Ticks are extremely bothersome. Not only are they a nuisance to remove after they have bitten you and attached themselves to your skin, but they also cause Lyme disease. The CDC estimates that as many as 476,000 people get Lyme disease each year in the United States. Because Lyme disease can result in undesirable symptoms and serious infections that spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system, proper tick control is extremely important.
Ticks like to live close to their hosts, which include both animals and people. They also like to live in tall grass and brush. Unfortunately, this means there could be ticks in your yard, so you’ll want to take steps that will make your yard less comfortable for them. Here are five tick control strategies that will discourage these blood-sucking arachnids from taking up residence in your yard:
1. Clear away leaf litter. Ticks are enticed by shady, moist areas, and fallen leaves provide that.
2. Mow your lawn. Reducing the height of grasses in your yard can help get rid of ticks.
3. Put up a fence. Fences will keep out wild animals like deer that could carry ticks into your yard.
4. Prune your trees. Grooming the trees in your yard will allow for more sunlight and less humidity, so your yard will be a less desirable habitat for ticks.
5. Use hardscaping. Another way to make your yard less habitable for ticks is to use brick, paving, or gravel to separate your yard from wooded areas where ticks can thrive.
These five strategies can help prevent tick infestations, but we recommend that you also get a professional to apply pesticides. At Canady’s Termite & Pest Control, we use effective pesticides that will control tick populations on your property. Call us today to learn more about our tick control services.