The deer tick is the lone parasite that is responsible for Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis. The tiny little deer ticks transmit the disease to humans through their bite. Their size works to their advantage as you can hardly see them with your naked eyes. They also breed very fast, making them difficult to tame especially when they infiltrate. The only way to keep them at bay is by practicing effective methods of tick control to build a sort of barrier around your home before they get the chance get in.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

For you to get this disease, the infected deer tick has to be attached your body for at least 36 hours. It is quite hard for one to tell that they have been bitten. The most common telltale is the reddening of the bite point, which does not show for at least a week. It is closely followed by itchiness, which leads to the development of a painless rash. The rash leaves the area around the bite swollen and red.

Symptoms of the disease include:

• Flu
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Muscle and joint pain

These are the early symptoms, which are quite mild at the beginning. Over time, usually about a month from the time of the bite, the symptoms become more severe. Lethargy sets in and you have the full-blown symptoms of Lyme, which include:

• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Loss of muscle.
• Chills, joint aches, and swollen joints.
• Incessant headaches.
• Neck stiffness.
• Heart palpitations.

When you notice these symptoms, there is a high possibility that you are suffering from Lyme disease.

Causes of Lyme and the Prevention

• The deer tick is the primary distributor of this disease. A single bite from an infected tick is enough to send you to the hospital. Since you can hardly notice it, you are required to keep its breeding places clear. You can keep the ticks off through:
• Clearing the bushes-They love dark places with enough vegetation to act as camouflage. If your clear the bushes, you could reduce their population.
• Plants-Aside from being good additives to food and tea, herbs such as garlic, rosemary, and mint are excellent repellants of deer ticks.
• Check hiding places-The usual hiding places such as bushes and live hedges are good places to exercise excellent tick control. Spray them regularly to kill the ticks before they get the chance to grow into adults. If you nick the problem at the bud, you will not have to deal with the disease at all.

The most effective way to keep diseases that come with ticks at bay is by frustrating their breeding spaces. Take early measures to ensure that your backyard is not conducive for their breeding.