The numbers of ticks that are found on a property are influenced by the amount of favorable habitat that is found there, i.e. brushy, grassy areas, and the number of animals, especially whitetailed deer and whitefooted mice, that are present Pest Control in Fort Myers, FL.
You can reduce tick numbers through landscape modification that creates a less favorable environment for ticks and their animal hosts. Ticks are not as hard to eradicate as you may think. These pests enjoy warm, humid conditions and often thrive in areas that have a significant amount of vegetation.
The quickest and most effective to get rid of outdoor ticks is the use of pesticides. There are a number of popular pesticides that are available and these can be found in convenient spray bottles and in granular form. The main ingredient in most of these pesticides is pyrethrum or pyrethroid, both of which are highly effective in eliminating even the toughest of tick infestations.
How to Effectively Control Tick
Keep grass and vegetation short around homes, where it borders lawns, along paths, and in areas where people may contact ticks. Ticks are less likely to survive in short grass.
Remove leaf litter and brush, especially from buffer areas, i.e. where the lawn borders grassy, brushy areas. Also prune trees and shrubs in these areas to allow more sunlight through as ticks are more common in shaded areas.
You may be able to reduce the number of ticks adjacent to your home by reducing the number of deer that are nearby, although this usually very challenging. Do not encourage deer into your yard by feeding them. Fences can help reduce the number of deer that enter into your yard, but will have to be sufficiently high enough, about 8 – 10 feet tall. Try to avoid plants that deer particularly like to eat.
It is generally not effective to treat large areas of woods, brush, or grass with insecticides as insecticides do not always reach into areas where ticks are found (e.g. in the leaf litter). Ticks can also be reintroduced into areas when animals and birds carrying ticks move into previously treated areas.
It is not necessary to treat your lawn for ticks as ticks rarely infest maintained yards.
In cases where high numbers of ticks are present in areas adjacent to home yards, treating the edges of wooded or brushy areas and paths can help to reduce tick numbers. Use an insecticide labeled for a turf area, such as those containing permethrin, cyfluthrin, or carbaryl. Do not spray such an area more than once a year.
Also, make sure that you keep all debris picked up. This includes leaf piles, tree branches or anything else that these critters can call home.
This next step involves deterring the animals that are notorious for bringing ticks into your yard. These animals include rodents and deer. There are also certain varieties of trees that you can plant, such as spruce and pines, that are known to be disliked by deer and will keep them from stepping foot on your property.