Each year, there are about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease in the United States reported to the CDC by state health departments. Ticks are the major carriers and spreaders of Lyme disease, an inflammatory disease characterized by a rash, headache, fever and chills at first. It can then manifest into arthritis and neurological and cardiac disorders, caused by bacteria transmitted by ticks.

Ticks hide in long grass and attach themselves to humans and animals so they can feed on their blood. Understandably, ticks strike fear in the heart of any outdoor enthusiast, parent, farmer or home owner. We have some tips on how to keep ticks out of your yard this summer.

Keep the Lawn Trimmed

When you get rid of tall grass and brush, particularly at the edges of your lawn, you are eliminating ticks’ preferred hangouts. Clean up yard debris such as leaf litter. Rather than throw grass clippings and leaves in the garbage, add them to a compost pile, using the rich soil that results in your garden.

Add a Buffer

Ticks hate to crawl on wood chips and gravel. It hurts their feet. So, if you put a buffer zone of this material between the edge of your lawn and your driveways and walkways, you can discourage ticks from crossing over onto the rest of your property.

Stack Wood Neatly

Ticks can be found teeming on haphazardly-placed piles of wood located in damp, shady areas. This is why you should keep any wood on your property neatly stacked and in a relatively dry area.

Use Plants

While you can spray yourself with DEET when outside, you can’t do this to your whole yard. One natural repellent that you can use to keep ticks at bay is to plant American beauty-berry bushes, which are pretty to look at yet their leaves repel ticks.

Invest in Chickens

Not only can you get fresh eggs every day by raising chickens on your property, you can keep the tick population down as well. Add a bird feeder to your property too, as robins and other ground-feeding birds will eat ticks. Just keep in mind that ticks can also hitchhike onto birds so you’ll want to keep areas around feeders and bird baths clear of debris to make it less likely those ticks will survive.

Contact Cavanaugh’s Professional Termite and Pest Services

If you have an abundance of ticks on your property, it’s wise to give us a call right away. We can come out to your property and treat it so the infestation does not get out of control. Contact us at 800-362-2282 or fill out our online form for more information.