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Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting, eventful time and studies show there are numerous science-based benefits to having a dog. New dog owners should be aware that getting a puppy doesn’t only involve buying food, toys, and taking them to the vet. Similar to baby-proofing your home, dog owners need to take similar action to prepare their homes for a new puppy.

It is important to anticipate any potential home hazards for your puppy. The information below is meant to provide new dog owners with several considerations that will help protect your puppy and your home.

1. Remove Hanging Objects

Puppies are curious little creatures. Everything is new to them, and they want to explore anything within reach, so it is crucial to look for any hanging objects and remove them to protect your puppy from any potential harm. If it’s something you don’t want to remove entirely, you can hang them up out of the animal’s reach. Some examples of hanging objects to remove or hang higher include:

• Electrical wires extend from household appliances and electronics.
• Table clothes.
• Bedding.
• Curtains.
• Tapestries.
• Clothing.
• Hanging plants.

Take a moment and monitor how high your puppy can reach and how high they can jump to ensure that the item you are hanging is at an appropriate height. Reassess the height objects are hung at as the puppy begins to grow.

2. Keep Objects Off the Floor

Life gets crazy and your house can get cluttered as a result, but it is important to pick up after yourself and keep objects off the floor — especially smaller items. This should not just include the floor, it is important to store all potentially hazardous items in areas where your puppy can’t get to them. All objects can be choking hazards and the unfortunate reality is that puppies (and even full-grown dogs) love to eat things that are left out. This can include things such as:

• Footwear.
• Articles of clothing.
• Coins.
• Baby toys.
• Shoes.
• Human food.

Removing all choking hazards is a great way to minimize the chance of your puppy choking. But when there is a will, there is a way, and a puppy will find a way. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the Heimlich maneuver for dogs so that you can take immediate action when your puppy is choking. Note that the processes change depending on the size of your dog.

3. Hide and Safely Store All Harmful Substances

Several things are commonly found in homes that are toxic and harmful to dogs. You should store the following “dog poisons” in an area that is inaccessible to your dog:

Over-the-counter and prescription medications: Human medication is poisonous to pets and it can cause serious health issues and even death.

Human food: Feeding your puppy some scraps to avoid doing dishes or because they gave you puppy eyes may seem like a great idea, but there are several human foods to avoid feeding your pet that is toxic — like:

• Chocolate.
• Avocado.
• Citrus.
• Grapes.
• Dairy.
• Nuts.

Chemicals: Digesting chemicals is bad for humans and dogs alike. Be sure to store all cleaning supplies, pesticides, rodenticides, insecticides, and any other chemicals in a spot where your puppy won’t come in contact with them.

If you believe that your dog has gotten into a harmful substance, you should contact Animal Poison Control immediately or take your dog to your local veterinarian.

4. Puppy Proof Your Plants

Plants are a great way to add character or improve air quality, but several plants are poisonous to dogs. Whether they are located inside or outside, it is important to avoid or protect your puppy from the following plants:

• Sago palm.
• Tomato.
• Aloe vera.
• Ivy.
• Amaryllis.
• Gladiola.
• Holly.
• Daffodil.
• Baby’s breath.
• Milkweed.
• Azalea/Rhododendron.
• Tulip.

The best way to keep your puppy away from harmful plants is to avoid them entirely. There are tons of alternatives to the plants above to satisfy your green thumb. If you decide to have a toxic plant, store them in areas that your puppy cannot access. Consider different ways to puppy-proof your pets like hanging your plants from the ceiling or keeping them in a secured greenhouse.

5. Protect Your Pets from Pests

Pests can be obnoxious for humans and dogs alike, but the important thing to be aware of is how they carry disease and spread bacteria/parasites. Some dogs may have allergies to pests that can create additional discomfort. There are a few pests that dog owners should watch out for, some include:

• Fleas.
• Ticks.
• Mosquitoes.
• Spiders.
• Stinging insects.
• Ants.

There are several ways to protect your animal from pests — some examples include:

Consider topicals and collars: There are several different topicals and collars out there to help protect your animal from pests. Do your research and find what works best for you and your puppy.

