Protecting Your Home from a Tick Infestation
To protect yourself and your family, take proactive measures to keep ticks at bay. Photo: ATCO Pest Control (2015)
While ticks can be found all year-round, they’re most prevalent in the warm summer months. Since ridding a home of a tick infestation can be a long and arduous process, it’s best to take proactive measures to protect yourself and your family. Consider the following tips:
Create a tick-free landscape
The first step to keeping ticks out of your home is to keep them out of your yard, which is why it’s important to maintain well-trimmed foliage. To provide additional security for outdoor play and leisure spaces, create a buffer zone of gravel or wood chips to maintain a separation from forested areas.
Since common animals like deer and rodents can transport ticks onto your property, it’s also important to minimize factors that attract wildlife. While this partially comes down to your selection of landscape plants, additional steps like installing deer fencing, removing debris piles and stacking firewood neatly in a dry location will help deter unwelcome animals.
In addition to these low-impact measures, you may want to consider applying a chemical treatment to your property. Whether performed independently or by a professional, even a one-time application of an acaricide (a pesticide specifically designed to eradicate ticks and mites) can significantly reduce the presence of ticks in your yard. Prior to independent application, be sure to contact local health officials about rules and regulations, as well as optimal application times in your area.
Stop ticks at the door
Even with a tick-free yard, these pesky parasites can still find their way into your home, which is why you should always check your clothes after walking through tall grass or wooded areas. As an additional measure, wash clothes in hot water during the summer season to take care of any ticks that may have escaped detection.
Ticks are often carried into a home by the family pet, which is why it’s important to utilize tick collars, sprays, shampoos and other products that lessen your dog or cat’s appeal as a potential host. Before applying a tick repellent to your pet, consult your veterinarian and closely follow the instructions of use.
