Lyme Disease

In today’s follow up to the post on Ticks from yesterday, today I’ll be telling you a bit of information about Lyme disease. More specifically, what it is, where Lyme disease is found, the stages of Lyme disease, symptoms and treatment.

 

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to animals and humans through blacklegged ticks. Blacklegged ticks carry this bacteria which they pick up when they bite infected (with Lyme disease) mice and deer.

 

Lyme disease was first reported in the United States in 1975. Currently, Lyme disease infections generally occur in the following areas (in the U.S.):

  • Northeastern states, from Virginia to Maine
  • North-central states, mostly in Wisconsin and Minnesota
  • West Coast, mostly northern California

 

In Canada, the range where there are ticks known to carry Lyme disease can be found in parts of southeastern Quebec, southern and eastern Ontario, southeastern and south central Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

 

There are 3 stages to Lyme disease which are:

 

Stage 1: Localized Lyme disease-the infection has not yet spread throughout the body

Stage 2: Early Disseminated Lyme disease- the bacteria has begun to spread throughout the body

Stage 3: Late Disseminated Lyme disease- the bacteria has spread throughout the body

 

The symptoms of Lyme disease include (taken verbatim from It’s Your Health)

 

Although the symptoms and health effects are different from one person to the next, Lyme disease is often described in three stages:

  1. The first sign of infection is often a circular rash, which begins at the site of the tick bite after three days or up to one month later. About 70–80 per cent of infected people get this rash. Other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain.
  2. If untreated, the disease can move into the second stage, which can last several months. Symptoms of this stage include weakness, multiple skin rashes, painful, swollen or stiff joints, abnormal heartbeat, central and peripheral nervous system disorders, and extreme fatigue.
  3. If the disease continues to progress, the third stage of Lyme disease can include symptoms like recurring arthritis, and neurological symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, numbness, and paralysis.

Lyme disease can usually be treated effectively with antibiotics. A rapid recovery is more likely when treatment begins in the early stages of the disease.

If you are having a pest problem, remember it is better to deal with is sooner rather than later as it can quickly become a very expensive problem to deal with. To book an appointment with Cottage Country Pest Control, give us a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today.

Ticks

Ticks are a pest that Integrated Pest Management is the best method when approaching how to handle them. If you are not familiar with IPM, then you can go back and read the previous post about what it is and how it works.

 

Ticks are closely related to spiders (ticks are part of the arachnid family, same as mites and scorpions). They are typically 1-5 mm when unfed, but after they have fed on blood they can swell up to 13mm. Adult ticks have a two-segmented body, no antennae and they have 8 legs (they only have 6 legs when they are in their larvae stage). Ticks have to feed on blood during all active stages of their development.

 

Humans and animals are most likely to come in contact with a tick when walking through tall grass or near bushes, because ticks will generally position themselves on tall grass and in bushes. Ticks are unable to fly and they move slowly.

 

The majority of tick bites are painless and most will not result in illness or disease. Ticks are obligate parasites, which means that they must feed on blood in order to survive and reproduce

 

hard ticks will feed on two or three hosts during their development cycle because each stage requires blood in order for them to reach the next stage. Mated females will lay thousands of eggs on the ground and then die. Adult males die shortly after finishing the reproduction cycle.

 

The eggs hatch into larvae or “seed ticks” and they will attach themselves to a host and feed for anywhere from 2-9 days before they leave the host, digest the blood and moult into the nymphal stage.

 

In the nymphal stage, they will once again attach themselves to a host and feed. Once they are done feeding, they will once again digest the blood and then moult, this time into the adult stage of their life cycle.

 

Some common species of ticks include:

1. Groundhog tick- This is the most common species of tick in Ontario and can be found on humans and pet/animals.

 

2. American dog tick-  this is the second most common species of tick found in Ontario and they are also found on humans and pet/animals.

 

3. Blacklegged tick- this species of tick is the most important vector of Lyme disease and all stages of this species will feed on humans.

 

4. Winter tick- This species is widely distributed throughout Canada. They are most likely to be found on horses, deer, cattle, elk and moose and they rarely feed on humans.

 

5. Brown dog tick- They are recently established in Eastern Canada and all stages of this tick feeds on dogs

 

6. Rabbit tick- They are widely found throughout Canada and their preferred host rabbits, however they will also feed on ground-nesting birds and small mammals. It is rare for the rabbit tick to feed on livestock and humans.

 

Some of the effects on humans from a tick bite include irritation and/or swelling on the skin around the bite. The bite can become infected if any mouthparts are left behind once the tick has been removed and infection can sometimes, lead to blood poisoning although it is rare.

If you are having a pest problem, remember it is better to deal with is sooner rather than later as it can quickly become a very expensive problem to deal with. To book an appointment with Cottage Country Pest Control, give us a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today.

Brown Recluse Spiders

The Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is also known as the violin spider or a fiddleback because of the violin-shaped markings they often have on their thorax. They are known to live in United States of America, Mexico and Canada. In Canada they are known to live southeast Ontario and southern parts of Quebec. They are typically light to medium brown but can range in colour from cream to dark brown or blackish gray.

Brown recluse spider

Brown Recluse spiders are relatively small and are usually between 6-20 mm however they can grow larger. They have no obvious colouration patterns on their abdomens or legs and their legs also lack spines and their abdomens are covered in a fine short hair that gives the appearance of soft fur. Unlike many other species of spiders, brown recluse spiders only have six eyes instead of eight. Their eyes are arranged in pairs with one median pair and two lateral pairs.

