Why controlling ticks is important

Abstract

Learning about ticks is important because of the diseases and problems they can cause in people and animals. Ticks are related to spiders and are not insects—they are parasites that live outside their host‘s body and infest a variety of animals. Ticks must feed on blood to survive, and when they feed, they can spread germs that cause diseases in people and animals. Ticks are found all around the world and various strategies have been tried to control these parasites. Chemical control (pesticides) is the most common method; however, some ticks have shown resistance to these chemicals. Alternative methods have been explored, including vaccinating animals to stop ticks from feeding on them. All tick-control methods have their own pros and cons, which will be discussed in this article. Some methods can even be combined for greater tick-killing effectiveness.