08/23/2025
Protect Your Family This Summer: Act Now to Treat Your Yard for Ticks and Mosquitoes in East Tennessee
As late summer lingers in East Tennessee, our warm, humid climate and wooded landscapes make backyards a haven for ticks and mosquitoes. These pests pose serious health risks, carrying diseases that threaten your family and pets. Don’t wait—call today for professional yard treatment to reclaim your outdoor space safely. Here’s why it’s urgent, with key facts about our region’s insect challenges and the diseases ticks carry:
East Tennessee Insect Challenges
• Hot, humid summers fuel mosquito breeding, with peak activity at dusk and dawn, risking your evening barbecues or morning walks.
• Ticks thrive in our forests and grassy areas, becoming a major concern from early summer through fall.
• In July 2025, two Knox County children were hospitalized with La Crosse virus, a rare mosquito-borne illness causing fever and headaches, primarily affecting kids.
• Tennessee’s nine key mosquito species can transmit West Nile virus, dengue, and malaria, amplifying public health concerns.
• Starting treatments in April is ideal, but late-summer applications still effectively curb infestations before fall.
Diseases Ticks Carry
• Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (SFR): Tennessee’s most common tick-borne illness, causing fever, headache, and rash; untreated, it can lead to severe complications.
• Ehrlichiosis: Spread by lone star ticks, it brings flu-like symptoms and risks central nervous system issues if ignored.
• Anaplasmosis: Transmitted by blacklegged ticks, it causes fever and chills, requiring prompt antibiotics to avoid hospitalization.
• Lyme Disease: Rare in Tennessee, but deer ticks can cause a bull’s-eye rash, joint pain, and neurological problems if untreated.
• Other risks include tularemia, Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus, leading to symptoms from skin ulcers to respiratory distress.
Professional yard treatments use targeted, environmentally responsible solutions to reduce tick and mosquito populations, offering immediate relief and long-term protection through barrier applications.
Alpha-gal syndrome is a delayed allergic reaction to the sugar molecule, Alpha-gal, typically triggered by a tick bite.
