Effective Tick Control for Your Yard

Ticks, although they check off all the appropriate boxes that describe annoying pests, are actually classified as parasites. Their blood-sucking tendencies ensure that their host is somewhat miserable for days or even weeks prior to the discovery of the tick’s existence.

These parasites carry diseases that are spread from an encounter with one host’s contaminated blood to another, then another, and so on. Many species of ticks carry different diseases that can be transmitted to humans as well as animals. For example, Lyme Disease is a common illness spread by the blacklegged tick, or “deer tick,” to more than 300,000 Americans per year. 

Early symptoms of Lyme Disease can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Fatigue 
• Muscle and joint pain and aches
• Swollen lymph nodes or rash

Other diseases spread by various species of ticks prevalent in North America include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a deadly bacterial disease transmitted by the dog tick, often accompanied by a fever, headache, and rash; Southern-Tick Associated Rash Illness; and the dreaded Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS), a potentially life-threatening illness resulting in a spontaneous allergy to red meat in humans.  

Needless to say, taking measures to control your yard’s tick population is essential to your health and that of your loved ones.

Tick Control Practices

Tick control for your yard starts with everyday practices. Here are a few things that you can and certainly should do on a regular basis in order to mitigate your property’s risk of being overrun by blood-sucking parasites like ticks. 

Clear Out Brush & Debris

Ticks congregate and hide in tall grasses, brush piles, and other woody debris that may have collected in your yard. When you mow, bushwack, weed-eat, or commence any other lawn care practices (which you should do regularly to avoid tick-friendly overgrowth), be sure to get rid of your discard piles, and don’t give ticks any extra places to live and breed!

As far as firewood piles go, stack logs neatly and in a dry area away from the house. Perhaps you can invest in a heavy-duty tarp to ensure that woodpiles stay dry. This keeps rodents away, which are common tick hosts.

Build a Wall!

Okay, seriously. Professionals recommend placing a 3-foot wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and patio, or any playground equipment your children might use. This will discourage tick migration from the grass to heavily used recreational areas.

Tick Traps

Tick traps are an easy, effective method of tick control for yards consisting of common household items you can probably find stuffed in the back of your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. 

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

Begin by cutting the toilet paper or paper towel tubes into 2 to 3-inch sections. Spread petroleum jelly over the external surface of each tube–the stickiness will trap ticks. Place cotton balls inside each tube as a second trapping method that will catch whichever ticks managed to evade the petroleum jelly. Place your tick traps around your yard, specifically in tall grass, shrubs, and in shady areas. Every few days, check your traps and replace the cotton balls and petroleum jelly as needed. Ticks are best disposed of by flushing them down the toilet or conducting a controlled burn.

Professional Tick Control from Mosquito Squad

Last but certainly not least, Mosquito Squad of Springfield offers superior tick control for yards. Mosquito Squad’s tick treatment options include a barrier spray that helps mitigate both mosquito and tick populations. We also offer a tick tube method–this is a an add-on service for additional tick control that uses biodegradable products placed underground, relying on natural wildlife habits to spread the treatment throughout your property to reduce tick breeding grounds. Another add-on treatment is our yard defender package, which is a granular application that helps protect your yard from mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and mound-building ants. 

Mosquito Squad’s proven barrier spray treatment and tick control applications can help protect you and your family from both tick-borne illness and frustration this warm season. Contact us today to receive a quote and start building your treatment plan today.