All posts by Mosquito Joe

Creating a pollinator garden is an excellent way to support biodiversity and contribute to the health of the environment. Pollinators are an imperative part of the ecosystem. Not only do these gardens provide habitats for pollinators, but they also enhance the beauty of your home.

In this guide to planting a pollinator garden, we will cover what pollinators are and how they benefit the environment, the best pollinator plants for your garden, landscaping maintenance tips, and additional resources to gather more information that will explain the important role pollinators play in our environment.

What Is a Pollinator?

A pollinator is any animal or insect that carries pollen from the male part of one plant to the female part of another. Some of the most popular examples of pollinators include bumblebees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. Each species plays an important role in the pollination process, though bees tend to be the most relied upon. This is why many people choose a bee garden when deciding to plant a pollinator garden.

Why Are Pollinators Important?

According to an article published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, “pollinators and pollination are crucial in the functioning of almost all terrestrial ecosystems including those dominated by agriculture because they are in the front line of sustainable productivity through plant reproduction.” These tiny creatures make such a large impact that, without them, our world as we know it would not exist.

Pollinators are so important that some companies — even those who specialize in insect extermination — have protection management programs in place to help safeguard the environment for pollinators and actively work to protect them. You can do your part with pollinator plants.k

The Relationship Between Pollinators and the Environment

Don’t be fooled by their name. Pollinators do more than transfer pollen from flower to flower. The same article published on ScienceDirect explains that another role of pollinators is to “monitor environmental stress brought about by introduced competitors, diseases, parasites, predators, as well as by chemical and physical factors, particularly pesticides and habitat modification.”

Scientists can analyze these species to better understand the condition of the various crops vital to our food system. When they see signs of a decreasing population, it could be an indication of an increase in pesticides being used for crops. However, in more recent studies, parasites, disease, and habitat modification have proven to have a larger impact than pesticides as more land is cleared for additional crops.

The decline in the bee population is so severe that various activists, scientists, organizations, and others have made it their mission to spread awareness about the importance of this species. This has led to an increase in the number of bee conservation programs and activities that individuals can take part in to help prevent this vital species from going extinct. A bee garden is a great way to contribute to saving the bee species.

Pollinator Conservation

Coming together both at home and within your community can help spread awareness about the importance of conservation. Protecting these animals and insects is vital to their existence and will benefit our ecosystem as well.

Finding ways to educate others on the benefits of conservation can help spread awareness and understanding about the importance of these species. If you have children, try to engage in more backyard activities, like building a backyard habitat, to capture their attention, get them involved, and teach them about the importance of pollinators. Involve them in the planting and maintenance of your family’s garden. Even suggesting the idea of starting a community garden can be beneficial.

One of the many benefits of educating your children on conservation is that it will teach them habits that will help them make eco-friendly choices as an adult. They can take what they learned as a child and apply it to their future — educating others along the way. Aside from personal development, planting a pollinator garden has numerous benefits. For example, attracting bees and butterflies to your garden and community can:

• Help signal when something is awry in the ecosystem
• Reduce the number of pesticides that are being used
• Provide educational opportunities
• Help foods and flowers thrive
• Contribute to the life cycle of flowers and other plants

Best Pollinator Plants for Garden and Yard

Not all plants attract pollinators. Some may even do the opposite. This is why it is important to know which plants to choose for conservation landscaping and a pollinator garden. You will want to find plants that are in season and are compatible with your area. Let’s take a look at which types of plants are most attractive to the various pollinating species.

Bees:

• Alyssum
• Anise hyssop
• Aster
• Bee balm
• Black-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Clover
• Coneflower
• Cranesbill
• Poppies

Butterflies:

Hummingbirds:

Like the bee balm and sage, some of the plants are also great ways to help combat, ticks and mosquitoes.

How to Plant a Pollinator Garden

Planting a pollinator garden involves a few key steps to ensure success.

