How to Spot a Tick Infestation

Ticks are responsible for several diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, tick paralysis, Colorado Tick Fever and tularemia. It's important to learn about the different stages in a tick's life, spot a tick infestation and eliminate it as soon as possible.

Understand the life cycle of a tick. The female may lay thousands of eggs in the spring, which hatch into larvae, sometimes called seed ticks. They are as small as the head of a pin, but can attach themselves to a host to feed. They then develop into nymphs and remain inactive over the winter. By spring, they are ready to find food, molt and develop into adult ticks.

Check your animals, especially in the spring when ticks are looking for food. They feed only on the blood of vertebrates and can locate a host for their meal by sensing odor, heat and humidity. Since they can't fly, they must crawl up on tall grass and wait until an animal walks by.

Look in cracks and crevices, if you suspect that you have tick infestation. They sometimes enter a home on a pet. After gorging on the blood of the animal, they drop off and look for protection under door moldings, behind baseboards or in furniture. You may not notice if there are only a few, but when you start seeing them crawling up walls and curtains, you know you are infested.

Treat your yard, animals and home if you suspect you have a tick infestation. They hide in moist places, such as brush and woodpiles, and usually don't like short grass and sunshine. Talk to your veterinarian about the appropriate treatment to protect your pet from ticks. A professional exterminator can offer advice about a tick infestation in your home and yard.