Ticks are nasty little creatures and your blood, and that of your pets is their favorite food. In the process of acquiring it, ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease into your bloodstream. Some of the common symptoms of this infection include fever, headache, and other unpleasant symptoms. Now that you have a reason to keep your yard free from ticks, here are effective tips to help you get rid of these insects.
1. Keep your lawn clean
Start by getting rid of tall grass and then brush your lawn, particularly at the edges. This will eliminate the ticks’ favorite breeding areas and hangout zones. Instead of tossing leaf litter and grass clippings into your rubbish bins, add them into your compost pile. This way, you will produce rich soil for your garden. Also, dry grass clippings can be used as mulch to help the soil retain water and keep weeds from sprouting.
2. Find a way to irritate the ticks’ feet
Generally, ticks dislike crossing paths lined with gravel or wood chips. It is like forcing a person to walk over a glass, and that’s not pleasant. So, place wood chips or gravel as a buffer zone between wooded areas and your lawn. This will keep ticks from crossing into your home.
3. Find and keep tick eaters
This isn’t an option for every property owner, but investing in chickens could help keep your lawn and house free from ticks. In addition to providing eggs, chickens peck away ticks on your lawn. If you choose this option, be sure to purchase the right food and set up a good shelter for these birds.
Robins and other similar ground-feeding backyard birds feed on ticks. Therefore, making your backyard friendly to birds is an effective way to keep tick populations as low as possible. Note that birds also carry ticks. Thus, it is best if you keep the areas where they feed clear of debris and bush to minimize the chances of hitchhiking ticks surviving and later invading your home.
4. Some plants repel ticks
A spray or lotion containing DEET is a good option. Be sure to follow all the instructions carefully. If you don’t want to use DEET, there are other effective ways to keep ticks from invading your lawn. For instance, you can plant American beauty-berry bushes. These plants’ leaves are known to repel ticks.
5. Ensure woodpiles are stacked neatly
Often, ticks are found crawling around improperly stacked woodpiles in most shaded areas. Moist woodpiles attract ticks, and keeping your stacks of woodpile neat in an area that gets enough sunshine is an effective way of preventing tick infestation.
Wrap up
If your lawn is infested with ticks, there are many control methods you can use. Your choice depends on some factors, such as whether you have pets, the size of your lawn, the extent of the infestation, and more. Generally, it’s best to consult with a Boise, ID pest control expert in pest control to analyze the type of ticks invading your home, the extent of the infestation, and develop an effective control plan.