The Heartland Bug: Avoid the Tick-Borne Virus
You may have heard of Heartland virus, sometimes called “the Heartland bug.” It’s a rare but serious tick-borne illness that has been reported in Tennessee and other states across the central and southern United States.
The lone star tick, the most common biting tick in Middle Tennessee, spreads Heartland virus. Symptoms can include fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite, diarrhea and nausea. Because Heartland is a virus, antibiotics don’t treat it, and there is currently no vaccine, so preventing tick bites is the best protection. If you feel sick after a tick bite, call your doctor and mention the bite.
Preventing Tick Bites
Here are a few simple tips to help you keep from getting bitten by ticks:
1. Wear Protective Clothing.
When venturing out into wooded areas, make sure to wear pants and long sleeves. Also, think about tucking your pants into your socks for added protection. This will help ensure that no ticks latch onto your skin.
2. Use Repellent.
You can also use an EPA-registered repellent to keep ticks away. Look for a product containing DEET, picaridin, or another EPA-registered ingredient, and apply it to exposed skin according to the label. Clothing and gear can be treated with permethrin.
3. Avoid Shrubbery and High Grass.
Ticks can’t jump or fly. Instead, they wait on grass and brush and climb onto you as you walk past, and lone star ticks will even crawl toward people. Try your best to avoid walking through areas like this. If possible, keep to the beaten path.
4. Wash Off When You Come Back In.
After returning from the outdoors, shower within two hours so ticks that haven’t attached will wash off. Also, tumble dry your clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill any that got on them.
5. Inspect Pets and Gear.
Don’t forget to check your pets and gear for ticks before bringing them inside. If you don’t, they can get onto your dog or cat, as well as anything else you brought outside with you. Then these terrible bugs might attack you in your own home.
Keep Yourself Safe From Outdoor Pests!
Ticks aren’t the only bugs capable of giving you viruses while you are enjoying the outdoors. Mosquitoes are another blood sucking insect that can cause serious complications. Check out this blog detailing five ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes to prevent infection.
Because the lone star tick spreads Heartland virus, cutting down the ticks in your own yard matters. See how our year-round tick control treats your yard every 30 days, with mosquitoes and fleas covered March through November.
U.S. Pest offers a host of pest control services that can help protect you and your family from bugs. Contact us today for a FREE evaluation!
