According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more cases of Lyme disease are reported than any other bug-borne disease in the United States. Confirmed cases in New Jersey reached 3,134 in 2007 (the most recent year reported) – a 29% percent increase over the previous year.

Scientists believe one possible reason for the surge in Lyme disease cases is an increase in forest fragmentation. As development expands in suburban and rural areas, wooded areas get smaller and more spread apart.

This type of environment is ideal for the white-footed mouse, the primary host of Lyme disease and a favorite meal for the blacklegged tick (or deer tick). Because fewer predators are found in forest fragments, white-footed mouse populations multiply and, as a result, ticks and Lyme disease flourish.

In New Jersey, Lyme disease is contracted via blacklegged ticks that feed on infected mice and whitetail deer. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a skin rash. If not treated early, Lyme disease can be devastating.

Here are some important facts to remember about tick behavior and your risk of exposure:

-About 98% of Lyme disease cases are associated with the nymphal stage of the blacklegged tick, which are very small (about the size of a pinhead) and are most active during late spring and summer months when you often spend the most time outdoors.

-Adult blacklegged ticks, which are easier to spot, are most active in the fall and warmer days during the winter.

-Children 5-13 years old are particularly at risk for tick bites and Lyme disease, especially when their outdoor activity is near edges of wooded areas or mixed grassy and brushy terrain.

-Ticks do not jump or drop from trees. Instead, they move around by clasping on to passing hosts from leaf litter, grass tips or a shrub layer.

The most important precaution you can take to prevent infection is to regularly check for ticks and promptly remove any attached to your skin. When removing, use fine-pointed tweezers, grasp the tick’s mouth parts close to the skin and apply steady outward pressure. If a tick is attached to your skin for fewer than 24 hours, your possibility Kamagra Gold of infection is greatly reduced.

Also, prescription cialis online frequently remove leaves from your property and mow tall grass areas. And, keep patios, play areas and playground equipment away from shrubs, bushes and other vegetation.

One easy way to keep ticks from recreational areas is to place wood chips or gravel between your lawn and wooded areas.

When you’re in and around wooded or high-grass areas, the following safety measures will reduce your risk of tick bites:

-Wear light-colored clothing with long pants tucked into your socks and avoid open-toed shoes or sandals.

-Use a DEET- or permethrin-based mosquito and tick repellent. (Permethrin-based repellents should be used only on clothing. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that repellents used on children contain no more than 10% DEET.)

-Wash your clothes in hot water when you get home and then dry them for non prescription cialis at least an hour. Most ticks can live through a hot water wash cycle, but a dryer’s heat is too intense for them to survive.

Also, don’t forget to check your pets for ticks. In addition to the risk of infection, your pet carrying a tick can cause you to get bit without ever stepping outside.

You should also take steps to control tick populations around your home. A pest control company will place and maintain rodent bait stations around your home’s perimeter to reduce mice populations and other rodents that can carry ticks into your yard. You can also have a pest control company provide treatments to your lawn, landscape beds, and wood lines to control current populations and even help repel future tick infestations.

Author Bio: Kris Goodrich is the president of TriOrganics – Lawn & Pest, a family-owned and operated company that has offered customized lawn care and pest control services to New Jersey residents for the last three decades. Get Kris’ free tips for keeping your landscape green, protected and growing all year long at http://www.triorganics.com.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: lyme disease in new jersey,blacklegged mouse,deer tick,tick behavior,control tick populations,pests