Where might you encounter ticks in Nashville?
Posted by Mosquito Squad
December 20, 2023
If you live in town or the suburbs of Nashville, you might believe you are safe from encountering ticks. There are ticks in Nashville, though.
If it seems like ticks are everywhere these days, it’s because they are. Ticks are no longer relegated to campgrounds, wooded areas, and lakes. They can be found throughout the area. Here are some places you can expect to encounter ticks in Nashville.
Your Nashville yard could harbor ticks.
Ticks in Nashville can be found in more places than you may have imagined. These ticks in Nashville can be found on pets, on wildlife, on our own bodies, and even on landscaping materials.
Ticks in Nashville sit themselves on tall grasses and shrubs, waiting for your dog to walk by, so they can attach themselves to him or her. Since ticks hide in places where they won’t be found, crawling in-between your dog’s toes and attaching there is a common occurrence. You can find them in-between the toes or even on the bottom of the foot near the pads. If you notice your dog licking or chewing his feet, there might be something bothering him, and that something could be a tick.
If you find deer on your front landscape or rear yard, chances are ticks in Nashville may have hitched a ride on them. Be especially careful when gardening, as ticks may be resting in grassy, brushy, and wooded areas.
Speaking of wooded areas, ticks in Nashville can be prevalent on landscaping materials as those organic materials taken from the Earth – especially if they are damp with residual moisture – are an open invitation for them to hang out there.
Ticks in Nashville may be on your body without you realizing it.
Spending a fun-filled day on a farm surrounded by lush vegetation could be an open invitation for ticks to accompany you home. Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting a tick bite and may be effective in reducing the risk of tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and provides a good opportunity to do a tick check.
If several areas of your body are not covered when you’re outside, check your body for ticks when returning indoors. Conduct a full body check when coming from potentially tick-infested areas in Nashville, even your back yard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check you and your children for ticks after coming indoors.
There could be ticks in Nashville parks.
Ticks found in greater Nashville can end up in grassy city centers, parks, and recreation areas even in the Nashville metro, much in the same way that they end up in our yards. Remember that ticks don’t jump, fly, or drop from above. If you find a tick on your arm, neck, or head, it’s far more likely the tick climbed up your body. These pests are ground-dwellers who like warmth and humidity.
Some ticks, including the American dog tick, prefer living in tall grassy areas. Others, such as the lone star tick, live in wooded areas with underbrush. Deer ticks thrive in grass and leaf debris.
While in Nashville parks, a tick will wait for a host by perching on the tips of grass blades, shrubbery, or other low-lying surfaces. Factors like body heat and breath alerts ticks to the presence of animals and people. Once a potential host brushes up against the area where the tick waits, it climbs on and makes itself at home.
Trust Mosquito Squad of Nashville for your Nashville tick control needs, throughout the year. Contact us at 615-492-3662.