Fall is just around the corner. You may be looking forward to cooler nights and bug-free days. Finally, you’re free of worrying about getting bitten by ticks, right? Unfortunately, that’s wrong. As long as the temperature is above freezing tick bites are still possible. Some species of ticks, such as the American Dog Tick and the Lone Star Tick, go dormant in winter months. However, the Deer Tick—which transmits the most tick-borne diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme, Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis—will survive the wintertime unless the temperature drops below freezing.
Even worse, ticks are notoriously small. Due to their life cycles, Deer Ticks are smallest in spring and summer, however, they are active as adults all the way from fall to spring. This means that ticks can, and do, transmit diseases year-round.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best ways to control ticks in your yard and avoid infectious diseases are either to create a tick-safe zone, or treat your yard with insect repellant or pesticide.
This includes:
- Removing leaf litter from your yard and not letting leaves build-up
- Clearing tall grass and brush around your house and at the edge of your lawn
- Placing a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas
- Mowing the lawn frequently
- Stacking wood neatly and in a dry area (to discourage rodents that carry ticks and spread disease)
- Keeping playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees
- Discouraging unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences
- Removing old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide
By following these tips you can keep your family safe all year-round. If you’d like to find out about having your yard treated for ticks so that your family can better enjoy it during the fall, call Organically Green Horticultural Service today.