How To Prepare Your Houston Property For A Tick Treatment
Ticks can make you and everyone in your home very sick, including your pets. They are a growing threat for diseases in the U.S. and the distribution of tick diseases is closely watched by U.S. health agencies. For the best tick protection, the CDC recommends seeking the assistance of a licensed commercial applicator. This is a pest control provider who is educated in the selection and application of tick control products and is licensed by the state government. Modern Pest Control is a licensed commercial applicator in Katy Texas and the Greater Houston area. You can trust our team to make sure you get the protection you need to reduce ticks on your property. But before we arrive to apply a tick treatment for your yard, there are some ways you can get your yard ready and give it a level of tick protection right now. Here are our top tips.
Control Moisture
Ticks require a lot of moisture to survive. When seed ticks are dropped in your yard, it is important that they don't find an ideal habitation. Use these tips to control moisture in your landscaping:
- Trim bushes to provide airflow. When you do this, your topsoil will dry more quickly and reduce humidity around the vegetation you water.
- Put space between plants. Dense vegetation provides more shade and more moisture for ticks. Put a foot between plants to open your landscaping up and let the wind move between your plants.
- Trim tree branches. Areas of shade promote moisture. Strategically cutting tree limbs can let the sunlight in to dry things out.
Remove Clutter
When you have objects in your backyard, they can promote tick populations in two ways. Clutter attracts rodents and other animals that bring ticks into your yard, and objects also provide a damp, shaded location for ticks to survive. If you have any objects in your backyard that don't need to be there, it is a good idea to store them away or elevate them on a storage rack.
Install Barriers
Ticks usually use animals to get from one place to another. But, when seed ticks drop off, they may crawl along the ground in search of a safe place to be. They can bring them into outdoor recreation areas. Surrounding your property line with gravel or wood chips, especially on portions of your property that abut woodland areas, can reduce ticks. Ticks have sensitive feet and they do not prefer to travel over rocks or wood chips. You can use these materials to surround child or pet play areas or areas of your property designated for outdoor fun and eating.
Control Wildlife
Mice, rats, squirrels, groundhogs, and many other animals can bring ticks into your yard. Everything you do to reduce wildlife traffic and remove wildlife attractants will reduce tick populations. This includes birds. You may not realize this but birds can have as many as 50 seed ticks on them. If you have bird feeders, consider putting them at least 20 feet from your home. As for all of the furry animals that come into your yard, keeping your trash in sealed containers and putting up fencing will go a long way to managing where animals go.
Manage Your Property
- Ticks prefer a yard that is overgrown. When you keep your grass trimmed and your weeds plucked, you make your yard tick resistant.
- If you have playground equipment, make sure it is in a nice sunny place.
- If you have firewood, brush, or some other wood debris, keep it at least 20 feet from your home and stack it in a dry area.
All of these tips can reduce ticks in your yard and make it easier for your licensed applicator to get tick control products into key locations around your home. It is a team effort. While you don't have to do any of the tips on this page to get ready for your tick treatments, the more you're able to do, the better your tick protection will be. And, with tick-borne diseases rising at an alarming rate, it is important to make sure your property is as protected as possible. Reach out to us today for more information or to schedule service in the Greater Houston area.
