This week brings awareness to a small, but diseased insect
TOPEKA (KSNT) - It's tick awareness week. Ticks are active year-round, but this is peak season.
One thing to keep in mind is that you and your pets can get diseases from ticks, so it's essential to stay aware.
Some things you can do at home to avoid ticks are
- Keep your lawn mowed.
- Clean up leaves, debris, and clutter.
- Buy tick repellent and sprays.
KSNT 27 News spoke with Terry Fritz, the owner of Mosquito Joe Topeka-Lawrence, about the three main types of ticks found in Kansas.
"Three main ones in Kansas, and that would be the Lone Star tick and the Lone Star tick, can give you Alpha gal, which is that it's actually an allergy, a meat allergy," Fritz told us. "You have the American dog tick, and you can get Rocky Mountain spotted fever from that. And then, of course, the one that everybody's worried about is the black-legged tick, commonly called the deer tick. And the deer tick is the one that can transmit Lyme disease to people."
If you find a tick on your body or pet, there are safe ways to remove it.
According to the CDC, the best way to remove a tick is to use clean tweezers and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Going to see a doctor is always a good option, too.
If you notice an issue with ticks, you can always contact a company like Mosquito Joe for Tick Control.
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