Illnesses affect those around us on a daily basis and one that has affected many in the New York area is lyme disease. While many do not know of the dangers of the disease, those who have experienced it first hand know that it is not a walk in the park. While many cases of lyme disease can be resolved in a few months, some cases linger and people struggle with the symptoms. The easiest way to prevent lyme disease is to not get bit by a tick, so let’s learn about how to handle ticks.

Keep your Property Groomed

Yes, keeping your property well landscaped can help prevent ticks from being a nuisance to you and your family. With a well-groomed yard, you give ticks less area to thrive in thus keeping them from latching on to you. The reason your pristine yard helps prevent their livelihood is because they have no way of protecting themselves from the sun. With the sun beating down, ticks cannot survive long treks across a yard. Some things to focus on when grooming your yard for tick prevention:

• Make sure your lawn is mowed routinely as ticks prefer long grass to move in as it stays moist.
• Remove leaves, fallen branches and litter from the property as soon as possible as this provides hiding areas for the ticks if left alone.
• Create a “dead area” between the forest and your lawn by installing wood chips or gravel. This area will create a sort of barrier between your lawn and ticks as they will dry out if they cross it. Make sure the wood chips or gravel is at least three feet wide.
• Dissuade animals from being hosts to ticks on your property by adding a fence and keeping wood piles stacked neatly, on a dry area away from your house.
• Move swing sets and sandboxes into sunny areas away from the forest to prevent the ticks from living there.

Pesticides/Insecticides?

Pesticides and Insecticides can get a bad standing with many people as it has the potential to be harmful if not dispensed in a safe manner. However, this can also be used as a way to protect yourself and your family from the dangers ticks can bring. If you decide to use a pesticide or insecticide, make sure you know how to apply it and if you need to take any precautions, or hire a landscaping company to apply it for you. While spraying will reduce the amount of ticks, it will not eliminate them all, so use in combination with the landscaping tactics mentioned above. Make sure you apply the insecticide in the late spring, as this will cover the summer months and if you’re expecting a warm fall, you can apply again after the summer season.

Other Solutions…

The other ways to deal with ticks don’t have anything to do with landscaping at all. If you plan on being outdoors, try to wear lightly colored long sleeved shirts with pants. If you are wearing pants, tuck them into socks or shoes to give the ticks less of an area to grab on to while outside. Another solution is staying in the sun, as this environment dries ticks out and they are less likely to stay attached, as they’d rather live. The best way to protect from diseases that ticks carry is to check for ticks after being outside. If you find a tick attached, grasp as close to your skin as possible and pull upwards softly until the tick releases. This ensures you are tick free.

The threat of ticks and the diseases they transmit are no joke. With the ability to carry multiple serious diseases, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and more, ticks can drastically change your life. Be proactive and follow the tips provided here, but try to be as vigilant as possible by always checking for them after periods of time outside. Please stay safe and if you need consultation on any landscaping work, call Villegas Landscaping for a free consultation and great customer service.

Ticks Year Round? – How to Deal with Ticks – Diseases Carried by Ticks – Preventing Ticks in the Yard – 10 Ways to Avoid Tick Bites – CDC Tick Prevention – Managing Ticks On Your Property