services.

Ticks gross a lot of people out. Check out these recommendations for cleaning gross things more painlessly from our friends at Molly Maid. Molly Maid is another member of the Neighborly® family of home service brands.

The days of warmer weather and blooming flowers are right around the corner…and so are mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.  As the temperature begins to rise, pest activity will too. Did you know that mosquitoes, ticks and fleas become active once the temperature reaches and stays above 50 degrees consistently? Spring into action by making sure you are prepared to enjoy your outdoor space as soon as possible!

Being able to sit outside and enjoy your outdoor space, instead of swatting at those pesky mosquitoes, is one of the great reasons to give your local Mosquito Joe a call.  Another exciting reason is the opportunity to pre-pay for the entire season!

What are the benefits of pre-paying?

• Save 10% on mosquito, tick and flea control so your family can enjoy being outside again.
• You can relax during the summer months without worrying about ongoing pest control payments.
• Enjoy an itch-free yard all summer long. A night on your back porch without any mosquito bites? Yes, please!
• Get the kids (and pets) outside – who needs a babysitter with an itch-free yard?

To take advantage of this great offer, request a quote to the right or give us a call at 855-ASK-A-JOE!

New here? No problem! We offer a wide range of services that will keep you protected all season long. Our barrier treatment protects you and your family from mosquitoes, ticks and fleas for 21 days after application. Using a backpack sprayer designed for precise application, an expertly trained and licensed technician targets shrubs and bushes with a barrier spray that outdoor pests on contact. The solution bonds to foliage, where it acts as a repellent for weeks to come. Within 30 minutes of treatment, your yard is ready for family and pets to come out and play!

As an alternative to our longer-lasting synthetic treatment, Mosquito Joe offers an all-natural pest control solution.  Our all-natural solution repels mosquitoes, ticks and fleas immediately but has less adhesive properties than our synthetic treatment.  Because of this, we require spraying on a 14-day cycle to ensure adequate protection.

Our technicians are trained pest control experts dedicated to one thing: getting rid of mosquitoes, ticks and fleas so you can enjoy being outside again.  We do not require customers to sign contracts, which gives you the flexibility you need to fully enjoy your outdoor space.

And if you’re a returning customer, we’re glad to have you back! Thank you for an amazing 2018 and letting us make outside fun again for you and your family. If you have any questions about the pre-pay program, just give us a call and we’d be happy to get you on the path to an itch-free 2019!

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Want even more MoJo? Refer a friend and get a $25 credit! Our Share the MoJo program allows you to refer up to 20 friends a year, which could get you $500 in account credits. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and text, call or post on their Facebook and share this one-of-a-kind deal.  Visit our dedicated website, SharetheMoJo.com, so you and your friends can start saving today!

At Mosquito Joe, we take our job of keeping your yard itch-free seriously.  With our licensed technicians and a passion for making outside fun again, our job is not done until you and your family are happy. Save yourself some bucks and a lot of bug bites, give us a call today to kick-start your spring with pre-pay!

Each year Mosquito Joe recognizes the importance of Mosquito Control Awareness Week through our Beat the Bloodsuckers campaign. Our goal is to raise awareness in the communities in which we operate about the importance of mosquito control and the amazing work of non-profits like blood banks and Nothing But Nets. Although this week falls during one of our busiest months of the year, it does not stop our passionate franchisees from giving back in their communities. This year, National Mosquito Control Awareness Week(MCAW), recognized by the American Mosquito Control Association, fell on June 24^th – June 30^th, and it was a memorable week for Mosquito Joe.

Mosquitoes date back to over 100 million years, which means they’re not going anywhere anytime soon so it’s important to protect your families and furry friends. Not only are they nuisances who ruin your outdoor fun, but they can transmit dangerous diseases such as Zika, West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The diseases mosquitoes carry make them one of the deadliest creatures on earth, responsible for over 1 million deaths every year. Luckily, here in the U.S. we’re able to combat these pesky bugs with a professional mosquito control service like Mosquito Joe. Our franchisees are dedicated to spreading awareness about mosquitoes and the illnesses they cause as well as working to fight off mosquito populations in their local areas. MCAW brings professional mosquito control to light and we’re thankful for this opportunity to give back.

Beat The Bloodsuckers

This is Mosquito Joe’s sixth year participating in our Beat the Bloodsuckers campaign. Franchisees had the opportunity to partner with a local blood bank in their area or with our philanthropic partner, Nothing But Nets. Mosquito Joe locations across the country joined with local blood banks donating 10% of new customer sales from that week to their blood bank of choice. This year we were able to donate over $7,000 and partner with 26 blood banks!

