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6 non-toxic tips to tick-proof your yard
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(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In an effort to avoid Lyme disease, some still turn to chemical treatments such as DEET to repel deer ticks. While the chemical DEET is an effective tick repellent, it also contains ingredients that can harm both people and the environment. Fortunately, there are safe, chemical-free alternatives to DEET that can effectively discourage deer tick infestation in your yard and limit your risk of contracting Lyme disease. Here’s how.
1. Keep the lawn mowed. Get rid of tall grass and brush, especially at the edge of your lawn, to eliminate the spots where ticks like to live. Clean up leaf litter too. Instead of tossing grass clippings and leaves into the garbage, consider composting them and use the rich soil in your garden. Once dry, grass clippings also make great mulch.
2. Create a barrier. Ticks don’t like to cross paths lined with wood chips or gravel. Place a gravel or wood chip buffer zone between lawns and wooded areas to help keep ticks from crossing into your property. You can also spread diatomaceous earth around the entire perimeter of your yard as an inexpensive alternative that is easy to apply. Diatomaceous earth is a completely non-toxic insect killer that is made of silicate shells ground to a fine powder. The shells have razor sharp edges that lacerate the outer shell of the insect (flea, tick, earwigs, slugs, ants, etc.).
3. Shed light on woodpiles. Keep wood in sunny areas. Moist, wooded areas are inviting for ticks. Sunny, dry conditions are not. Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Ticks can often be found crawling around messy woodpiles in shaded areas. If you keep the wood neatly stacked and in a spot that gets some sun, it will dry out faster.
4. Repel with a plant. Garlic, rose geranium, citronella, rosemary and other strong odiferous plants and essential oils are good mosquito and tick repellents. A bug spray made with these essential oils is also available and safe to spray on your clothing called Little Bugger. You can try planting American beautyberry bushes too. They’re attractive plants, and the leaves have been shown to repel ticks.
5. Create "Tick-Safe Zones." Keep patios, play areas and playground equipment away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation. Regularly remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush around your home, and place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to keep ticks away from recreational areas and away from you.
6. Discourage deer. Deer are the main food source for adult ticks. Keep deer away from your home by removing plants that attract deer and constructing physical barriers that may help discourage deer from entering your yard and bringing ticks with them. If you live in an area where bird feeders attract deer, it’s a good idea to remove them.
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