Tennessee Ticks 
Rocky Top will always be home sweet home to me,Good Ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee. Lyme Disease, Zika, and West Nile are all carried by Tennessee Ticks. I’ve explored some facts about ticks and listed them for us below.
Types of Ticks
Tennessee has three primary types of ticks. The American Dog Tick, The Lone Star Tick and the Brown Dog Tick.
The American Dog Tick is brown with Silver and they 3-5% of them carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. They come out in the spring and summer.
The Lone Star Tick is smaller than the American Dog Tick and the female has a white spot on her back that gives the species it’s name. You may have heard of seed ticks. These small ticks are the larvae of the Lone Star Tick.
The Brown Dog Tick is actually more of a red color and looks a lot like the American Dog Tick. It is smaller and does not have any markings. The brown dog tick lives indoors and is found in areas that your pet frequents.
Building Fences
The best way to keep ticks out of your house and off your person is to have a fenced yard. Keeping stray animals out of your yard will keep ticks from migrating to your yard from their hosts. If you have pets make sure you treat them regularly for ticks. Check them daily and wash their sleeping quarters and toys often. Make sure you bathe your animals as well.
Tick Removal
I’ve read that ticks don’t like the smell of gasoline and that the smell can be used to remove a tick. I’ve read that rubbing alcohol can suffocate a tick and that petroleum jelly can be used to kill ticks. This is all untrue. The only way to remove a tick is with tweezers.
To remove the tick get the tweezers as close to your skin as possible. Once you have your tweezers around the base of the tick, as close to your skin as possible, you should pull in an upward motion. Once the tick is removed dispose of it immediately and wipe the infected area with alcohol.
Tennessee Ticks carry disease that can cost thousands of dollars to treat. The best treatment is prevention. Give us a call for a free estimate.
Contact Us
Absolute Pest Control is dedicated to making your home safe for you family. If you have a question about fall pests or any other pest problem, please call us at 615-220-1933 or click HERE to email us.