In South Dakota and Iowa, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and chiggers are common pests that can ruin your outdoor gatherings and the time you spend in your outdoor living space. All four of these pesky pests can create discomfort and make you move the whole party indoors. If you're not sure what to do about the pests on your property, keep reading to learn more!

1. Mosquitoes

Mosquito on a leaf upside down on a leaf up close with a blurred background.

Mosquitoes have six long legs, two wings, two eyes, and a long proboscis. This pest will utilize its proboscis, which is composed of six needle-like mouthparts, to pierce the skin. Through its proboscis, a mosquito sucks blood and excretes saliva into the human skin, leaving red bite marks. If there are mosquitoes on your property, you can wear long clothing and spray insect repellant to prevent bites. However, the best course of action is to hire a professional company that offers a mosquito control service to eliminate these pests.

Did you know? Only female mosquitoes bite.

2. Fleas

A flea crawling on skin under arm hair near Sioux City, IA.

Fleas are small, reddish-brown insects with three pairs of hairy legs that can sometimes be hard to see with the naked eye. Their back legs are usually longer and thicker than the rest to aid them in jumping from host to host. Usually, fleas will live on dogs, cats, and other animals, causing hair loss, itching, red bumps, and even anemia. However, they can bite humans, causing red, pus-filled bumps to develop on the skin. To rid your outdoor living space of fleas, you should schedule a flea control service. When you do, professionals will apply an insecticide treatment to protect your property from these hazardous pests.

3. Ticks

Tick on skin crawling to find a nest, causing issues and irrigations for people in Sioux City, SD.

Contrary to popular belief, ticks aren't insects but rather arachnids, making them a cousin to your typical spider. If you look at a tick, you'll see that they have eight legs and a tiny body. When they feed on a host, they become enlarged and more apparent to the naked eye. Like fleas, ticks not only impact your pets, but they can also affect you by sucking your blood and, in some cases, causing a bull's-eye rash at the site of the bite.

If you believe there are ticks in your outdoor living space, you should reach out to professionals for help. Although wearing long clothing can prevent bites, ticks are dangerous, disease-causing pests. So, it's best you rid your property of them through a professional tick control service.

4. Chiggers

Chigger up close in the sand crawling about near Sioux Falls, SD.

Chiggers are microscopic red mites that like to hide in your lawn. They spend their day at the top of the grass blades in your lawn waiting for you to pass. When a chigger bites, its saliva creates itchy welts on your legs, ankles, and other exposed areas they can reach. To prevent chiggers from biting, you can wear long clothing and mow your lawn regularly. You can also schedule a chigger control service to help eradicate their presence from your outdoor living space.

Say goodbye to mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and chiggers. Call us today to schedule our pest control services!

If there are pests taking over your outdoor living space, we can help you stop them in their tracks. At Sharp Lawn Care, we offer a variety of pest control services that protect your property from unwanted pests like mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and chiggers. We offer our pest control services to property owners in Sioux Falls, Tea, Harrisburg, and nearby areas in South Dakota. We also service areas in and around Sioux City, IA. If you are located in South Dakota, call us today at (605) 251-6880 to schedule your pest control service. If you are located in Iowa, give us a call at (712) 253-8024.