Tick Trouble? Property Changes To Discourage These Crawling, Biting Pests

Ticks and tick-borne illnesses are an increasing problem throughout many areas of the United States. In addition to the more well-known varieties like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, there are many others including tularemia, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Alpha-gal syndrome that causes an allergy to red meat consumption. 

While watching for ticks and seeking immediate medical evaluation and treatment for any tick bite you or your family members may receive is always smart, finding ways to lessen exposure to ticks is preferable, especially around your home and property. 

Homeowners who want to lessen the chances of encountering them on their property should consider taking the following actions. 

Mowing more frequently 

Ticks are drawn to areas where they are provided with good cover. Most species prefer overgrown patches of grass and underbrush. Ticks are crawling insects that move slowly and need to hitch a ride on a passing host who will provide them with both transportation and a nourishing meal of blood. 

Since ticks are much less able to hitch a ride from a position on short grass, homeowners who keep their lawns mowed very short and take care to eliminate areas of thick brush will be better able to prevent their family from being exposed to ticks.

Additionally, it can also be helpful to add a strip of gravel or mulch between your lawn and any neighboring wooded or overgrown areas to further discourage ticks from traveling onto your property. 

Reducing the amount of leaf litter

A common misconception about ticks is that they infest trees and then fall off branches and leaves onto their unsuspecting victims below. Actually, ticks do have a connection to trees but not because they climb them or inhabit them. 

Instead, ticks hide in the moist warmth of leaf litter that accumulates on the ground around trees and in wooded areas. In addition to providing protective cover and humidity, the leaf litter also provides ticks with protection from cold weather, which is why many people see live ticks in wooded areas in late fall and early spring. 

Homeowners who want to control the amount of leaf litter on their property can do so by raking up and burning the accumulated leaves each fall. Since many areas do not allow this type of burning, another option to consider is to remove the trees that produce the leaf litter. 

To learn more about tree removal for the purpose of making your property less attractive to ticks, contact a reputable tree removal service in your area. 

If you continue to have problems with ticks, contact a tick control specialist in your area.

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