For the second year in a row, Mosquito Joe partnered with Nothing But Nets, a global grassroots campaign that was established in 2006. Since then, they’ve raised over $65 million to help deliver 12 million bed nets to families in need, along with other crucial malaria interventions like diagnostic treatments and training of healthcare workers. A mosquito net sent to someone in need is just $10; for every new Mosquito Joe customer signed during MCAW, a net was sent! This year our company raised over $24,000, sending 2,413 life-saving nets during Mosquito Control Awareness Week to those in need!

The Buzz!

Our amazing franchisees were out there rocking it in their local communities to spread awareness around the importance of mosquito control. Mosquito Joe locations were featured 131 times across the U.S. and secured 14 TV segments in just one week. We’re excited so many franchisees were able to further educate their communities on mosquito control, and how important it really is to keep our families and furry friends itch-free! Check out a few highlights below:

• Mosquito Joe of Lafayette-Lake Charles: Southern storms have nothing on this company called ‘Mosquito Joe’
• Mosquito Joe of Springfield: Save your blood for donations instead of giving it to mosquitoes
• Mosquito Joe of Baton Rouge: Officials offer tips during national Mosquito Control Awareness Week
• Mosquito Joe of Spartanburg: Mosquito Joe Celebrates Sixth Annual Beat the Bloodsuckers Campaign

We’re very proud of our franchisees and so happy we were able to give back to these non-profit organizations by supporting the amazing work that they do through our 2018 Beat the Bloodsuckers campaign. Mosquito Joe continues to partner with Nothing But Nets through our ongoing MoJo Bites Back campaign. To support us in our mission, consider donating to our MoJo Bites Back campaign as we raise funds for malaria and bring awareness to malaria-stricken areas. It will only cost you $10 to send a net; make a difference for a family in need today

Thanks to our participating franchisees, each blood bank that we partnered with, Nothing But Nets, and our AMAZING customers that helped make this year’s Beat the Bloodsuckers campaign the huge success that it was.

With the ability to spend more time with our families, it can be hard to think of new and creative ideas to keep your kids occupied. As a mosquito control company that makes outside fun again, we’ve taken the lead on putting together some unique ideas (see below) the family can do together!

Backyard Events

1. Pitch a tent and camp under the stars.  This is an oldie but a goodie. Going on a full camping trip is time-consuming, takes a lot of preparation, and can be exhausting with kids. So why not cut out most of the work and skip straight to the fun? Pitch a tent, have a bonfire, maybe even tell some ghost stories, all in the comfort of your own backyard! Take a look at this article from Parenting.com for ideas on how to make your adventure even better!
2. Organize a scavenger hunt for the kids.  There are plenty of ways to set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. It’s a great option that works both indoors and outdoors, gets your kids moving, and engages the mind. Check out some of these scavenger hunt ideas for inspiration. A little bit of preparation work is worth the fun they’ll have!
3. Have a luau or other themed family party.  Do you have extra decorations laying around? Spice up your dinner or outdoor party with some of these family-themed party ideas.
4. Create giant board games in the backyard.  You could stay inside all day playing Checkers or Bananagrams, but doesn’t a game of giant backyard Jenga sound so much better? There are do-it-yourself solutions for dozens of games that take them from traditional board games to life-size interactions. Most of these are easy and inexpensive, perfect for a lazy day.
5. Hold your own Olympics. If you are needing to get the kids outside and exercising, why not hold your own backyard Olympics?  You can even stretch this out over a longer period of time to make it a real competition!  Aside from having the kids participate in events, you can get them to make country flags, hold opening ceremonies, and even make their own medals.

Food Related

1. Have an indoor picnic in your newly built fort.  This is two fun activities built into one! Build a fort with sheets and old boxes and then have an indoor picnic in your newly built fort. You can even support a local business in your area by ordering to-go food for your picnic.
2. Plant a garden.  If you have the space in your backyard, planting a garden is a great long-term activity to do with your kids. You can pick out which seeds you’d like to plant, spend time planning the layout of the garden, and then watching from the beginning as the garden grows! If it’s a success, use your haul to make delicious meals or share with neighbors.
3. Have a bonfire and backyard feast.  This is another oldie but a goodie. Many of you probably have memories of bonfires, hot dogs, s’mores, and firecrackers.  This is a great opportunity to pass the memory onto your kids!
4. Take an online cooking class for kids.  Thought cooking classes were only for adults?  There are a variety of YouTube channels and websites that offer cooking classes to kids, too!  Aside from learning new recipes, these videos offer kids a creative outlet that they normally wouldn’t get.  Check out The Step Stool Chef for great videos that you and your family will love!
5. Once a week, let the kids choose and help cook a meal.  If those cooking classes pay off, the kids can even help you in your own kitchen!  Instead of making dinner alone or ordering out, let the kids help you make dinner once in a while to turn cooking into quality family time.