1. Plan and design: Determine the size and shape of your garden, keeping in mind how large the plants you want to include in your pollinator garden will become. Sketch out a design of your backyard pollinator garden, including areas for different types of plants and any additional features you want to include, such as water sources or nesting sites.
2. Research native plants: Visit your local nursery to determine what plants will grow in your area and when the best time to plant is. Native plants are adapted to local conditions and provide better food sources for native pollinators. Focus your research on the types of pollinators you want to attract. If you want a bee garden, focus on plants that attract bees. Hummingbirds and butterflies will like different types of plants than bees.
3. Prepare the soil: Ensure your existing soil is free of vegetation, weeds, and grass. Add organic matter such as compost to improve the soil structure, fertility, and water retention.
4. Planting: Holes for each plant should be large enough to accommodate the root system of the plant. Remove the plants from their containers carefully to not disturb the root system. Gently loosen the soil the plant is in before planting to give the roots room to spread out. Backfill the holes with soil, ensuring that no roots are showing above the soil line.
5. Mulch: A layer of organic mulch helps plants to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate the soil temperature.
6. Water: Water your plants thoroughly right away to help plants establish roots and settle the soil.

All of these steps will set you up for success with your pollinator-friendly yard.

Tips for Landscaping Maintenance

Just as it is important to purchase plants that attract bees and other pollinators, it’s essential to maintain the land around them. Bees and butterflies get their water from puddles and damp soil. If your yard doesn’t allow for that, you may want to consider finding alternative ways to water them.

Installing ponds, fountains, creeks, shallow pans of water, or birdbaths can serve as watering stations for pollinators. However, if you choose one of these options, you must clean them often. Mosquitoes and other pests and bacteria are often attracted to stagnant bodies of water. Cleaning a birdbath with a garden hose and a non-bleach mixture is a great way to ensure the birds and bees are hydrated without attracting mosquitoes.

Other ways to ensure your pollinator garden is well maintained include the following:

• Mow often.
• Don’t overwater the lawn.
• Fertilize your lawn, trees, shrubs, and garden.
• Inspect your trees and shrubs for broken branches.
• Pull weeds often.
• Understand what type of soil you have.

Pollinator-friendly gardens and habitats will require standard maintenance such as thinning, fertilizing, amending the soil, removing dead stalks, watering, and removing invasive plant species. When attracting butterflies and bees, you might also attract other insects and pests. You can deter these pests by investing in barrier spray services or an all-natural treatment option for mosquitoes and other pests.

You can always discuss it with a specialist if you are unsure of how to properly maintain your landscaping.

Landscaping Alternatives for Rentals and/or Apartments

Those who live in a rental and/or an apartment may not have as much freedom with landscaping options as those who own their home. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t have any of the flowers and plants listed above to create their own pollinator garden.

Participating in a community garden, making use of planters, and (if able) installing window boxes are excellent alternatives to landscaping while in a rental.

Alternative Ways to Shelter Pollinators

If you have a difficult time maintaining a pollinator garden, don’t worry! There are ways you can house pollinators without having to maintain landscaping. You can still do your part in the conservation process by investing in bee hotels and butterfly houses.

Serious gardeners and pollinator enthusiasts may even consider taking their conservation a step further by becoming their own beekeepers.

Beekeeping 101

Beekeeping is commonly taken on as a career. However, some may choose to pick it up as a hobby. But it isn’t as easy as it may look. Beekeeping takes a lot of time, patience, and dedication.

There are a lot of benefits associated with beekeeping. You can have access to an endless supply of honey, make various products out of beeswax, and help with repopulating the species.

However, along with the pros come the cons. Beekeeping can get expensive. You have to purchase the right clothing, smokers, hive tools, frame grips, and the bees themselves. These expenses can add up.

Beekeeping is a serious commitment. Before deciding what you want to do, you will want to be sure that you can provide the bees with everything they need.

Additional Resources and Further Reading

Here are additional resources to help answer any leftover questions about pollinators, how to attract them to your pollinator garden, and/or the impact they have on the environment.

Brochures:

Attracting butterflies with native plants
Beekeeping guide

Organizations:

Help Save the Bees Foundation
Planet Bee Foundation
North American Butterfly Association
Xerces Society
Butterfly Conservation
The Monarch Watch

Create a Pollinator-Friendly Environment

Creating a pollinator-friendly yard can feel intimidating at first. However, armed with the information above, you can confidently begin your landscaping journey with your pollinating pals firmly in mind. However, when dealing with pests like mosquitoes and ticks, it’s best to call in the pros. Your local Mosquito Joe® has the training and expertise to help keep mosquitoes and ticks at bay for up to 30 days. We offer both traditional and natural mosquito barrier sprays that can help make your outdoor time fun again. To learn more or to get started, call us at 1-855-275-2563 or request a quote online today!

