How To Prevent Ticks in the Yard

Ticks are dangerous pests that feed on human blood and can transmit Lyme disease to humans. While ticks are mainly found in the woodlands, they can easily infest your garden and lawn. If you have seen ticks in your yard, your top priority must be to get rid of them.

Below are some tips to help prevent ticks in the yard.

Use Cedar Oil Spray
Cedar oil is a natural and effective tick repellent. To prevent yourself from tick bites, you can spray this oil directly on your skin or clothing.

You can buy cedar oil at garden and home stores. However, if you are a do-it-yourself enthusiast, you can make this oil at home. Use a dark-colored spray bottle to mix 60 drops of cedar wood oil with an ounce of grain alcohol and fill with water. You can shake the mixture and spray it anywhere in your yard when you notice tick activity. Note that cedar oil spray is safe for use on pets too.

Mow Your Lawn
If you notice ticks in your lawn, you should mow your lawn so the area is free of brush and tall grass. Give special attention to the edge of the lawn, as this is a favorite spot for ticks. Ensure you mow your lawn regularly and trim any overgrown brush or leaves regularly to prevent shadowed, cool areas where ticks can hide. If you are behind on your mowing, you can cut down the grass and use the bag attachment on your mower so you leave no lawn clippings behind.

If you have time, clean up any leaf litter, put the leaves and grass clippings into the garbage. Eventually, move them into the compost pit and use it in the soil in your garden as mulch that prevents the sprout of weeds.

Use Tick Tubes
Tick tubes are ideal for both mice and ticks because they eliminate ticks that live on mice. These tubes are made of cardboard and have cotton treated with permethrin. The mice take the cotton back to their habitat and use it as bedding.

The active ingredient, permethrin, then kills all the mice that live on the mice. If you use permethrin, you will need approximately six tubes of permethrin for a quarter of an acre of yard.

Invest in Chickens
If you live in a space where you can keep chickens, consider buying a few of them. Apart from providing you with fresh eggs, chickens will eat any ticks they find on your property.

If you choose to buy chickens, make sure you have proper shelter and food for them. Also, ensure your lawn or garden is bird-friendly as some species, such as robins and other ground-feeding birds, prey on ticks and can help to bring the population of ticks down.

Some birds also carry ticks, so you should ensure that bird baths and feeders are in areas clear of debris and brush to lower the chances of hitchhiking tick survival.

Use Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is one of the most effective, organic ways to rid your yard of pests such as ticks. This solution is great because it is safe for pets and humans but will eliminate pests.

When ticks encounter diatomaceous earth, they die within a short time. Simply sprinkle diatomaceous earth anywhere you notice ticks in your yard. Additionally, you can use diatomaceous earth to create a barrier between grassy and wooden areas.