Tick Pest Control
Ticks truly love the heat and thrive in the Australian sunlight. If you have an infestation, you shouldn’t struggle alone. Flick is here to help and offers professional tick control services. Our team of experts will identify the types of ticks you’ve got and use a tick pest control treatment to eradicate them efficiently, targeting the species and the pests you want to remove.
Once you have dealt with the ticks, you will then take precautions to prevent them from returning!
Flick offers home protection plans to make it easier to find ticks. Pest control is less stressful when you choose the Gold Home Protection Plan. Learn more about it here!
From Preparation to Treatment
Before a tick treatment, the technician will inspect your property to determine whether you have an infestation and the type. Then, they will recommend the top ticks pest control option. Usually, it’s wise to remove any ticks from pets and people, and our expert will also ask that you keep young children and pets out of the home until everything is done.
Do you have questions? We have answers! Please call 1300 270 019 for help!
After the treatment is complete, we ask that you focus on tick prevention. This includes checking every person and animal for ticks daily after being outside. You may also want to fix leaks because ticks could live in water or by it for a few days.
We also recommend that you seal the crevices and cracks of your home so that ticks cannot get inside. This is one of the best things to do after using our tick control services!
Shield Your Family & Home Year Round from Ticks
Flick's Home Protection Plans
Flick's Home Protection Plans provide effective and affordable protection for your home and family from a wide range of pests. Our Gold plan includes preventive measures to stop ticks from entering your home in the first place, as well as reactive and emergency tick pest control services if needed. All plans come with a 12-month warranty* and easy monthly payments. With a variety of plans to choose from, you can find a plan that meets your specific needs and budget. Contact your local Flick branch to see if Home Protection is available in your area and begin shielding your family from ticks today!
Common Tick Questions
Where Do Ticks Usually Live?
Ticks are often found in wooded areas, on brush, and in grassy places. However, most wildlife will have them living on their bodies. Likewise, don’t be surprised if you see them in your backyard! That’s why tick extermination is so important!
How Do You Avoid Ticks?
Tick prevention is often the best solution. They’re active more in the warmer months, so you should avoid brushy and wooded areas when you’re outside. Stick to the centre of the trails when you’re hiking. You can also use insect repellent when you’re out.
We also recommend getting a tick inspection periodically to ensure you don’t have ticks around your yard. If you do, a tick treatment will get rid of them.
Whenever you come inside from being outdoors, you should:
- Check your body for ticks, including the waist, joints, under the arms, around the ears, and the scalp.
- Launder your clothes immediately and use the highest heat setting possible on your dryer.
- Check pets for ticks and even look into the bags you’ve carried in.
- Shower after you get back inside to reduce the risk of disease.
How Do I Go About Tick Removal?
Ticks are hard to spot, so when you find one, you should remove it carefully. These pests have a barbed feeding tube. If you pull it straight out, it will stay in the skin. Here are a few tips for tick removal:
- Use tweezers to grasp the bug as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward and use even, steady pressure so that you remove the feeding tube, as well.
- Dispose of the tick by flushing it down the toilet or pouring rubbing alcohol on it to kill it. Vacuuming will not help because they can get out.
- Wash your hands and the bite area with warm water and soap, or disinfect everything with rubbing alcohol.
What Should You Do After Finding a Tick on You or Your Loved Ones?
If you see a tick on your body, make sure you remove it safely. Once you do that, be aware of the symptoms you might experience from the bite, such as joint pain/swelling, muscle pain, headaches, and fever.
The next step is to call Flick to request a tick inspection. We will choose a time that meets your needs and check the property to determine if you have ticks and the best course of action to eradicate them.
Common Ticks
Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus)
Appearance
The paralysis tick is often called a bush tick, seed tick, or grass tick. It comes in various sizes and can be as big as a marble or as small as a pinhead, depending on its lifecycle stage.
Lifestyle
Typically, ticks live about one year and go through four life stages from egg to adult. When the eggs hatch, the ticks require a blood meal to survive.
Habits
Ticks require blood to grow. Paralysis ticks will rarely climb higher than about 50 cm. Common hosts include cats, dogs, possums, echidnas, bandicoots, and other mammals, including humans. Once they get to the host, they will attach themselves onto the soft skin and feed. They often inject substances that stop the blood from clotting, and the saliva is poisonous.
Though mosquitoes will feed right away and leave, ticks can stay attached to the host and feed for many days.
While you can check yourself and your family/pets for ticks, a tick extermination might be in order if you have a large infestation.
Brown Dog Tick (Rhiplcephalus sanguineus)
Appearance
The Brown Dog Tick typically only lives on dogs, but they can choose human hosts if necessary. They usually have a darker body and legs, though they can appear whitish in places. Likewise, they are rounder than the Paralysis tick.
Lifestyle
Generally, there are four stages of the lifecycle for a Brown Dog Tick, including the egg, larvae, nymph, and then adult.
The stages are often seasonal, so the larvae are found in late autumn and summer, while nymphs come along in late autumn or winter. Usually, the complete lifecycle takes one year to complete.
Adult females will generally lay about 2,500 eggs, which are found in clumps and in moist areas. The eggs hatch in about 40 to 60 days. Then, larvae appear, which are about 1mm in length and have six legs. Once they get their blood meal, they’ll drop from the host and become nymphs. That cycle gets repeated until they mature.
Habits
Regardless of the lifecycle stage, these ticks will feed off the blood of warm-blooded mammals and animals. Likewise, ticks can poison domestic animals and humans. Though discomfort is typical, illness and death are possible. Therefore, a tick pest control treatment is crucial!