According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ticks can spread a host of dangerous diseases, including Ehrlichiosis, Lyme Disease, Tularemia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Statistics show that many people with ticks-related diseases mostly get the tick bite in their own yard.
Thus, as part of prevention measures, many homeowners try to keep their yard tidy and mow their lawn regularly. Doing this creates an unfavorable environment for adult ticks and tick larvae to thrive.
Keep reading to learn more about whether keeping your grass short helps prevent a tick infestation.
Does Mowing Grass Kill Ticks?
Mowing your lawn short can reduce the presence of ticks. Note that these arachnids are able to survive in cool, moist, and shady environments. While they are not very fast on their own, they climb thus can get a ride on a new host.
Long grass is a good environment for ticks to thrive. That’s because it is moist, cool, and provides shelter for these arachnids from the sun. Plus, they can easily climb on the long blades and hitch a new ride. Also, long grass provides an ideal condition for other pests like voles and mice to nest in.
Additionally, tick larvae can use the grass to move into the bodies of their hosts. Once they climb to the top of the grass, they get into a “questioning position” and using their back legs, they hold firmly to the grass, stretch out their forelegs, and get ready to climb to a body of a warm-blooded animal or a human passing nearby.
Therefore, having your lawn mowed short helps prevent adult ticks and their larvae from growing into adult ticks. When your grass is freshly cut, the present ticks will not be protected from the sunlight. And since these animals need low temperatures and humidity to thrive, they won’t survive in short grasses. A mowed lawn creates an unfriendly environment for ticks and other rodents that may be carrying them.
However, keep in mind that they can be found in freshly mowed lawns, especially those where sports are played on. That’s because most people play and practice sports in the morning when the grass is still moist. As said earlier, moisture is an ideal condition for ticks. So make sure to check for ticks whenever your kids have been playing outside.
Do Ticks Live In Grass Clippings, And Do They Like Them?
Mulched grass clippings are suitable habitats for ticks. They create a dense area where ticks can live.
However, rather than tossing these clippings away, you should add them into your composite soil. This will allow them to break down and release nitrogen into the soil. As such, you’ll use less fertilizer.
Plus, they make great mulch, which helps prevent weeds from sprouting and makes your soil retain more water.
Also, you should collect fallen leaves, organic debris, and anything else that might provide shelter, shade, and moisture for ticks to thrive in that area.
Where Can Ticks Be Found Hiding In Lawns?
Ticks don’t drop down from trees, although it may seem so. They often hide in ideal places for them where they wait for the opportunity to climb onto a new host. They like hiding in unmowed areas with tall grasses and weeds since these places are shady and moist. But they can move in mowed areas as well.
However, most of them stay on the outer feet of the lawn. Additionally, they can live in shrubs, in foundation plantings, or gardens.
These arachnids will move to a human or an animal that brushes against the grasses or weeds when passing by. Research shows that about 75% of ticks are picked up when doing various outdoor activities like playing in the backyard and gardening.
Does Spraying Yard For Ticks Work?
Unfortunately, a tick problem will not go away on its own. Rather, these arachnids will continue to multiply, which will lead to a tick infestation in your yard. Those that carry Lyme disease are said to lay more than 3,000 batches of eggs and others, over 15,000 batches. If you don’t treat them, they can live for many years, and some can even come indoors.
Some yard owners choose to spray their yards to remove ticks. Pesticides can significantly reduce the number of ticks in your yard. But make sure that you check when is the best time to spray, what pesticides to use, and what are the rules of spraying pesticides within residential properties, based on your area.
If you need advice or help with yard spraying for ticks, you can always count on Guaranteed Green in Metro Atlanta who are ready to assist!
How Often Should You Treat Your Yard For Ticks?
Experts advise treating ticks during the fall and summer seasons as it’s when the larvae turn into a nymph, which becomes an adult, and adults are ready to reproduce.
In general, you should treat ticks when they have not laid their eggs to prevent tick infestation in the spring. Spray your yard at least once a month. But if you are dealing with a tick infestation, the spraying treatments should be done more often, regardless of the season.
How To Maintain Your Yard Tick Free After Treatment?
Once you have had your yard treated, you should take some prevention measures to keep ticks away from it.
Experts recommend planting insect repellent trees and other plants such as the American beautyberry, cedar tree, lemongrass, rosemary, garlic, lavender, sage, and catnip. Also, remember to regularly mow your lawn. Keep the grass in your yard short, no more than 3 inches tall.
Getting rid of ticks with pesticides is not an easy task, there are lots of things that can go wrong. With such an important matter, this is definitely something you’d want to do right each and every time. Thus, your best option is to use the services of trained and knowledgeable professionals.
Our tick control specialists will stop dangerous ticks from infesting your yard, and help protect you, your family and pets from ticks. So, call Guaranteed Green at 770-599-2774 for a no-obligation quote or to schedule our tick spray service for yard today!