Pollinator FAQs

Are pollinator gardens low maintenance?

Pollinator gardens can be low maintenance, but the level of maintenance required depends upon the size of the garden, the plants in the garden, and local environmental conditions.

Do pollinator gardens need full sun?

Not all pollinator plants require full sun. While many thrive in full sun, some pollinators, such as certain butterflies and bees, can be attracted to gardens with partial shade.

What flowers are not good for pollinators?

While most flowers provide some level of benefit to pollinators, there are certain varieties that may not be attractive or beneficial to pollinators. Here are some examples:

1. Double-flowered varieties – Double-flowered plants have extra petals and often lack or have reduced reproductive structures such as stamens or nectar-producing glands. While these flowers are appealing to humans, they can provide limited benefits to pollinators.
2. Hybrid or Cultivated varieties – Some cultivated or hybrid flowers have been bred for certain traits, such as larger blooms or extended flowering periods. However, in the breeding process, some of the natural characteristics that would normally attract pollinators are lost.
3. Non-native and invasive species – Non-native and invasive species may not have coevolved with local pollinators and may not provide suitable nectar and pollen resources. Invasive species can outcompete native plants and reduce the overall biodiversity and available resources for pollinators.

Nothing ruins a fun backyard get-together quicker than mosquitoes. They are annoying and can also transmit diseases that are harmful to both humans and pets. One-way homeowners can combat this outdoor onslaught is to install Mosquito repellant coils. These coils are some of the most common products homeowners buy to deter mosquitoes. These coils, which smolder and emit smoke repel mosquitoes from the area, have a few drawbacks you should consider.

Do Mosquito Coils Work?

Mosquito coils are flattened coils that contain ingredients that repel mosquitos and components that bind it all together and help it burn at a slow, steady rate. Most mosquito coils are pyrethrin-based, though others contain citronella oil or a blend of repellent ingredients.

The coils work like incense. You either hang the coil or attach it to a stake in a secure location, then light the end. The coil burns slowly, from the outer edge to the center, emitting smoke that will either confuse or eliminate mosquitoes, depending on the type of coil used.

But do mosquito coils work? The smoke emitted from the coils can be effective, but very limited. The coils only cover a small area, and if it’s breezy, the smoke will drift away, leaving you unprotected.

Related Topic: Mosquito Vision: Can Mosquitoes See?

Are Mosquito Coils Harmful to Health?

While the components of mosquito coils are all-natural, it’s still valid to wonder about the overall safety of using them. There have been a few studies that have focused on the mosquito coil’s harmful effects.

Here are some of the top mosquito coil safety concerns for humans and pets:

• One study published in Environmental Health Perspectives indicated that some of the most popular brands of mosquito coils give off smoke that contains known or possible carcinogens, including formaldehyde.
• The same study notes that the fine and ultra-fine particulate matter in the smoke can irritate the eyes, nose, and lungs.
• Mosquito coils can also be a fire hazard. Almost every year there are news stories about fires resulting from unattended mosquito coils or coils that have been knocked onto flammable items. If you have kids and pets, you know how easily things can get bumped into and knocked over.

While mosquito coils can be effective for repelling mosquitoes, other options are just as, if not more, effective. Covering as much exposed skin as possible, planting naturally mosquito-repellent plants, such as citronella and lemongrass, and using protective items like screen tents can help.

Your local Mosquito Joe offers natural barrier sprays that are the easiest solution to your mosquito problem. They help keep mosquitoes away for up to 30 days, giving you peace of mind and more time to enjoy the outdoors.

Mosquito Solutions for Your Yard

Enjoying some backyard time while keeping your family and pets itch-free and safe from mosquitoes is possible. Your local Mosquito Joe is ready to help with both traditional treatments and natural barrier treatments that can help make the outdoors fun again! To get started, call us at 1-855-274-2563 or request a quote online today.

Warmer weather offers the opportunity to spend more time outside with loved ones and pets. But the increase in temperature also leads to more pesky insects like ticks and fleas in your yard. Like many homeowners with furry friends, you may be wondering, “do flea and tick collars work to protect my pets?” Fortunately, a wide range of flea and tick collar varieties are available to keep your pets safe through flea and tick prevention.

How Do Flea Collars Work?

There are different versions of flea collars, and each works a little bit differently.

