Did you know that ticks can live in backyards and neighborhoods? If you’re living near natural areas (such as open fields, parks, or urban hiking trails) it’s a good idea to learn how to avoid ticks at home.
Ticks are found outdoors in brushy, wooded areas on plants, rocks, logs, and in leaves and twigs on the ground. Beginning in fall, adult western blacklegged ticks emerge and lurk on bushes, shrubs, and the tips of tall grasses waiting for a person or animal to brush against them so they can attach and feed on their blood.
Landscaping and maintaining your yard can help make your backyard less desirable for ticks. Western blacklegged ticks prefer to live in shady, humid, overgrown areas, especially in tall grass and overgrown vegetation. To create a tick-safe yard:
- Keep your lawn mowed and decorative plants trimmed and well maintained.
- Remove leaf and grass litter from your yard.
- Create a tick barrier at the edge of your property by putting down a 3-foot gravel or wood chip border between your lawn and any unmaintained or overgrown natural areas that you may live next to.
- Move yard furniture and swing sets away from the edges of the yard to more open and sunny areas.
- Check your pets daily for ticks, especially after they have been outdoors in overgrown and brushy areas. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it right away. Learn more about preventing ticks on pets.
- Install 8-foot fences to keep larger animals such as deer out of your yard and garden.
- Keep trash cans closed and away from your home to avoid attracting rodents and other animals.
- Keep clutter away from your home to reduce areas where animals such as rodents might live.
Learn more about ticks and Lyme disease here.