Take advantage of pest control: Having a pest control professional is one of the best methods for getting rid of harmful pests. Below are some pest control services to consider:

• General outdoor pest control.
• Specific pest control like tick control or flea control, depending on the time of year and your location.
• Utilize traps and deterrents: There are numerous different pest traps to take advantage of. There are specialized lights, hanging traps, floor traps, sprays, and even candles.
• Keep your dog clean: Regularly groom your puppy to help ward off pests. This should include baths and brushing. This is also a good opportunity to check for any pests in your dog’s hair or on their skin.
• Keep your house clean: Pests love messy areas. It creates the perfect home for nesting and breeding. Be sure to keep the inside and outside of your home clean.

6. Make Sure Your Fence is Secure

Most dogs love the outdoors and if you have a fenced-in backyard, your pet can spend time outside without your supervision. That said, you should always make sure that your fence is secured so that your puppy cannot escape.

Walk around the perimeter of your fence and look for any loose fence posts, holes in fencing, or areas large enough for your puppy to escape and fix the issue accordingly.

Dogs love to dig. If your dog is a digger, you will want to watch for any holes that are near the fence line where your puppy could escape.

If you are worried that your puppy is going to escape, the best solution is to supervise them when they’re outside.

7. Buy a Puppy Camera/Monitor

You can’t always take your dog with you everywhere you go and sometimes you may have to leave them at home without you. If you want to keep an eye on your dog while you have gone, you may want to consider a puppy camera or monitor. There are numerous options to choose from all with varying capabilities (e.g. treat capabilities, voice capabilities, alerts, etc.).

Do your research to determine which puppy camera/monitor is best for you and your puppy. The American Kennel Club recommends the following pet cams and monitors.

8. Take Advantage of Crates or Dog Gates

Similar to the options mentioned above, when you leave, other ways to keep your puppy from getting into things they shouldn’t are crates or dog gates. With a crate, you can have peace of mind knowing that your dog can’t get into anything dangerous. Dog gates can be used to block off specific areas or to confine your dog to a specific area of the house. However, be aware that a puppy can jump over a gate, so make sure you have one high enough to prevent them from jumping over it. Both are great options — especially if you don’t allow your pets to sleep with you.

Crates and gates are also helpful when you are trying to get some cleaning done, you are working on a home project, or when you have guests over. Avoid using a crate as a method of punishment. This can confuse your puppy into thinking they are in trouble when you put them in the crate at night or when you leave.

If you suffer from allergies, you are probably aware of the most common allergens circulating inside your home. Well, there are countless other allergens in and around your home that could be causing or worsening your allergies. Common allergens like dust, mold, pollen, dirt, pet dander, pests, stinging insects, mildew, and bacteria can be found almost anywhere in your home. But did you know that seemingly harmless fixtures, features, and habits could also be contributing to the buildup of allergens in your home, making your allergies that much worse?

Although it may take some time and effort on your part, you can reduce the presence of allergens and pests in your home and yard. With some additional effort, you can even minimize the chances of them returning once you’ve gotten rid of them. Here’s are some ways you can start creating an allergy-free home:

Clean Weekly

Regularly cleaning your home is, perhaps, the easiest way to get rid of allergens and pests. If there is mold, bacteria, mildew, pests, dirt, and debris in your house, cleaning your home will ensure they don’t stick around for long. To keep your home free of allergens, try to do the following tasks each week:

• Wiping down surfaces, including cabinets and counters.
• Dusting, including ceiling fans, blinds, and furniture.
• Vacuuming and sweeping.
• Mopping.
• Washing your bedding.
• Doing your laundry.
• Cleaning bathroom fixtures, including the toilet and sinks.
• Cleaning frequently used kitchen appliances, such as your stovetop.

Depending on your home and lifestyle, you may need to take care of some of these chores more frequently, and others less. You may also need to add other chores to your list.

Additionally, do your best to stay on top of daily chores, like doing the dishes or spot cleaning, to make your weekly “deep cleans” that much easier.

Don’t neglect chores that need to be done less frequently, such as cleaning your carpets or taking care of your yard. They may not need to be done often, but they do need to be taken care of regularly if you want to get rid of any allergens that have accumulated in your home.