Typically, flea collars are made of plastic and do one of two things: repel fleas or eliminate them outright. Some collars may only provide one function, while others may do both. Either way, the insecticide must be involved for fleas to be repelled or eliminated.

Flea collars that release a strong odor around your pet’s neck repel fleas through the gas coming from the collar. These types of collars tend to be less effective because they only prevent fleas in the area around the pet’s neck, not their entire body.

Other flea collars are designed to release a small dose of active insecticide onto your pet’s fur, slowly spreading across their skin over time and with movement. When fleas and ticks encounter these active ingredients, they are poisoned on contact.

Another type of flea collar releases an insecticide that absorbs into your pet’s fatty skin layer. This causes fleas to die only after your pet is bitten.

Depending on the collar, the active ingredients could include:

• Flumethrin
• Imidacloprid
• Permethrin
• Tetrachlorvinphos

Related Topic: How to Remove a Tick from a Dog

How Well Does a Flea Collar Work?

There’s much debate on how effective flea and tick collars are. They can be an appropriate preventative measure against fleas and ticks but may not be the best solution for every situation.

Although flea collars are not highly effective when used alone, combining them with other flea control offers better pet protection. For best results using flea collars, experts recommend selecting a brand that contains IGRs (insect growth regulators). IGRs ensure that flea larva doesn’t mature into adult fleas. This keeps flea infestations from reoccurring, as they can do when using a collar that only targets adult fleas and not the larva.

If you’re curious about the effectiveness of a specific flea collar, visit the manufacturer’s website to learn more about the product.

Flea and Tick Collar Safety

If flea collars work by emitting chemicals, are they safe for your pets and home?

Sometimes it can seem like a double-edged sword to protect pets in a safe manner when eliminating pests. Insecticides are necessary to repel and eliminate fleas and ticks, but large doses for an extended time may cause more harm than good.

For example, flea collars containing organophosphates can cause a toxic reaction in pets and people when exposed to them for a long time.

Additionally, permethrin flea collars, which cost less, can be harmful to cats. Felines tend to be more sensitive to permethrin than other mammals like dogs are. In fact, some cats are so sensitive that they can react to permethrin even after casual contact with a dog that’s been treated with it.

There’s even a risk of permethrin overdose when pet owners place flea collars designed for dogs onto a cat. These products can have up to 45% more permethrin than needed to protect your cat. Signs your cat may be having an adverse reaction to a flea and tick treatment include tremors, seizures, and, in some cases, death.

Is a Flea Collar Right for Your Pet?

Most flea collars are recommended for dogs, but do flea collars work on cats too? Yes, there are flea collars that are appropriate for felines, but keep an eye out for any reactions your cat may experience to a new collar. Because they have an increased sensitivity to some flea collar ingredients, cats have a greater risk of skin irritation and other reactions.

Speaking to your veterinarian about choosing the proper flea collar for your pet is highly recommended. Any flea collar can pose some danger to a household with multiple pets, as they may lick or chew each other’s collars, resulting in toxic exposure. But your veterinarian can help you minimize risks and reactions by finding the best collars to meet your household’s needs.

Advantages of flea and tick collars include:

• Ease of use. Topical flea protection often requires an application and drying time, but with a flea collar, you can protect your pet in the time it takes to secure the collar.
• Cost-effective. Typically, flea collars provide up to six months of protection at a reasonable price.
• 24/7 protection. Flea collars stay with your pet and deliver consistent protection.
• No prescription is required. Most flea and tick collars can be purchased over the counter without a prescription from the vet.

Do Flea Collars Kill Fleas?

Flea and tick collars are designed to kill most fleas and repel ticks. Depending on the type of collar you have, it may only kill adult fleas and not flea eggs (larva) or young fleas (pupa).

It is also worth noting that some flea collars only emitting an odor around the neck are ineffective at killing or repelling fleas, not in the immediate area around the collar.

Flea and Tick Prevention for Your Pets

If your pet spends a lot of time outdoors, flea and tick collars can be a useful tool to keep them safe. While these collars provide some level of protection for pets, they may also raise concerns when you consider the repellant is in direct contact with your pet and easily accessible to children.

If you have such concerns, there is a better alternative. Your local Mosquito Joe offers traditional and natural barrier spray treatments to help keep fleas and ticks off your pets so you can all enjoy your outdoor time. To learn more about how to protect your family and household pets from fleas and ticks, give us a call at 1-855-275-2563 or find a location near you.

