Create a Tick-Free Backyard
Warm weather often brings warm weather pests. Ticks carry the insidious Lyme's Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, among a host of other bacteria, viruses and toxins. Below are some tips to help make it safer to enjoy the sunshine outside: Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Mow the lawn to keep grasses and weeds short. Current guidelines recommend mowing every 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the season and how fast the grass is growing.
2. Ticks enjoy damp, dark places, and a cozy nest is a great place for them to hide. Remove bird nests and bird feeders from the lawn. Remove wood piles, as these not only serve as nests for tick-carrying rodents, they also can attract termites.
3. Fence your backyard to contain deer. Talk to your local garden center about deer repellent plants that will work best in your area.
Check Resources below for deer repellent products, that may include netting and sprays, such as Deer Out.
4. Mulch around swing sets, play areas and sand boxes.
5. Avoid including tick-harboring plants, like pachysandra, in your garden.
6. Dressing for tick prevention isn't about high fashion. If you have wooded areas in the backyard or are gardening, make sure to wear long light colored sleeves and pants with a tight weave so you can see easily see the ticks. Tuck your pant legs into your socks to make it difficult for ticks to crawl under your pant leg.
7. If you live on a farm or have a lot of animals, consider investing in guinea hens to gobble up ticks. Although they can be noisy, the hens are a natural way to rid your backyard of ticks.
8. Conduct daily bug checks on yourself, family and outdoor pets. In addition to thoroughly checking the scalp, make sure to check hard to reach places like, the armpits, behind and in the ears, and genitals. If there appears to be a new on your skin, it may possibly be a tick!
9. Several pesticides are available on the market to help control ticks. Use the lowest effective concentration of DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) to limit negative health effects.
Picaridin (also known as KBR3023) and oil of lemon eucalyptus are also available. However, there is limited data available about their efficacy.
Permethrin is another substance used on clothing to kill ticks and insects that come into contact with clothing. Permethrin kills ticks and insects that come in contact with treated clothes. Permethrin products can cause eye irritation, particularly if label directions have not been followed. Animal studies indicate that permethrin may have some cancer-causing potential. Permethrin is effective for two weeks or more if the clothing is not washed. Keep treated clothing in a plastic bag when not in use.
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