When the weather warms up and the kids head outside, Lyme disease is often on the minds of parents in Wyckoff. It's a serious illness, and it starts with a tick bite in an ordinary place, like a backyard, a trail or a ball field. The good news is that understanding how ticks live makes it much easier to lower the risk around your home. Below, we answer the questions homeowners ask most about Lyme disease and the ticks that carry it. This article isn't medical advice. For anything about symptoms, testing or treatment, see a doctor. For reducing ticks on your property, our tick control services can help.
What Causes Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that are passed to people through the bite of an infected tick. In New Jersey and the rest of the Northeast, the tick that spreads it is the blacklegged tick, which most people call the deer tick. Ticks pick up the bacteria by feeding on infected animals, especially small mammals like white-footed mice. They can then pass it on when they feed again.
Lyme disease doesn't spread from person to person. It's tied to tick bites, which is why controlling tick exposure is the main way to prevent it.
What Does A Deer Tick Look Like?
Blacklegged ticks are small, and the younger stages are smaller still:
- Adult females. A reddish-orange body with a dark shield near the head and dark legs.
- Adult males. Smaller and mostly dark brown or black.
- Nymphs. About the size of a poppy seed. They're the stage most likely to bite people without being noticed.
If you're not sure which tick you found, our guide to telling a wood tick vs. deer tick apart walks through the differences.
When Are Ticks Active?
Ticks can be active any time temperatures are mild, including warm days in fall, winter and early spring. Nymphs are most active from late spring through summer, which overlaps with the months families spend the most time outdoors. Adult blacklegged ticks are active in fall and early spring. That means there isn't really an off-season for tick checks in New Jersey, just busier and quieter times.
Where Do Ticks Live Around My Home?
Ticks need moisture and shade to survive. They don't jump or fly. They wait on low plants and leaf litter and grab onto people and animals that brush past. Around a typical home, the riskiest spots are:
- Lawn edges. The transition zone where grass meets woods, shrubs or ground cover.
- Leaf litter. Damp leaf piles under trees, along fences and in garden beds.
- Stone walls and woodpiles. These shelter mice and chipmunks, which are hosts for young ticks.
- Tall grass. Overgrown areas that stay damp and shaded.
Deer moving through a yard also carry adult ticks, so properties with regular deer traffic often see more ticks.
How Can I Lower The Risk At Home?
- Mow and trim. Keep grass short, especially near play areas, patios and paths.
- Clear leaf litter. Rake leaves away from the edges of your lawn and out of play areas.
- Create a dry border. A strip of wood chips or gravel between lawn and woods helps keep ticks out of the areas you use most.
- Move play sets. Put swings and sandboxes in sunny spots away from the woods' edge.
- Stack wood neatly. Keep woodpiles off the ground and away from the house to discourage rodents.
- Protect pets. Ask your veterinarian about tick prevention. Pets can carry ticks indoors.
- Do daily tick checks. Check everyone after time outdoors, including behind the knees, around the waist, in the hair and behind the ears.
What Should I Do If I Find A Tick?
Remove an attached tick promptly and carefully. The CDC and your local health department publish simple step-by-step removal guidance. If you want the tick identified, you can save it in a sealed bag. If you were bitten and you notice a rash, feel unwell or have any other concern, see a doctor. Your doctor is the right person to decide what, if anything, needs to be done.
When To Call A Professional
If you're finding ticks on your kids or pets regularly, it makes sense to look at your yard as a whole. Our NJ DEP-licensed technicians inspect your property to find where ticks are most likely to live and recommend a plan to reduce them. We use Integrated Pest Management and EPA-registered, eco-safe products, and we'll explain any temporary precautions for kids and pets. Our work is backed by the EcoGuard Guarantee, with free inspections and same-day or next-day service.
Lyme disease is a real concern, but you're not powerless. A tidy yard, good habits and a quick call to your doctor when something seems off go a long way toward keeping your Wyckoff family safe outdoors.