A sandbox can create hours of fun for kids but sharing it with bugs is nobody’s idea of a fun time. If you’re looking for safe and effective ways to keep ants and other creepy crawlies away from the kids’ sandy playtime, cinnamon in the sandbox may be your solution.

This fragrant spice and pantry staple just so happens to be highly offensive to unwanted sandbox intruders. You sprinkle, they run!

While you may be hesitant to put pesticides and other chemical-based repellant products in or around the sandbox, cinnamon is child-safe, eco-friendly, and affordable.

Read on to learn more about keeping bugs out of the sandbox with cinnamon, so the kids can enjoy bug-free fun in the sand and sun.

Does Cinnamon Keep Bugs Out of a Sandbox?

Yes, cinnamon in the sandbox does more than creating a pleasant aroma. The strong, spicy scent also repels bugs—they want nothing to do with it! The spice contains eugenol, an aromatic compound commonly found in traditional insect repellants.

Bugs also don’t like cinnamon’s powdery texture, and cinnamon has chemicals that have been shown to kill mosquito eggs and repel adult mosquitos, making it a triple-whammy to keep bugs out of the sandbox.

Related Topic: What Are the Best Essential Oils to Repel Ticks?

How Much Cinnamon to Put in Your Sandbox

If you’re ready to add cinnamon to the sandbox, you may be wondering how much is enough. Sprinkling too much cinnamon in the sandbox can lead to eye irritation for the little ones who are playing in the sand.

For best results, start with one tablespoon of powdered cinnamon for an average-sized sandbox (typically 48” x 48”). Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the surface of the sand and mix it with a rake to disperse the spice throughout the box.

Another natural bug-repelling option is to use cinnamon oil: add a few drops of the essential oil to a spray bottle full of water and spray the entire sandbox area. Once dry, the kids can jump in for bug-free sand play.

Keep in mind that although cinnamon will repel bugs, it won’t necessarily kill them. If you notice too many bugs in the sand, it’s a good idea to dump the sandbox, fill it with fresh sand, and add the cinnamon to prevent a bug infestation from reoccurring.

Added Cinnamon to the Sandbox but Still Got a Bug Problem?

If you’re overwhelmed by bugs in your sandbox, it can be a sign that your yard needs some pest control help. The trusted pest control experts at your local Mosquito Joe can help make your yard itch-free with natural barrier treatments that can last up to thirty days. Give us a call at 1-855-275-2563 or request an estimate online today.

When temperatures begin to rise, tick bites become a concern for families who enjoy outdoor activities. In fact, any time temperatures reach above 40 degrees, ticks become more active. So, hiking, camping, going to the beach, and even enjoying a barbecue in the backyard can be interrupted by a tick bite. Detecting a tick early and removing the tick properly from the bite area is crucial to preventing tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

What do ticks feel like? Can you feel a tick bite? If you can’t feel a tick, how can you detect and remove ticks to avoid illness? Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself, your family, and your pets with essential tick bite detection and prevention.

Can You Feel a Tick on You?

Can you feel ticks on your body? Unfortunately, the answer in many cases is no. So, what do ticks feel like? When ticks are in the nymph stage during spring and early summer, they’re the size of a poppy seed, making them nearly impossible to feel. Even when they bite, you won’t feel a tick nymph, yet they are the ticks most likely to transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.

If you can’t feel a tick bite, how do you know if you’ve been bitten? Detecting ticks or nymphs requires super-close visual examination. Even then, a tick can be in a place you can’t see on your own. They like to bite the back of your neck or the top of your scalp. That’s why it’s wise to have a friend or loved one help you scan your body for ticks after being outside, especially in places on your body that you can’t see.

As ticks grow, it may be easier to feel them moving on your skin, but there’s no guarantee. A tick crawling on your body can feel like a very slight tickle—it’s a sensation that can be easily missed if you aren’t purposefully checking for them. You’re more likely to find a tick by seeing it crawling on you or someone else.

Not only are you unlikely to feel a tick or nymph moving on you, but you can’t feel a tick bite. Even once the tick bites and embeds itself into your skin, you’re unlikely to feel it. The bite doesn’t hurt, itch, or burn. While the tick feeds on your blood, its body begins to swell, making it easier to spot and locate. A tactile search is one way to find or feel a tick on you. Search by running your hands lightly over the areas of your body where ticks are likely to crawl or bite, including:

• Under the arms
• Inside the belly button
• On the back of the knees
• In and around the ears
• Between legs
• On the scalp or in your hair

What Does a Tick Look Like?

