Ticks can make it difficult to enjoy your outdoor space. These pests are known to hang out in yards where they can easily bite you, your family, and your pets. Implementing preventative measures and treating your yard can help to keep your yard free of ticks. We’ve gathered information to help you take care of any ticks in your yard.
Tips to Prevent Ticks in Your Yard
The best way to keep ticks out of your yard is to remove potential attractants. Check out a few tips to help you prevent these pests.
- Trim Grass & Vegetation: Ticks like to hide in tall grass and dense vegetation. You’ll want to keep your lawn, shrubs, and plants trimmed to discourage their presence. It’s best to avoid adding ground cover to your yard, since this is an ideal harborage spot for ticks.
- Remove Yard Debris: Other items in your yard can provide ticks with shelter. Remove leaves, twigs, brush, and grass clippings from your yard. It’s also important to clean up any trash that could attract animals that are carrying ticks.
- Minimize Moisture: Ticks like damp environments, so you’ll want to minimize moisture in your yard. Avoid overwatering your plants. Keeping your vegetation trimmed back can also minimize shady and damp spots.
- Properly Store Woodpiles: These pests will hang out on wood. It’s best to store woodpiles off of the ground to deter ticks from crawling on it. You’ll also want to place it away from your house, but in a sunny location. This will help to keep it dry and make it less attractive to ticks.
- Create a Barrier: Adding a fence to your property can help to keep tick-infested wildlife out of your yard. You can also create a barrier between your lawn and wooded areas with woodchips or gravel. Ticks struggle to walk on rough surfaces, so it will be harder for them to reach you.
How to Treat Your Yard for Ticks
In addition to tick-proofing your yard, pesticides can help you fight these pests. Our plant-based Mosquito & Tick Killer kills ticks and mosquitoes on contact. It also provides residual repellency, creating a protective barrier that helps keep ticks away. The bottle attaches to your garden hose and can treat up to 5,000 sq ft. When used as directed, it is safe to use around children and pets.
Here are a few tips to help you effectively spray your yard for ticks:
- Always read and follow label directions.
- Treat your yard in spring when ticks are becoming active. You can reapply every two weeks or as needed throughout the summer months.
- For best results and to minimize potential plant burning, apply spray at dusk.
- When spraying for deer ticks, apply at a rate of 500-600 sq ft per minute.
- When dealing with large tick species, like the lone star tick, apply at a rate of 200-300 sq ft per minute.
- When spraying, don’t just spray the top of your plants. Ensure the spray gets deep into vegetation where ticks are likely to hide.
- Make sure grass is less than 3" high when spraying your yard.
- In addition to treating your lawn and vegetation, don’t forget to spray under decks and porches where ticks are likely to harbor.
It’s worrisome having ticks crawling around your yard. Minimizing attractants and treating your yard with plant-based insecticides can help to keep these pests away. If you’re dealing with ticks or other pests, we’re here to help! For a more environmentally and family-friendly solution, check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products.