Keeping Ticks Out Of Your Yard When You Live Near The Woods

Ticks love the woods. It really is where they prefer to be. However, if you live along the woods, ticks may spread into your yard, where they're more likely to jump onto you or your pets. Since ticks can spread diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, you really don't want them this close to your home. So, how do you keep them away? Here are a few tips.

Put a layer of mulch down along the woods.

Ticks do not tend to cross wide beds of mulch. They prefer to move through grass where they have some coverage and protection. If you put down a 3 or 4-foot wide border of mulch between the woods and your yard, most of the ticks should stay out of your yard. Make sure your mulch layer is about 3 inches deep. You can use the cheapest, natural wood mulch available at your local garden store; it will do the same thing as the fancy, dyed varieties.

Keep your grass well-trimmed.

Ticks prefer long grass to short grass. If you keep your grass shorter, many of the ticks will soon move out of it. And few to no ticks will breed in the shorter grass. So, when you live along the woods, there is really no room for extending the time between grass mowing sessions. You should always mow at least once a week, and maybe twice a week in the spring when the grass is growing faster. Each time you mow, make sure you use the weed trimmer around the edge of your property. Ticks will happily congregate in small clumps of tall grass along fence lines and such.

Have your perimeter sprayed in the spring.

While you don't want to rely too heavily on insecticides to get rid of ticks, it can be helpful to have a pest control company come spray for them once in the spring. The pest control experts will likely focus on the perimeter of your property, which is where the ticks are most likely to cross over from the woods to the grass. Spring is the best time to spray since this is when tick populations are highest and when the ticks are breeding readily.

When you live in a wooded area, it is really important to keep tick control at the forefront. The strategies above can help you keep them out of your immediate yard, protecting you from bites. For more information, contact a tick control company. 

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