Landscaping to Prevent Ticks in Your Yard

The landscaping decisions you make today can help to make your yard less attractive to ticks (and the diseases they carry) for years to come.

 

The Centers for Disease Control have provided their recommendations for preventing, or at least limiting, the occurrence of ticks in your own yard. These tips, along with an appropriate tick preventative, either pet-safe pesticides, topical sprays or “spot-on” treatments directly for your dog, will keep your furriest family members tick-free:

◾Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.

◾Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas and around patios and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into recreational areas.

◾Mow the lawn frequently and keep leaves raked.

◾Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents that ticks feed on).

◾Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees and place them in a sunny location, if possible.

◾Remove any old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.

◾Refer to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Tick Management Handbook for a comprehensive guide to preventing ticks and their bites through landscaping.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control‘s website for more information about preventing tick-borne illnesses in yourself AND your pets.