Ticks Treatment in the Cayman Islands

Ticks are a nuisance and can infest your home in huge numbers if proper action is not taken immediately they are noticed. Normally its dog owners that suffer tick infestations.

In the Cayman Islands we have two species of ticks that are known to infest a home

• American Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
• Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Dogs pick ticks up by walking in tall grass or other tall vegetation and thus bringing them back to the home. If they go undetected, large infestations can occur quickly.

The tick’s favourite place to hide is in long grass or heavy vegetation areas. Adult ticks climb to the top of the vegetation and extend their front legs waving them and looking for a suitable host to come by so they can hook on. Once on the host, the tick attaches itself and starts to take a blood meal. An adult female tick only lays eggs once, but that one time may end up laying hundreds to thousands of eggs which is why an infestation can occur easily.

Tick control involves treating the pests, treating the outside vegetation areas of the property and a thorough treatment inside.