Adult brown recluse spiders live for about 1-2 years and in their lifetime an adult brown recluse will produce several egg sacs over a period of 2-3 months from May to July with each sac holding about 50 eggs. The eggs will then hatch in about a month and the spiderlings will reach adulthood in about a year.

Brown recluse spiders are resilient spiders and they can tolerate up to 6 months of extreme drought and scarce food.

They will build irregular webs that frequently include a shelter the consists of disorderly threads and they will also usually build their webs in places such as woodpiles, sheds, garages, cellars and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed.

If you are seeing spiders of any sort – and more importantly webs – on your home, cottage, storefront, or signs, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at (705)534-7863 or email us Ross will be happy to help.

Boxelder Bugs

At past home shows, we had a number of inquiries about what this bug “mystery bug” was. No one who asked us knew what it was called, they just had a description of what it looked like, so we ended doing some research using our handy bug books and were able to identify it as the Boxelder bug.

 

Boxelder Bug

The Boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) is a North American species of true bug (which is an order of insects) that is also known as the zug or the maple bug. These bugs are usually often found on boxelder trees but can also be found on maple and ash trees. They will also hang out on wooden structures providing they like the wood it’s made out of.

 

Adult Boxelder bugs are only about 1/2 inch long and are dark brown or black with red veins and markings, while the nymphs are completely bright red.

 

Boxelder bugs are not really considered to be an agricultural pest and they are not known to cause significant damage to their surroundings. Many people do find them to be a nuisance though because they can release a pungent and bad-tasting (what? why would anyone taste this?) compound when being disturned which they do to discourage being prey. Their congregation habits and excreta can also annoy people and since they can and will enter homes especially when the weather gets colder also help with them being considered a nuisance pest. Generally, they will take up residence in the walls to hibernate when it’s cold but they can be found throughout your home too.

 

Using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Cottage Country Pest Control can work to determine if Boxelder bugs or any other pest you have issues with need pest control and what methods would work. To book an appointment you can email us or call us at 705-534-7863.

Bed Bugs

Spring is here and soon it will be summer, which means that people will be traveling more, whether it is to a newly opened cottage or to visit family or whatever. That’s great but there is a downside to travel and no I don’t mean the packing and the leaving early to avoid traffic or the sunburns and mosquitoes (although mosquitoes are a pain and there will undoubtedly be a blog post about mosquitoes shortly). I am talking about BED BUGS! Bed bugs can travel–they are sneaky little pests and if you aren’t careful you may just end up with an unwanted souvenir from your trip.

You have probably heard about bed bugs but do you actually know what they look like or what they actually are and how to figure out if you have them? Bed bugs are small parasitic insect, commonly compared in size to that of an apple seed. They have oval-shaped, reddish-brown bodies and no wings. The common bed bug or Cimex Lectularius, generally grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide.
For those who are traveling this spring or summer here are some tips for helping to prevent bringing anything home with you.

1. Always inspect the room and furniture for blood spots, bug droppings or live insects–if you find any evidence of possible bed bugs then request a new room. Bedbugs like to hide in places like cracks, crevices, folds, and ruffles. Use a flashlight if you have to in order to thoroughly check for any signs of bed bugs.

2. Pack your clothing in over sized, resealable plastic bags before packing them and keep your belongings in the bags or hanging up during your trip (don’t put things on the floor or bed). Use a luggage rack to store your belongings during your stay in hotels.

3. Before leaving the hotel, inspect all your belongings and luggage carefully

4. When you return home, inspect your luggage and belongings again (it’s recommended you do this outside as a precaution) or if its too cold outside, use your bathtub as bed bugs have a hard time climbing smooth surfaces. Always wash your clothing in the hottest water possible before putting them in the dryer for at least 30 minutes.
Also I cannot stress this enough, but ANYONE can get bed bugs. All it takes is a stay in the wrong hotel, a visit to the “wrong” friend or a trip on the wrong plane or cruise ship, for starters.

If you unfortunately do wind up bringing some unwanted visitors home with you, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us. It’s important that as soon as you think you have an infestation or if you know you do, to treat it quickly and properly. The longer you wait, the harder and more expensive it can be to treat later.

 

Happy Spring

Lovely weather we’re having, eh? Or not!

Almost the end of March and still with the snow! On the plus side though, the weather means a later start to the majority of the pests that are a problem up here in cottage country… but of course, that’s a bigger plus for you than for us

We’re still dealing with bedbugs, mice, squirrels and the occasional bat problem… looking forward to the return of spiders and carpenter ants though!

Check your boat

One problem we had a run on last spring was raccoons in boats – momma raccoons who thought people’s boats were a really good place to set up shop and have their babies.

Not that hard to get rid of, really – but they can do some damage better avoided while they’re there.

SO – the trick is to make your boat (garage, trailer, whatever) unpleasant for momma – she won’t stick around a location that doesn’t feel secure, at least not when she’s in momma-mode…

so why not wander out to your boat and clear some snow off – give it a good bang on the sides, kick the trailer tires, whatever … once in a while?  And while you’re there, have a look around – for any indication of critter visitors (pawprints? foodbits?) and/or unauthorized entry?  What can it hurt just to make sure?

Heading pest problems off before they start is always preferable (that means cheaper) than dealing with them once they’re well established – but if you do discover a problem, give us a call at 705-534-7863 or email ccpestcontrol@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to help you with it anywhere in Tay, Tiny, Severn, Simcoe or the Muskoka area.