Around the Home

1. Art & Play Activities ArtBar is releasing a weekly art and play activity with supplies and tools you can find around your home. With a little prep, you are able to create an engaging and balanced day for your kids.
2. Complete the 30-day LEGO challenge. If you live with LEGO fans, this 30-day challenge is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, as well as keep the kids occupied for a few hours.
3. “Visit” a local museum or educational attraction online. You are now able to see some of the greatest museums around the world thanks to Google Street View. For some added culture, show your kids the top 10 museums in the world by clicking the link here.
4. Stream a live concert in your own home. Some artists and bands are hosting Facebook Live concerts, so turn on the television, crank up the volume, and jam out to some of your favorite music! Most artists are announcing their concerts on Facebook, so give your favorite singers a “Like” on Facebook so you can stay updated on when they are going live. DJ Mel is also hosting a Facebook live kid-friendly dance party called, “Living Room Dance Party.”
5. Do an at-home workout.  Boosterthon has created a schedule for each day that packs educational, character and fitness-based content all into one day. You can learn more about how to access this content here.

There are thousands of ideas to keep your kids occupied around your home and in the backyard.  A simple Google search will keep you busy for hours! Before you head into the backyard for a bonfire or camping adventure, call your local Mosquito Joe for service to protect your yard from mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. Backed by our MoJo Satisfaction guarantee, we get rid of the mosquitoes, so you can enjoy being outside again.

**Occasionally we like to provide a blog post that will help you get to know Joe. From our technicians to our corporate staff to our hardworking franchisees – we think our company is full of people you ought to know!**

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Rummells, a retired Army Ranger who hails from Iowa.

Meet Robert Rummells of Mosquito Joe of West Richmond, VA

Robert has admitted he’s not a “cubicle kind of guy,” so when he was researching the perfect franchise opportunity, he knew it couldn’t be just any business opportunity.

Army Ranger Zoned in on Mosquitoes

Originally from a small town in Iowa called West Branch, Robert was living in Los Angeles playing semi-professional football for the San Fernando Valley Freelancers, where he met and married his wife Christine. After playing football for one year, on January 14, 1988, Robert enlisted in the United States Army where he became an Army Ranger and was assigned to the 1^st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA.  Robert retired from the US Army in March 2009 after a 22 year career.

After he retired from the Army, Robert still felt a strong urge to serve the community he lived in. This brought him to serving as Chief of Staff for Delegate John Welch in the General Assembly of Virginia in Richmond, specifically in the House of Delegates (e.g. Representatives in other states). So after two decades in the military and almost ten years in politics, what would be next for this non-desk guy who really enjoyed being an integral part of the community in which he lived? There was a job fair for military veterans in February 2013 and that is where the bug was put in his ear about Mosquito Joe! It was the perfect fit, working for himself, being outside, and bringing relief to the residents of Richmond from pesky bugs.

“For three years, I had been searching the internet for a franchise opportunity. It came down to six or seven companies, but there always seemed to be one or two areas lacking that just didn’t fit the bill….Mosquito Joe is very turn-key. Though my list of to-do’s has been lengthy, there’s been help every single step of the way. It’s been wonderful having such a good support system for the business.”

Don’t worry, he didn’t forget Christine. Together they launched Mosquito Joe of West Richmond in May and once they hit the ground running, they never looked back. Rummells was even featured in Bloomberg Businessweek on his post-military career of making the mosquito his new enemy. He has goals to expand in the Richmond area and maybe even bring Mosquito Joe to his hometown in Iowa.

We couldn’t be happier to have Robert and Murph as part of the Mosquito Joe family and wish them the best of luck. If you’re interested in mosquito control services in the Richmond, VA area to rid your yard of pesky mosquitoes, ticks and fleas, visit the Mosquito Joe of West Richmond website or call their office at 804-767-5220 ext. 859 for more information or a free quote.