Ticks

– Look for tiny dark specks on skin and clothes.
– Check pets after they roam near brush.
– Find round, flat ticks attached to skin.
– Notice a small red bump after a bite.

Granular or liquid residual acaricide applied to yard perimeter and transition zones; deer-exclusion fencing; host-targeted desiccant tubes (cotton bait for rodents) for tick population reduction. A pro treats the yard edges where ticks wait. Keeping deer and mice out lowers the tick supply. Bait tubes target the mice that carry young ticks. Fewer host animals means fewer ticks in your yard.

We treat yard edges and leaf litter with tick spray. We also use mouse bait tubes to cut tick hosts.

– Apply EPA-registered tick repellent (DEET 20%+ or permethrin on clothing) before outdoor activity.

– Wear long sleeves and pants tucked into socks in wooded or grassy areas.

– Conduct a full-body tick check within 2 hours of outdoor exposure.

– Mow lawns regularly and clear leaf litter from yard edges and play areas.

– Shower within 2 hours of potential tick exposure to dislodge unattached ticks.

– Mow grass short near play areas and trails.

– Clear leaf piles and trash near creek edges.

– Treat pets year-round with vet-approved tick medicine.

– Use permethrin on clothes when hiking greenbelt trails.

Quests in tall grass, leaf litter, and woodland edges where host animals travel; nymph stage is peak-risk (May–July) due to small size and slow feeding detection. Ticks wait on tall grass and brush for a host. They climb on as people or pets brush past. Yard edges and wooded spots are the riskiest areas. Young ticks are tiny and very hard to spot.

Ticks are common along Austin creeks and greenbelts. They hang on tall grass and leaf litter near trails.