A pesticide designed to kill ticks is sometimes called an acaricide. Acaricides can be very effective in reducing tick populations. If properly timed, a single application at the end of May or beginning of June can reduce tick populations by 68-100%.
The Environmental Protection Agency and your state determine the availability
of pesticides. Check with local health officials about the best time to apply
acaricide in your area, as well as any rules and regulations related to pesticide
application on residential properties. Or contact a professional pesticide company
to apply pesticides at your home.
Use landscaping techniques to create a tick-safe zone around homes, parks, and recreational areas. Ticks that transmit Lyme disease thrive in humid wooded areas. They die quickly in sunny and dry environments. Here are some simple landscaping techniques to help reduce tick populations. |
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Remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns.
Place
wood chips or gravel between lawns
and wooded areas to restrict tick
migration to recreational areas.
Mow the lawn and clear brush and leaf litter
frequently.
Keep
the ground under bird feeders clean.
Stack
wood neatly and in dry areas.
Keep
playground equipment, decks and patios away
from yard edges and trees. |
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Other
methods for controlling ticks currently under evaluation
include
vegetation and habitat modification, devices
for applying topical
acaricides to deer, fungal agents for biological control, and natural extracts
that safely
repel ticks. |