The great outdoors, right outside your back door, with all those beautiful flowers, plants, features, and creature comforts. You’ve put a lot of time and effort into transforming your outdoor space into an oasis that’s the envy of everyone who visits, but now, you’re discovering ticks. Those little nuisances are more than a bother, they are dangerous.
As practically everyone knows, ticks can carry such scourges as Lyme disease, something which causes at the very least, a rash. It can also cause joints to swell and arthritis, even muscle pain, headache, and heart problems. Those are problems which you want no part of and you’re going to do something about those pests.
You want to take action and deal with the tiny menaces, but you worry about the method and what impact it will have on other insects, like ladybugs, which are generally a good thing to have around. You also don’t want to turn your yard into a toxic hazard, exposing little ones and four-legged family members to chemicals.
Choosing between Treating the Yard or Yourself, Children, and Pets
Dealing with ticks begs the question about how to go about it. The answer depends on what you are really trying to accomplish. In other words, are you out to destroy every single invader or are you just trying to keep family and pets safe? Another reality is that no matter what method you choose, there are pros and cons to each.
If you have trees, tall grass, or open space in your yard, you could have a bunch of hungry ticks lurking there. They lie in wait for a passing deer, pet, or person. Then they drop from their perches and land on their victims. These little blood-sucking critters can feed on their hosts for 15 days. They can pass diseases, such as lyme disease, to their hosts, which can be very debilitating. —Scotts
If you elect to treat your outdoor space, you are probably going to spend a lot of time, and money, trying to repel pests. However, there are ways to mitigate the cost and still achieve your desired results. The best option is to combine treating your yard and yourself, your children and pets.
Ways to Kill Yard Ticks DIY Style
There are a number of ways to get rid of ticks in your yard, which of course, include hiring a pest control service or having your current pest controller apply a special application. Here are a few things you can do on your own:
- Keep grass and plants maintained. Where ticks find refuge and love to hunker-down is in tall grass and overgrown areas. Weeds are an ideal refuge, as are flower beds, nooks and crannies, under objects like hardscape features, and pretty much anywhere there will be access to a warm-blooded meal. In addition, keep leaves raked-up and pick-up any debris which falls during storms.
- Keep wild and domesticated animals away from your yard. Most animals come out at night, strategically using the camouflage of darkness to hunt for prey and to prey on your garden, dig-up your yard, and wreak havoc. Your neighbors’ cats and perhaps dogs might also pay a visit sometimes. All those animals presents a prime opportunity to feast and travel from one place to another. Depending on which animals sneak into your yard, this will be a bit of a challenge, but you’ve got to keep the things that attract them off your property as much as possible.
- Keep your pets’ treatments up-to-date. Most homeowners apply flea and tick repellent to their cats and dogs, but can occasionally forget. Create a reminder system to keep on track because if your pets bring ticks inside, that’s not going to be a good situation.
- Keep children and adult play-things out-of-reach. If your yard has a play-set and/or a swing, and other things which are for people to enjoy, move those objects away from wooded areas if they’re nearby. Basically, the further away things are from prime tick-hiding areas, the better.
- Keep pest repellent handy. If you’re going to be in your yard for more than a few minutes, then just grab a can of pest repellent and apply it. This is advisable when you have cookouts, drinks around the fire pit, a bit of backyard play, or any other time of enjoying your yard longer than a few minutes.
Another thing you ought to do is treat your yard to repel rodents, especially large ones who are prime targets for ticks. You can also put-in a barrier, like gravel around the perimeter of your yard and that will help to keep the bitters out. If you use a combination of these tick trouncing tips, you’ll like be able to keep them out and be able to enjoy your yard without worry.
