Search By Product
Category
Here
"Do It Yourself & Save"!
Brown Dog Tick
Brown dog tick adults are about 1/8 in (3 mm) long, but when
engorged with blood they are up to 1/2 in (12 mm) long. The body is
flattened
from top to
bottom and kind of shaped like a teardrop. The mouth is easily seen from
above. Color: Reddish brown, but gray-blue or olive color when full of
blood.
The
brown dog tick, or kennel tick, is a three host tick that is an important pest
of dogs in the U.S., especially those housed in kennels. It feeds on dogs during
all three life stages, but drops off and reattaches during each stage. Brown dog
ticks do not confine themselves to dogs but will also attach themselves to many
other animals. On dogs, adult ticks are typically found on the ears and between
the toes, while immature ticks feed along the dog's back. Outdoors, a brown dog
tick crawls up on grasses, shrubs, and other vegetation, then attaches itself to
a passing host, which may be a dog, deer, rabbit, or squirrel. The brown dog
tick is known for infesting homes after being carried inside on pets, usually
dogs. Indoors, a female may lay eggs in a crack and after a few weeks, hundreds
of young ticks, called larvae, may be seen crawling about in search of a host.
Usually, the ticks seek out a dog or cat. Larval ticks and adults are capable of
surviving long periods up to eight months without feeding. Outdoors, wildlife,
such as raccoons and possums, may be responsible for bringing ticks into a yard,
or the ticks may crawl into the yard from a neighbor.
Habitat modification is considered to be the most permanent approach to tick management. Keep grass well-clipped, removing brush, and pruning trees to allow more sunlight to penetrate to the soil surface will discourage ticks from becoming established in these areas. Second, limit access of dogs and children to "tick" habitats. Dog control is important to reduce tick infestations. Dogs should be de-ticked daily by an adult. If necessary, get your pet treated. A number of products are available, and should be used under the direction of a veterinarian.
This is one species of tick that can completely develop inside a home.
Be sure that infested pet bedding is carefully washed or disposed of.
The area around the pet bed can be carefully and thoroughly treated with a number of insecticides such as Suspend, Tempo, Bedlam, or Precor 2000. Other areas needing particular attention include baseboards, doorway and window casings, and the edges of carpets.
Outdoor areas should
also be treated. This includes the yard, dog house, and crawl space.
Edges of turf, shrubs, and other vegetation should also be treated.
When treating the yard, be sure to treat all fences, walls, siding, plant
material, and so forth up to several feet above the ground.
For additional control on the exterior, use a granular product such as
Talstar.
Interior,
cracks, crevices, voids, and crawl spaces can be treated with a dust formulation
such as Delta Dust, or Drione.
For application equipment, you may need the B & G sprayer,
the Bugwieser, the
Hudson Sprayer, or the
White Crusader Duster.
