How to Landscape to Eliminate Ticks

Prevent deer from entering your property and leaving ticks behind.

Ticks are parasitic arachnids that attach themselves to a host and then drink their blood. They are capable of carrying a wide variety of diseases, among them Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. While it is important to be aware of the risks that ticks pose in the forests and fields, remember that ticks are also a problem in your own yard. Change your landscaping to eliminate ticks from your property.

Things You'll Need

• Gravel or dry wood chips
• Landscaping bags
• Fencing
• Acaricide

Instructions

1. Create a distinct border by lining the edge of your property with a 2-foot wide band of gravel or dry wood chips. Because ticks tend to move from plant to plant, a deliberately empty space created by a border prevents them from invading the grass in your yard.

2. Mow your lawn regularly. Keeping your grass trimmed and manicured allows you to prevent the ticks from taking shelter under long grass blades.

3. Clear away leaf and plant litter as soon as you cut it down by placing it in landscaping bags and disposing of it properly. Leaf and plant litter gives ticks the shady, shadowy cover they prefer and it encourages them to stay in your yard.

4. Set up play areas for your children in places that are sunny and free from tall vegetation. If you set up a swing-set or a jungle gym, for example, place it in the center of your yard, away from the cover of trees and away from any tall grass.

5. Surround your property with a fence least 6 feet tall to keep away deer. Deer are one of the major carriers of the deer ticks. If they regularly feed in your garden or on the edges of your property, they introduce ticks into your grass. Other methods of deer control include chemical deterrents and natural deterrents like garlic spray and pepper sprays.

6. Apply an appropriate acaricide at the end of May or the beginning of June. An acariside is a pesticide that is specifically made to kill ticks. When an appropriate dosage is applied to the property, the Vermont Department of Health states it can remove between 60 percent to 100 percent of the tick population. Follow the instructions on the acaricide you purchase.

References

• Vermont Department of Health: Landscaping to Control Ticks
• The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; Managing Ticks on Your Property; Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D.; March 2005
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Stop Ticks; January 12, 2011
• On Earth; Keeping Deer Out of the Garden; Laura Diefenbach; December 4, 2009