At long last, summer is finally on the horizon. With summer comes the promise of an outdoor living experience that you will be able to enjoy for many months to come. Spending time in the yard relaxing, working on your gardening project, hosting gatherings, and more are all on the agenda when warm weather returns. However, you need to watch out for a few things to ensure your outdoor living spaces are as livable as possible. So, what kind of things do you need to look out for? One, in particular, poses a serious threat to your outdoor living experience as well as to your health. Ticks are returning in huge numbers this season, and it is incredibly important that you are prepared to deal with these tiny arachnids. Firstly, though, you need to understand the threat itself. Although ticks are quite small and unassuming, they are parasites that will exploit any opportunity to feed on your blood. Ticks are the hitchhikers of our region, attaching themselves to their victims and using them as rides to other locations. Although this feeding behavior is useful for ticks, it is hazardous to us. By going from victim to victim, ticks become Petri dishes for pathogens to thrive and transmit to other organisms.

There are some easy landscaping tick control measures you can take to defend against these creatures.

Mowing the grass

Ticks thrive in long grasses and unkempt landscaping. To keep ticks from grabbing onto you from their perch atop a blade of grass, make sure to regularly mow your lawn to discourage ticks from residing in this part of your yard

Removing clutter

Make sure to incorporate spring cleaning in your yard on a year-round basis. By removing branches leaves, and similar debris in your yard, you reduce a tick’s available habitat. Furthermore, animals also like to use this clutter for their nests. Ticks feed on the blood of the tiny birds and mammals that frequent your yard, so it’s a good idea to try and keep these animals, however cute, away from your property.

Barriers

If you’re able, install a 3+ food barrier of gravel, stone, or wood chips around your lawn, gardens, or any other potential tick habitat. Ticks struggle to move beyond these kinds of simple barriers, and this kind of installation has aesthetic benefits for your home as well!

Plainview tick control

There are many at-home remedies for defending against ticks, but the very best way to ensure you are protected is with the help of professionally applied tick control. At Mosquito Squad, we’ve been defending customers against ticks for nearly two decades and we’re still going strong. Using our barrier protection mist, which only needs to be reapplied every 2 weeks, you are guaranteed to see a huge reduction in the tick population on your property.

There are many landscaping tricks to discourage ticks from living in your yard, but these measures usually aren’t enough. For guaranteed defense, Mosquito Squad of Long Island offers professional Plainview tick control. Give us a call at (631) 203-1252.