How to Make a Tick Trap

Take Down Ticks with a DIY Tick Trap

Ticks are small pests that can secretly latch onto an unsuspecting host and potentially transfer harmful diseases. Don’t let ticks take over your yard! With homemade tick traps, natural deterrents, and professional services, you can reclaim your yard and make it safer for everyone to enjoy time outside.

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Where Do Ticks Hide Outside?

Ticks shelter in areas with tall grass and dense vegetation. They often seek out shady and humid environments, such as leaf litter, shrubs, shaded grass, and the edges of wooded areas. Ticks can also be found in areas frequented by wildlife, such as deer trails and rodent burrows. Patient and opportunistic, they will wait on the tips of grass blades or leaves with their front legs extended, ready to latch onto passing hosts.

Related Blog: Tick Nests: Real or Rumored?

How to Make Your DIY Tick Trap

Once you know where ticks may be living in your yard, you can create a tick trap to reduce the ticks outside. Learn how to make a tick trap!

What you’ll need:

• Empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes
• Cotton balls
• Petroleum jelly
• Scissors
• Tape
• A small container (such as a plastic cup or jar)

How to make a DIY tick tube trap:

1. Prepare the tubes – Cut the toilet paper or paper towel tubes into smaller sections, about 2-3 inches long.
2. Apply petroleum jelly – Coat the outer surface of each tube with a thick layer of petroleum jelly. This will create a sticky barrier that traps ticks.
3. Insert cotton balls – Place a few cotton balls inside each tube. Ticks are attracted to dark, cozy spaces, making the tubes an inviting spot.
4. Place your traps – Arrange the prepared tubes around your yard, focusing on areas where ticks are commonly found, such as tall grass, shrubs, and shaded areas.
5. Check and replace – Inspect the traps every few days. Replace the cotton balls and reapply petroleum jelly as needed.
6. Dispose of captured ticks properly – If there are ticks on your trap, some safe ways to dispose of a tick include placing it securely in a plastic bag and then into the trash or by flushing it down the toilet. Please never handle a tick, or any pest, with bare hands. Wear rubber gloves or use tweezers.

Tips to Discourage Ticks from Entering Your Yard

Along with your homemade tick trap, you can decrease tick populations on your property by:

• Keeping your lawn tidy – Regularly mow your lawn and remove leaf litter, brush, and other debris where ticks may hide.
• Utilizing professional tick control – Consider a professional tick control service to assess your yard and implement targeted treatments to reduce tick populations. A pest professional from Mosquito Squad will assess your yard for potential tick zones and tailor a treatment to your needs. Our tick control methods include a tick tube treatment and our effective barrier treatment spray.
• Creating a tick-safe zone – Make a barrier between wooded areas and your yard by using gravel, wood chips, or a three-foot-wide strip of mulch to discourage ticks from migrating into your yard.
• Pruning shrubs and trees – Trim back vegetation and clear brush to reduce potential tick habitats and create a less inviting environment for the pest. For help trimming the shrubs and brush in your yard, be sure to contact our friends at your local Monster Tree Service.
• Utilizing plants that discourage ticks – Incorporate plants such as lavender, rosemary, and marigolds into your landscaping. Ticks dislike the smell of these plants and will avoid areas where they’re planted.

Professionally Trap and Deter Ticks on Your Property

By combining DIY tick traps with professional tick control services, you can significantly reduce the presence of ticks in your yard and minimize the risk of tick-borne illnesses for you, your family, and your pets! Get started today with professional treatment by requesting a free quote online.