Ticks have always been an unpopular pest. Infamous for hitchhiking on the fur of pets, these pesky parasites can also get carried into our homes on clothes and in hair. Nowadays, they are even more dreaded for causing a hotbed of health concerns, including transmitting Lyme disease. And since ticks tend to be more prevalent during the warmer seasons—a time we tend to take to the outdoors to enjoy the weather— it’s important to make your lawn less appealing to these nasty critters. Read on to find out how to prevent ticks in your yard.

What Are Ticks?

First, it’s important to be able to identify these tiny parasites that feed off the blood of their hosts. The carrier of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is the deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick. It’s brown to brownish red in color, has a flattened appearance, and is usually no bigger than a freckle. Like most ticks, they have eight legs and a tiny head atop a much larger round body.

Tips to Prevent Ticks in Your Yard

1. Keep your yard well-maintained – Ticks like to hang out in tall brush and grasses or overgrown areas of the lawn. Mowing regularly and keeping up with a maintenance routine is key. Make sure to rid your yard of leaf piles and grass clippings. If you have a wood pile, keep the wood neatly stacked so small animals can’t make it their home. Ticks prefer shaded, moist areas, so prune trees and bushes in order to let more sun shine through.

2. Set boundaries – Create a barrier between your yard and any wooded or overgrown areas adjacent to your property. Using wood chips or gravel in these buffer zones help deter ticks. Oddly enough, they don’t like walking across these materials, and fortunately for us, they can’t fly.

3. Keep it clean – Although ticks live outdoors, they often hitchhike on a host to find a warm, dry place to call home. Once inside, they look for places to hide, like cracks and crevices. Keeping your home clean and uncluttered makes it hard for them to get comfy. The same goes for clutter laying around your yard, like old toys, furniture, or trash.

Think of giving your home a proper spring cleaning no matter the time of year. Indoors, your vacuum cleaner is the best tool–the smaller attachments can easily get into cracks, crevices, and other hard-to-reach places.

4. Chicks dig ticks – Chickens find ticks to be a tasty snack. So if you have thought about keeping a few in your yard to have fresh eggs at hand, another good reason to provide a home for these fine-feathered friends is that they’ll peck away at the pests on your property.

5. Poison the pests – Acaricides, or tick pesticides, can be used to reduce the amount of ticks on parts of your property. But using chemicals can be dangerous, so be sure to follow the instructions carefully. If you have any concerns, call a lawn-care professional.

To find out more on how to keep your yard pest free, contact Free Spray Lawn Care today at 419-529-5296.