Tick prevention starts with awareness.
Your yard can make a great home for several species of ticks. Deer ticks, and other species common in New England, transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, and are active from early spring through late fall. In order to protect ourselves and our family from ticks, we need to understand where ticks live in our yards.
Ticks prefer to live in moist and humid environments. This is why a very wet spring and summer can lead to heightened tick activity, while a dry season reduces the threat. Often, they are not out in the middle of your lawn, but instead stay near the border of wooded areas or anywhere shaded. They'll also look for brush and leaf litter where moisture can collect and create a humid environment.
Ultimately, the more overgrown the property, the more appealing it is to ticks and wildlife that carry ticks.
Here are three tips you can do today to reduce tick habitat in your yard:
- Remove leaf litter and brush. Ticks search for spots on your property that will protect them from the hot sun or cold air depending on the time of season. Leaf litter and brush provide shelter and protection, allowing ticks to find new hosts or remain dormant through the winter months.
- Repel deer or use deer fencing to reduce deer traffic on your property. Deer and other wildlife carry ticks closer to your home, especially in the fall and winter when deer move closer to residential areas in search of food. Natural deer repellents break the feeding habits of deer, and over time deter them from your property.
- Treat your property throughout the season using an all-natural or organic tick control method. Deer ticks in particular remain active until temperatures consistently drop below freezing or when there is heavy snow fall on the ground. They can even become active in the middle of winter if there is mild weather. Natural tick control sprays eliminate ticks on contact while also proactively reducing the future population near your home.
Reducing tick habitat in your yard with basic, natural tick prevention practices makes it harder for these disease-spreading pests to survive near your home. The best way to reduce ticks in your yard is through regular, organic tick spray for yard treatments.
Our products are National Organic Program compliant, making them safer to be applied around children, pets, and gardens. Request a free tick control proposal to take the first step, and a local experts in tick prevention near you, from our offices across New England, will contact you and answer any questions you might have.
Find a tick on your property, pull one off yourself or a pet? Identify the species with our free, downloadable tick identification card:
