| |
Roughly 70% of
people who develop Lyme disease catch it from ticks in their own yard.
Thus, it is important to ensure that your yard has as few ticks as
possible. Ticks thrive in cool, wet places, often travel into yards via
animal hosts (white-tailed deer, white-footed mice, and some birds), and
are kept at bay by certain pesticides. Based on these facts, there are
several steps you can take to reduce the number of ticks on your property:
- Keep your yard clean of debris such as
leaf litter and grass clippings and keep flowerbeds dry.
- Keep grass mowed, especially at edges of
property.
- Trim bushes and shrubs, especially near
paths and walkways.
- Minimize ground cover, such as
pachysandra.
- Create a 3-foot wide, 3-inch deep
barrier using gravel, mulch, or woodchips to separate your lawn from any
wooded areas.
- Make sure that areas where children
play, including swing sets and playhouses are in dry, sunny areas. You
may also want to place gravel, mulch, or woodchips around these areas.
- Any birdfeeders or woodpiles that may
attract tick-carrying animals should also be placed in a gravel, mulch,
or woodchip surrounded area away from your lawn.
- Preferably, your property, especially
the lawn area, should not contain anything designed to attract wildlife,
including birdfeeders, birdbaths, and salt licks.
- Mice tend to live in stone walls; keep
any stone walls on your property neat. Seal any cracks and clear away
nearby debris.
- White-tailed deer have been known to
carry hundreds ticks on their bodies all year round. These deer tend to
walk into suburban and rural yards looking for food, and bring those
ticks in with them. You may build a fence around your property to keep
out deer, or simply avoid attracting them by planting plants deer do not
like to eat. Ask your local nursery or garden center for information on
“deer proof” plantings.
- You can also apply to low-toxicity
pesticide to your property once a year, preferably in May when tick eggs
have just hatched. Many pest control agencies specialize in tick
control.
taken from the Rhode Island Dept. of
Health web site |
|