Things You'll Need:
- Lawn mower
- Garden rake
- Plastic lawn bags
- Diatomaceous earth (DE)
- Garlic cloves
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Step 1
Mow your lawn often to prevent grass and weeds from growing tall. Ticks love to hang out in tall grass and weeds waiting for an unsuspecting victim, like you or a pet, to latch onto. When you mow down their habitat, they go elsewhere.
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Step 2
Rake the grass on your lawn or capture it in your lawn mower's lawn bag. Dispose of the raked or captured grass in the plastic lawn bags and tie securely so no ticks can escape.
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Step 3
Spread diatomaceous earth (DE) on your lawn, particularly around any perimeters that border on woods or fields with unkempt grass. The DE is made from the fossilized skeletons of diatoms, which have sharp edges that will cut into ticks and other pests, causing dehydration and ultimately death. DE is not harmful to people or pets and is a natural pesticide for your yard.
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Step 4
Remove litter and debris from your yard such as dead trees or stacks of old tires or lumber that may attract birds to nest or harbor small rodents like mice and squirrels. These animals sometimes will carry ticks into your yard where you or your pets can unknowingly pick them up.
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Step 5
Peel one clove of garlic and chop it up into your pet's food each day. Ticks do not like the smell of garlic, so if they try to latch onto your pet, they will detect the odor and drop away.
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Step 6
Wear long sleeves and long pants if you plan to trek in the woods or areas with tall grass and weeds. Tuck your pants into long socks to prevent ticks from latching onto your pants leg and migrating up.