Address Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality (IAQ) can have significant effects on your health, including your allergies. Poor IAQ contains common allergens — such as pet dander, dust, mold, pollen, dust mites, and bacteria — that can exacerbate your allergy symptoms.

Not only is removing allergens from your home a major component of ensuring you have high-quality air, but it can also go a long way in relieving your allergies.

Replace HVAC Filters

Before anything else, replace the filters in your HVAC system. The filters catch allergens and other particles, preventing them from recirculating back into your home. Over time, those particles build up and make it more difficult to filter out allergens.

Though it depends on the type of filter you have in your home, it’s best to change them once every month to month-and-a-half if you have allergies. With frequent filter changes, your HVAC system can work as efficiently as possible and help lessen your allergy symptoms.

In addition, consider having your HVAC system and air ducts cleaned periodically. Particles and debris can build up in the rest of the system, making it work less efficiently overall. Cleaning your system and ducts will remove those allergens and prevent them from reentering your home.

Install a Whole-House Filtration System

A whole-house filtration system works in conjunction with your HVAC system to filter your home’s air. Before entering your HVAC system, air first goes through the whole-house filter. Air is then filtered for a second time through your HVAC system.

Whole-house filters are usually outfitted with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. HEPA filters are rated to remove at least 99.97% of particles from the air. The air that goes through your HVAC system will already be fairly clean, and your second filter can catch any straggling particles left in the air.

Try a Dehumidifier

As the name suggests, a dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, offering you more control over the humidity in your home. If your home has high humidity, it may be the perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Certain pests, like earwigs and cockroaches, thrive in humid conditions.

Dehumidifiers bring in and cool down warm air. The air contracts as it cools, leaving behind condensation. The condensation drips into a collection tank, allowing the cool, dry air to re-circulate through your home. In addition to making a less hospitable environment for allergens, dry and cool air is also more comfortable to breathe.

As far as dehumidifiers go, you have two options: a portable dehumidifier or a whole-house dehumidifier. If only one room in your home is a problem (such as your bathroom), a portable dehumidifier may be enough. If your entire home is humid or you live in a humid area, a whole-house dehumidifier is a better choice.

Ventilate the Bathroom

Bathrooms are one of the most dangerous rooms in your home for allergens and poor air quality. They’re warm and full of moisture — in other words, a paradise for mold, mildew, and bacteria.

Proper ventilation is key to keeping the air clean in your bathroom. A dehumidifier (even a portable one) can do wonders for your bathroom. You should also install a reliable exhaust fan if you don’t already have one. An exhaust fan will expel air from your bathroom, making way for fresh air to come in.

It’s especially important to ventilate the bathroom when you’re doing anything to increase the humidity or temperature of the room, such as taking a shower or bath. Simply opening a window or leaving the door open significantly improves both ventilation and your IAQ.

Keep Pests and Allergens from Coming Inside

In addition to removing allergens from your home, you can take steps to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. Many allergens, pests, and air pollutants originate outdoors, and if you don’t protect your home, it’s all too easy for them to make their way inside.

Deter Bugs

If you haven’t taken steps to clean up your yard, you may be inadvertently attracting bugs to your home. Not only does this increase the chance of allergies, but it can also have more serious health consequences. Certain pests carry dangerous diseases that can have lasting health impacts.

• Many common outdoor features can attract bugs:
• Standing water, such as a pond or birdbath, can attract mosquitos.
• Trash, dirty grills and other food odors can attract flies and ants.
• Piles of wood can attract termites.
• Overgrown or untended areas of your yard can attract ticks and fleas.
• Outdoor lighting can attract many different pests, including moths, stink bugs, and earwigs.
• Plants in your garden can also attract a variety of pests (and give off allergy-inducing pollen).

Luckily, there are several changes you can make to discourage pests from visiting your yard:

• Keep your yard, garden, and patio clean.
• Use lighting that deters bugs, such as yellow or orange light.
• Encourage pest predators to come to your yard, including birds and bats.
• Plant pest-repellent plants and herbs in your garden.
• Use essential oils to deter certain pests, including mosquitos and ticks.
• Place bug traps around your yard.
• Use a patio fan to keep air moving in areas where you relax in your yard.
• Mow your lawn.
• Install a fire feature, such as a fire pit or tiki torches.
• Create a dry mulch barrier in your yard.

