Tick Control

Ticks In Central Texas

Central Texas has several ticks, and which one bites matters because they carry different illnesses. These are the ones Stride deals with most.

Because each tick favors a different host and habitat and carries different risks, identifying the tick and where it lives guides the treatment.

Stride treats every tick in Central Texas. For the one you are dealing with, see our dedicated pages: lone star ticks, American dog ticks, brown dog ticks, and blacklegged ticks.

Signs You Have Ticks

A few signs point to ticks on a property and its people or pets:

• Ticks found attached to a person or pet after time outdoors, often behind the ears, along the hairline, or in skin folds.
• Ticks crawling on clothing, gear, or a pet’s coat.
• Pets scratching or head-shaking, or ticks felt as small bumps while petting.
• Tall grass, brush, and leaf litter along fences and the wooded edge of the yard, where ticks wait.
• Deer, rodents, and stray animals passing through, the hosts that drop ticks onto a property.

Are Ticks Dangerous?

Ticks are the most medically important of the yard biters, because their bite can transmit disease. The NIH MedlinePlus guide to tick bites covers safe removal and the symptoms to watch for after a bite.

In Central Texas the lone star tick is the main concern. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat, and can transmit ehrlichiosis. The American dog tick can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and while Lyme disease is uncommon here, the blacklegged tick that spreads it is present.

The risk rises the longer a tick stays attached, so prompt, proper removal and keeping ticks out of the yard both matter. A rash, fever, or aches in the weeks after a bite is worth a call to a doctor.

How We Get Rid of Ticks

Stride treats ticks through the five-step Stride Forward process, aimed at the edges where ticks wait for a host:

1. Inspect. We walk the yard for the tall grass, brush, and shaded transition zones where ticks quest, and check where pets and wildlife travel.
2. Identify. We confirm the tick and the habitat feeding it, since a yard tick and an indoor brown dog tick need different plans.
3. Recommend. We flag the mowing, brush, and leaf litter to clear, the barriers to add, and, with your vet, the tick preventive for pets.
4. Treat. We treat the grassy edges, fence lines, brush, and shaded borders where ticks concentrate, rather than blanketing the open lawn where they rarely wait.
5. Evaluate. We re-treat on a recurring cycle through the warm season, when ticks are active and wildlife keeps bringing more.

Our GreenPro certification guides this reduced-risk approach.

How to Keep Ticks Away

Keeping ticks out comes down to the yard edges and the animals that carry them:

• Mow and keep grass short, which dries out the cover ticks need.
• Clear brush and leaf litter along fences and the wooded edge of the yard.
• Add a barrier of gravel or wood chips between the lawn and any wooded or brushy area.
• Keep pets on a vet-recommended tick preventive year-round.
• Discourage deer and rodents, the hosts that drop ticks onto the property.
• Check for ticks on people and pets after time in grass or brush.

Tick Control Frequently Asked Questions

Stride Forward is our Integrated Pest Management program where we partner with our clients in the long-term removal and prevention of pests. Keeping your property free of unwanted insects and rodents works best when we work together.

The program combines habitat manipulation, biological control, cultural behavior changes, and the targeted use of products designed to repel or eradicate pests. Our approach follows five steps, with non-chemical methods prioritized before any product application.

Our Certifications & Awards

Stride Pest Control holds QualityPro and GreenPro certifications through the NPMA’s Foundation for Professional Pest Management, and fewer than 3% of pest control companies nationwide hold both. QualityPro requires background checks on every service member, a drug-free workplace, and 16 standards that exceed state and federal requirements.

Our Austin and Round Rock office operates under Texas Department of Agriculture license TPCL #667951, with Burton Johnston as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our San Antonio office operates under TPCL #827449, with Alex Randall as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our office manager, Michael Honeycutt, is an Associate Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America.

Founded in 2013, we have served nearly 12,000 customers across Central Texas and hold a 4.9-star rating across 2,400+ reviews with an A+ from the BBB.