An 8-foot deer fence excludes the large mammals adult blacklegged ticks need to reproduce, lowering on-property tick populations within a season or two.
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Adult blacklegged ticks need a large mammal - typically white-tailed deer - to take their final blood meal and reproduce. Excluding deer from a property reduces the next generation of ticks on that property.
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An 8-foot (2.4 m) woven-wire fence is the standard for keeping deer out.
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Effects show up within a season or two on small enclosed plots - one case-control study in a Lyme-endemic area found fencing was the only landscape modification significantly protective against Lyme infection.
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The cost is real (thousands of dollars for a typical yard) and the aesthetic is not for everyone.
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Effectiveness depends on truly excluding deer; a half-fenced yard does not deliver half the benefit.
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Reducing tick numbers on one property does not necessarily reduce human disease risk in the surrounding area.
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Worth it for high-pressure properties; overkill for most.