You won’t be able to keep your yard entirely free of pests and insects, but you can reduce their presence in your yard by making it less hospitable to them.

Apply Pest Treatment

Even with the above changes, it’s far more difficult to control the allergens in your yard than the ones in your home — especially pests. Not only are there different types of pests that come from different sources, but they can be difficult to spot in your yard. It’s far easier to prevent these pests from taking over your yard than it is to exterminate them after they’ve built a nest.

A pest control treatment is one of the only ways to keep allergy-inducing pests away from your home. The type of treatment you need depends on what pests are responsible for your allergies. For instance, if you have allergic reactions to mosquito bites or insect stings, it’s best to look into a mosquito and stinging insect treatments. You should also consider which pests are most common in your area.

Be Mindful of Pets

Your pets can also bring allergens into your home if they go in and out of your house. After spending time outside, your pet could easily carry in pests (such as fleas and ticks), as well as pollen, dirt, and dust. In addition to being bad for your allergies, this can be equally harmful to your pet’s health.

• Doing the following can help protect both you and your pet’s health:
• Inspect your pet for pests when they come inside after being outdoors.
• Brush your pet to remove any debris from their fur before they come inside.
• Wash your pet’s bedding regularly.
• Put your pet’s food away when they aren’t eating.
• Give your pet any preventative and pest-deterring medicine as prescribed by your vet.
• Avoid letting your pet outdoors at dawn and dusk, when pests and bugs are most active.
• Bathe and groom your pet thoroughly and regularly.

Again, there’s no way to keep your home and yard entirely free of potential allergens and pests. However, it’s best to be proactive when it comes to keeping your house allergy-free, so you can find relief from your symptoms and live comfortably in your own home.

It’s happened to all of us at one time or another, we spend a day or evening enjoying some quality time outdoors only to return home and realize, we’ve been bitten!

Even the most vigilant mosquito swatter has fallen victim to the blood-sucking pest that buzzes freely among us during the day and evening hours. And if you’ve ever wondered how a mosquito finds you, even in the dark, we have the answers.

It’s actually the female mosquito that’s after your blood; males avoid human contact at all costs. Females rely mainly on three senses to search for their blood meals—sight, smell, and thermal senses. Their sense of smell is quite good, due to olfactory receptors in their antennae that detect chemicals in sweat and breath. They also use other cues to find their hosts, such as moisture detection (aka hygric cues). To learn about how mosquitoes find you, what scents mosquitoes like, and what you can do to avoid the bite, keep reading.

Mosquito Vision

Mosquitoes have two compound eyes made up of hundreds of small lenses on each side of their head. The lenses, called ommatidia, enable the mosquito to see many directions simultaneously. As mosquitoes fly within 15 to 50 feet of a potential host, their ommatidia identify the host, although the image is not perfectly clear. They use their other senses to make up for visual shortcomings.

Related Topic: What Colors Attract Mosquitoes?

Mosquito Sense of Smell

Can mosquitoes smell you? Absolutely. Female mosquitoes use their olfactory senses to detect scents that are as far as 100 feet away. The mosquito’s sense of smell is the primary indicator that female mosquitoes use to find their next blood meal.

What scents do mosquitoes like? They have their favorites! Here are the smells that are most attractive to mosquitoes:

• Blood. Studies show that mosquitoes prefer Type O blood and are not as attracted to Type A.
• Perfumes and colognes that feature floral scents are highly appealing to the female mosquito.
• Skin bacteria. Certain compounds present on human skin and in sweat create an odor that attracts mosquitoes.
• Alcohol. Beer at the barbecue may be welcoming mosquitoes to the party! A study discovered that people who had recently consumed alcohol were more attracted to mosquitoes than people who had not.

Mosquito Carbon Dioxide Detection

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is another primary clue female mosquitoes use to find you. Your breath contains it, and they can smell it. How far can mosquitoes detect carbon dioxide? Each time you exhale, you send out a beacon to mosquitoes within a 100-foot radius.

