Prevent Ticks in Your Yard

Create a Tick-Safe Zone

Ticks exist in almost every habitat in the United States. They are carried by deer but can also be transported by small rodents and birds. This means creating a tick-safe zone is imperative to ensuring your family and pets are safe. Some of the easiest things you can do are:

• Keep your lawn mowed regularly and trim all shrubs to reduce the habitat where rodents concentrate.
• Place gravel or wood chips at least 3 inches wide around areas where you plan to spend time. This creates a buffer zone around the area to help keep ticks from crossing onto it.
• Keep any wood neatly stacked in a spot that gets some sun so it drys faster.
• Plant American beautyberry bushes. Their leaves have been shown to repel ticks.
• Clear leaves and other debris from areas pets will be in as they can also become carriers of ticks and bring them inside.
• If you live in areas where Balsam Firs grow, collect their needles and spread them similar to gravel or wood chips. Their needles and essential oil have been found to kill ticks that are overwintering.

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Actively Prevent Ticks

In addition to making your home a tick-safe zone, you can also actively do things to prevent ticks in your yard. For example:

• Make and set out tick tubes. They are treated with permethrin and when it comes in contact with the white-footed mouse will make their coat repellent to ticks latching on.
• Safely use EPA-approved tick control products which can come in the form of sprays or pellets. Sprays come in concentrated, premixed, or natural solutions. Pellets are typically course materials that are used. If this process does not work for you, you can work with a licensed pest control expert to treat your property instead.

 

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