Since you cannot feel a tick bite or even a tick crawling on you, it’s important to look for them visually. But what do ticks look like?

Ticks are arachnids, and they look a lot like the spiders and mites they are related to. Tick eggs look a lot like red caviar, and the hatchlings and nymphs look like minuscule spiders or mites. A hungry tick has a flat body with a teardrop shape. The head is at the more pointed end of the body. Tiny tick larvae have just six legs, while nymphs and adult ticks have eight. Once a tick bites, it embeds in the skin, attaching through a barbed feeding tube. The feeding process includes injecting the host with a mild painkiller, so you cannot feel the tick bite, attach or feed.

As the tick feasts on its host blood, the tick’s body swells enormously. An adult female tick can swell up to 200 times her original body size as she drinks blood. She may swell to half an inch long, making her much easier to spot.

Related Topic: What Are the Best Essential Oils to Repel Ticks?

What Does a Tick Bite Feel Like?

Unlike bites from mosquitoes and other bugs, tick bites do not typically cause immediate skin irritation or itching sensation. When it embeds itself in your skin, the tick injects its saliva, which contains a numbing agent called kinases, enabling the insect to avoid detection while it feeds on its host.

You can’t feel a tick bite when it bites you. Many individuals with Lyme disease were unaware they experienced a tick bite until symptoms of the disease emerged well after the tick was gone. What does a tick bite look and feel like? The answer depends on the type of tick and your specific physical reaction.

Tick bite lesions can vary in appearance, size, and sensation. In most cases, a bite that does not transmit a tick-borne illness will resemble a mosquito bite without extensive itching or pain. It is a small red bump that will fade within a couple of days.

Since you cannot feel a tick bite, it’s good to know what the bites look like. Here are some of the different tick bite lesions and reactions that are cause for concern:

• Redness or rash around the skin indicates inflammation and possible infection.
• Bulls-eye rash—a telltale sign of a tick bite; this can signal a potential infection of Lyme disease.
• Bite area with a tick still attached and its head burrowed into the skin.
• Fever, chills, aches, and pains, can be signs of a tick-borne illness.

Related Topic: How to Properly Check and Remove Ticks from Your Pets

If you notice any of the signs or symptoms listed above or find a tick attached to you, contact a medical professional who will have the proper tools to remove the tick safely. Once removed, professionals can test the tick for disease to ensure you receive any necessary treatment. If medical attention is difficult to reach, learn how to remove a tick safely.

Contact Us for Effective Tick Control

Contact your local Mosquito Joe to keep ticks at bay and your family and pets safe. In addition to trust-worthy mosquito control service, our service professionals will provide an effective, long-lasting barrier treatment to keep ticks out of your yard for up to thirty days. To learn more about our pest control services, including our natural barrier treatments, call 1-855-275-2563 or request an estimate online today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ticks

Why are there so many ticks?

Ticks are not a new threat, but as their population and habitat continue to grow and expand, the potential threat to humans and animals increases. Climate change plays a part in rising tick populations. And as more forests and wooded land is developed into housing and shopping districts, the areas where ticks once lived in isolation are gone. The combination of a rising tick population and people moving into their traditional habitat increases the chances that you will encounter ticks.

Where are ticks most commonly found?
Ticks live in areas where hosts are plentiful. This includes wooded areas, meadows, and marshes. You can also encounter ticks at the beach, particularly along walkways from the hills overlooking the water, down past heavy vegetation to the sand. Nearly anywhere there is sufficient vegetation, you will find ticks.

How to identify a tick bite?
It’s essential to recognize a tick bite, so you can remove the tick and seek treatment if the bite becomes infected. But a tick bite looks like a small red swollen area, similar to other insect bites. It may have been bitten by a tick bite if:

• There is only one bite. Mosquitoes and fleas often bite multiple times.
• The red swelling at the bite site has a small black dot at the center.
• The red swelling has a hardened center.
• A bull’s eye rash forms. If the red swelling is surrounded by unaffected skin, that is ringed with a red circle. This is the characteristic appearance of a tick bite that transmitted Lyme disease.
• A rash forms at the site of the bite and is accompanied by fever, body aches, sore joints, swollen lymph nodes, and lethargy.