Mosquitoes use hair-like sensors near their mouths to seek out the carbon dioxide source because they know that where there’s CO2, there’s a tasty blood meal. The more carbon dioxide output there is, the easier it is for a mosquito to identify the host. This means pregnant women and overweight people tend to be at greater risk for a bite. The same is true for someone who is exercising.

Are Mosquitoes Attracted to Heat?

Yes, they are. Mosquitoes detect body heat, and this factor plays an important role in whether a female mosquito decides to bite. Mosquitoes’ eyes gather thermal sensory information. When they sense body heat within four feet, they move closer to the host. This also means if you are warmer than the person standing next to you, mosquitoes are more likely to target you.

Related Topic: Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears?

One Way Mosquitoes Can’t Find You

Mosquitoes can’t find you if they aren’t in your yard! While you can’t hold your breath indefinitely or change your blood type, you can control whether mosquitoes crash your next outdoor gathering. One of the best ways to keep mosquitoes away is with a mosquito barrier spray from your local pest control pros at Mosquito Joe. We offer natural treatments that help keep mosquitoes and other pests away for up to 21 days. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call 1-855-275-2563 or visit us online.

With Thanksgiving approaching, you may be thinking more about turkeys than you normally do. And all this thinking about turkeys may have you wondering, “do turkeys eat ticks?”. You can’t find anything about the topic on social media and none of your friends seems to know for sure. Well, don’t worry, we have the answer. 

The answer to this burning question is, YES! Turkeys do eat ticks! Their sharp eyesight and acute hearing make them talented tick gobblers. Both domesticated turkeys and all five subspecies of wild turkeys in the U.S. eat ticks and a cornucopia of other problematic insects. For that, we are truly thankful.  

Learn just what a turkey can do with their practiced pecks.  

How Many Ticks Do Turkeys Eat in One Day?  

A single, full-grown turkey can consume 200 or more ticks per day, under the right conditions. A female turkey can raise a clutch of 4 to 17 poults every year, which means after one year of reproduction, her turkey family (two generations, including her and her mate) could eat up to 3,800 ticks per day, altogether. That’s way more ticks than most other birds consume. All of this gobbling up of ticks helps keep the population from getting too out of control, which can help reduce the spread of tick-borne diseases. 

Can wild turkeys control the tick population?  

Wild turkeys can be beneficial because they eat ticks that are on the ground, in the grass, in low vegetation and even ones on their own bodies during self-grooming. Even though these birds are also tick hosts (i.e., ticks latch onto them), they tend to eliminate more ticks than they spread.  

Turkeys also eat other bugs, mollusks, and small creatures that can be irritating to humans and/or harmful to gardens. These include slugs, stink bugs, grasshoppers, snails, beetles, caterpillars, and small snakes. They also eat praying mantises, which are tick-eaters themselves—but turkeys are better at tick control than any bug ever could be (sorry, praying mantises). 

If you’re interested in attracting wild turkeys to your property, there are several ways to do it. For example, you can create areas for dust baths, scatter food (like cracked corn) on the ground, and create protected nesting sites. Just keep in mind that turkeys will undoubtedly gobble up all your birdseed in the process. They can even be aggressive during mating season.  

Related Topic: Control by Predators: What Animals Eat Ticks?  

Other Birds That Eat Ticks  

All this talking turkey may have you wondering if there are any other birds that eat ticks? Yes, many!  

Here are some other feathered friends known for having ticks on their menu:  

• Chickens   
• Guinea fowl 
• Peafowl 
• Ducks  
• Quails 

• Partridges 
• Woodpeckers 
• Egrets 
• Oxpecker (endemic to Africa) 
    

These birds are known to seek out ticks as a favored food source. They could be considered true tick predators—especially the oxpecker!  

However, there are many other birds that eat ticks less frequently. Many will eat a tick if they come across one when foraging, so they are not considered true tick predators, like the turkey. Numerous ground-dwelling birds, including smaller songbirds, also fit this description.  

The Battle Against Tick-Borne Illnesses 

Although turkeys and other birds certainly do their part to control the tick population in many areas, they can’t be counted on to do it all. And with tick populations—as well as Lyme disease cases—increasing in many areas of the country due to climate change, it is important to take the job of tick control into your own hands.  

