Ticks: The Invisible Threat in Your Backyard
Ticks, those small blood-sucking parasites that transmit diseases, are not just limited to the wilderness anymore. They could be right in your own backyard. Thomas Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter, discovered an alarming sight on a trail near Pepperdine University in California. Billions of ticks were clustered in just a ten-inch zone in the dried grasses along the trail. It seems that ticks have figured out the perfect spot to wait for their next meal.
Ticks are passive parasites that wait for an unsuspecting host to pass by. They latch on and can go unnoticed for hours or even days, enough time to transmit diseases. While encountering ticks in the wilderness is expected, they are now closer than you think, possibly in your own neighborhood.
To mitigate the risk of ticks in your yard, it’s important to understand the conditions that are favorable for their presence. TickEncounter.com suggests that deer ticks tend to thrive in areas where yards border wooded areas, ornamental plantings, and gardens, or anywhere shaded with leaves and high humidity. American dog ticks, on the other hand, don’t mind sunny areas like patios or decks. Lone star ticks can be found wandering between shade and sun.
Eliminating tick habitats is the first step in tick control. Removing leaf litter, woodpiles, and brush from your yard is crucial. Trimming low hanging branches, overgrown plants, and tall grass will also help. Creating borders with landscaping materials like wood chips or gravel can separate your yard from nearby wooded areas.
Insecticides and essential oils can also be used to control ticks. Perimeter treatments with granule or liquid insecticides containing active ingredients such as permethrin or bifenthrin can be effective. These treatments target the areas where people frequently come into contact with ticks while minimizing pesticide use. In recent years, the chemicals used for tick control have become less toxic and are used in low concentrations. It’s important to note that these chemicals can harm some wildlife and beneficial insects like bees.
If you prefer natural alternatives, diatomaceous earth, a powder made of fossilized microalgae, can dehydrate and kill ticks. Essential oils like eucalyptus and neem oil can also be used to repel ticks. Combining purified water and a carrier oil of your choice with these essential oils can create a tick-killing spray.
However, it’s important to remember that ticks can still enter your yard through host animals like deer and mice. Installing a deer fence, growing plants that deer avoid, or using deer repellants can make your yard less hospitable for these animals. To combat mice, placing “tick tubes” around the yard can be effective. These tubes contain permethrin-treated cotton that kills ticks when mice use them for their nests. Stacking wood neatly and in a dry area can also discourage rodents, as recommended by the CDC.
The increasing encounter between ticks and humans is attributed to land use changes and urban development. As humans encroach on wild areas, tick “host” animals such as white-footed mice, chipmunks, and white-tailed deer dominate certain patches of forest. This leads to more hosts for ticks and increases the chances of encountering disease-carrying ticks near our homes. Deer populations have been identified as a primary driver in spreading ticks.
Some experts also suggest that climate change plays a role in the increasing numbers of ticks. A changing climate can contribute to an earlier and longer tick season, increasing the chances of encountering a tick and acquiring a disease. However, Mather emphasizes that an increase in deer populations is the main factor in spreading ticks.
Protecting yourself from ticks and knowing what to do if you’re bitten is crucial. With ticks becoming an ever-present threat, it’s essential to take the necessary measures to keep your yard tick-free and minimize the risk of tick-borne diseases.