Mosquito, Tick, & Flea Control

Yes, mosquitoes can bite through thin or tight-fitting clothing, especially fabrics like spandex or lightweight cotton. Wearing loose-fitting, thicker fabrics can help prevent bites.

Mosquitoes are most active during dawn and dusk because the light is lower, the air is cooler, and the wind tends to be calmer, making it easier for them to fly and detect CO2 from hosts.

When a mosquito bites, it injects saliva into your skin that contains proteins, causing a mild allergic reaction. One of these proteins, called apyrase, plays a key role in preventing blood from clotting while the mosquito feeds. This enzyme is also responsible for triggering itching and swelling, as it prompts an immune response in humans.

In colder climates, many mosquito species go into a hibernation-like state called diapause, while others lay eggs that survive the winter and hatch when the weather warms up.

Fleas are opportunistic hitchhikers, most commonly entering homes by attaching themselves to pets, especially dogs and cats. Fleas can also be brought indoors by rodents, such as rats, mice, or wildlife like squirrels and raccoons. Sometimes fleas can infest homes through second-hand furniture or carpeting that may have been exposed to infested environments. Flea eggs and larvae can also be transported on shoes, clothing, or blankets, as they thrive in dark, moist areas like carpets, bedding, or cracks in floors.

Flea bites on humans typically result in small, itchy red bumps, often in clusters or lines, especially on the lower legs and ankles. The bites may have a red halo around a central puncture where the flea has bitten. These bites can cause severe itching, allergic reactions, or secondary infections if scratched excessively. In pets, flea bites are often found on the back, base of the tail, neck, and abdomen. Pets may scratch or bite at these areas, leading to raw, irritated skin or hair loss.

Several signs indicate a flea infestation on your pet:

• Excessive Scratching: If your pet is constantly scratching, biting, or licking certain areas of its body, it could be a sign of fleas.
• Visible Fleas: You may be able to see fleas crawling through your pet's fur, especially around their belly, tail, or neck. Fleas are small but visible to the naked eye.
• Flea Dirt: Flea dirt, which looks like tiny black specks, can be found on your pet's skin and fur. This is flea feces and is made up of digested blood. A simple test to confirm flea dirt is to place some of these specks on a wet paper towel. If it turns red, it's flea dirt, indicating the presence of fleas.
• Skin Irritation or Hair Loss: Flea bites can cause inflammation, red bumps, and hair loss in the affected areas, particularly around the base of the tail or on the belly.

Flea dirt is the fecal matter left behind by fleas after they feed on blood. It looks like tiny black or dark brown specks, often found in your pet's fur, bedding, or carpets. Flea dirt is essentially digested blood, and when it comes into contact with water, it dissolves and turns red. Flea dirt is a reliable sign that fleas are feeding on your pet, even if the fleas themselves aren't visible.

The most common tick species are:

• Deer Ticks (Blacklegged Ticks): These are the primary carriers of Lyme disease, and they are especially abundant in wooded or grassy areas.
• American Dog Ticks: Known for spreading Rocky Mountain spotted fever, these ticks are found in grassy areas and can attach to both pets and humans.
• Lone Star Ticks: These ticks are aggressive and can transmit diseases such as ehrlichiosis and southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI).

When spending time outdoors in tick-prone areas around Toms River, take the following precautions:

• Wear protective clothing: Wear long sleeves and long pants, and tuck your pants into your socks to reduce the chances of ticks crawling onto your skin.
• Use tick repellent: Apply insect repellents containing DEET, permethrin, or picaridin to exposed skin and clothing.
• Perform tick checks: After spending time outdoors, thoroughly check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks. Pay close attention to areas like the scalp, armpits, groin, and behind the knees.
• Shower after outdoor activities: Showering soon after returning indoors can help wash off unattached ticks and allow you to check for any that may have latched on.

If you find a tick attached to your skin or your pet, it's important to remove it quickly and correctly:

• Use tweezers: Grasp the tick with fine-tipped tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure to avoid leaving parts of the tick in the skin.
• Clean the area: Once the tick is removed, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, soap, and water.
• Watch for symptoms: Keep an eye on the bite site for signs of a rash, and monitor your health for flu-like symptoms. Contact a doctor or veterinarian if you or your pet develop any symptoms.
• Save the tick: If possible, place the tick in a plastic bag or container in case it needs to be identified for disease testing later.

1. Mating: Ticks mate while attached to a host. Female ticks engorge on blood, and after mating, they drop off the host to lay eggs. Males may die shortly after mating, while females live long enough to lay eggs.

2. Egg Laying: A female tick lays 2,000 to 8,000 eggs in moist, sheltered areas like leaf litter. She dies after laying her eggs.

3. Egg Hatching: Eggs hatch in 1 to 3 months (depending on temperature and humidity) into six-legged larvae, called seed ticks.

4. Life Cycle: Ticks go through four stages:

   • Egg
   • Larva: After hatching, larvae feed on small animals, then molt into nymphs.
   • Nymph: Nymphs feed on larger hosts, then molt into adults.
   • Adult: Adult ticks seek larger hosts (like deer or humans), mate, and the cycle continues.

5. Feeding and Molting: Ticks need a blood meal between each stage to develop, and they can survive for long periods between feedings, allowing them to reproduce even in harsh conditions.

6. Environmental Impact: Ticks thrive in warm, humid conditions and reproduce more easily when hosts like wildlife and pets are available.

Ticks' ability to lay thousands of eggs at once makes them difficult to control if not addressed promptly.