The pros at Mosquito Joe are experts when it comes to controlling pest populations like mosquitoes and ticks. We provide top-notch tick control services that help protect you, your family, and your pets from ticks and Lyme disease. To learn more about our natural barrier sprays or to schedule an appointment call, 1-855-275-2563, or visit us online today! 

 
As temperatures plummet and snow flurries fly, some critters head south, and others burrow down to hibernate.

What about ticks? Where do they go? Do we still have to worry about ticks in cold weather? Can ticks survive cold weather, or does cold weather kill ticks? If cold weather kills the nasty biters, at what temperatures do ticks die?

Ticks are intriguing critters. Led by an insatiable curiosity about how ticks can survive cold weather, we dug deep into the issue. Let’s take a look at some fascinating findings about ticks in cold weather.

At What Temperature Do Ticks Die?

Ticks can survive cold weather, but not always. So, when does cold weather kill ticks? If the temperature falls below 10 degrees Fahrenheit and stays there for several days, about ⅕ of the tick population in the area will likely die off, even if buried deep in the soil layer. However, female ticks are particularly robust and are capable of surviving such cold temperatures until they can lay their eggs in spring.

Burrowing into the soil can help protect ticks in cold weather, but a premature thaw or warm period can fool them into thinking it’s time to come out of hiding. If the warm weather is followed by a sudden cold snap that freezes the ground quickly, the tick can’t burrow back underground for warmth. This is one of the scenarios in which a tick could die.

Related Topic: What Temperature Kills Mosquitoes?

How Do Ticks Adapt to Cold Weather?

Ticks in cold weather adapt in numerous ways. The activity of ticks in cold weather varies according to the tick species and life cycle stage. There are different levels of cold tolerance within tick species as well.

One way a tick can survive cold weather is by burrowing beneath leaves and soil. Deep snow also helps insulate dormant ticks from freezing temperatures. Other ticks may come out of hiding to feed on a host, even in extremely cold weather. And then there are those that stay on a warm-blooded animal the whole season.

Which Type of Ticks Are More Active in the Winter?

Blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks, and their cousins, the western black-legged ticks, both can carry Lyme disease (and other pathogens) and are active in cold weather. Their tolerance for the cold varies.

Researchers have found that 50% of blacklegged ticks die at temps of minus 14 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, but some go much colder and still live to suck another blood meal. These weather-defying ticks can survive temperatures as low as 7.06 degrees Fahrenheit by pulling water molecules out of their bodies before they turn to ice.

The winter tick is active (not surprisingly) throughout the year because it spends its entire life on a warm-blooded host—a very unusual trait (even for a tick).

Other common ticks, like dog ticks and lone star ticks, seek shelter in leaf litter during the winter and go dormant (in diapause) during the colder winter months. If they’re lucky, a thick layer of snow can provide additional insulation, further protecting their bodies from the cold. These ticks can survive cold weather and emerge again in spring.

Ticks act differently according to where they are in the life cycle as well. Tick nymphs enter a form of stasis to ride out the winter chill, so they tend to nest without feeding. However, many adult ticks will muster the energy to find another host to feed on. They attach themselves to a host and benefit from its body warmth and blood.

What If You Have Warm Winters?

Sadly, as we have seen, ferocious winter weather cannot be counted on to kill ticks. If you live in a warmer climate where temperatures rarely dip below freezing, you have to be on guard throughout the year. In these areas, ticks are active in and around your home during every season. But you don’t have to battle these blood bandits alone. The pest control pros at Mosquito Joe® can provide year-round protection for you, your family, and your pets.

You now know the cold, hard truth about the survival abilities of ticks. Yes, ticks can survive cold weather—but you have a powerful ally against the nasty little bloodsuckers. Mosquito Joe provides effective tick control service and maintenance all year round. Our skilled team arrives promptly, in uniform, and driving a marked van filled with the tools of our trade.

As a proud member of the Neighborly community of home service brands, all our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe guarantee, which ensures your complete satisfaction.

Request a free quote today, and dive deeper into our Mosquito Joe blog to stay informed on the best ways to combat pests and enjoy the outdoors again!