5 Efficient Tick Control Practices

Ticks are tiny parasitic organisms that attach themselves to mammals, birds, reptiles, and humans. They have hook-like barbs on their mouth with which they feed on the blood of their hosts. They are also the carriers of several serious diseases, which they may transmit to the people they bite. They thrive in dark and moist areas. The best way to get rid of them is to destroy their preferred habitats.

Ticks are unpleasant pests, but you can keep your lawn tick-free with some preventative maintenance.

But before we discuss that, it is also essential to recognize the signs of tick infestation in your home. The first sign is that you start seeing many ticks on yourself or your pet. After walking in an area known to have ticks, you should check your body and that of pets. Another sign of tick infestation in your home is if any family members develop a tick-borne illness. The symptoms may include fever, chills, body aches, headaches, fatigue, and a rash. Tick bites are known to cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Colorado tick fever. The signs of tick infestation are different for every individual, and they are best left to a medical professional for diagnosis. 
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Now take a look at these five efficient tick control practices:

Mow your lawn regularly

​Black-legged ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, don’t like the dry environment. Ticks love shaggy foliage that provides a cool area for them to hide. By mowing your lawn regularly and trimming overgrown bush, you destroy the preferred habitat of these ticks. After mowing your yard, it is essential to dispose of leaf litter and other lawn debris in a bag.

​Use tick tubes

​It is well known that mice are the primary hosts for ticks. Tick tubes are cardboard tubes filled with cotton balls that have been soaked in permethrin. Scatter these tubes all across your yard. Mice collect the treated cotton to line their nests. The permethrin binds with the oils in the mice fur, and when the ticks climb onto the mice to feed, the permethrin kills the ticks. A quarter-acre yard will need about six of these tubes twice a year.

Keep stacked wood dry

​Woods kept outside may get wet, which creates a moist environment. Damp firewood is the perfect Trojan horse for pests to invade your home. So it is vital to keep the stacked wood in a dry place or keep it covered if kept outside. Also, make sure that you keep your firewood at least 20 feet away from your home so that ticks can’t easily gain access to your home. In addition, place bricks at the bottom layer to keep the wood from directly touching the ground.

​Create a barrier

​If you live near a tick habitat, like an area full of leaf litter and tall grasses, you need to prevent ticks from migrating to your home by taking the help of a physical blocker. You can use wood chips or gravel to construct a 3-foot barrier between your lawn and the tick-friendly area.

​Spray things down

The two regularly used chemicals used in tick and pest sprays are Permethrin and Talstar. While Talstar lasts longer than other chemicals, Permethrin tends to be cheaper than Talstar and kills pests quicker after the initial application. Bifenthrin is used to kill deer ticks. You can also use a botanical mixture made with 10 percent rosemary oil to control ticks. ​

​About Seacoast Tree Care

If you notice a growth of ticks on your plants, contact Seacoast Tree Care. We are experts in complete tree care, preservation, and removal and have a qualified team of certified arborists who will use tick prevention methods to ensure that your trees and plants flourish and thrive in all seasons. Call us at 603-431-0101 or 978-225-6644, or drop an email at info@seacoasttreecare.com to know more. You can also fill up our contact form, and we will get back to you.