Removal · field guidance
Prevention (yard): leaf-litter and brush management
Raking leaf litter, mowing short, and clearing brush at the wooded edge dries out the humid microhabitat that ticks need to survive on a property.
Steps
schema.org/HowTo01
Ticks need humidity. They die quickly in dry, sunny lawn but thrive in damp leaf litter and shaded brush. Habitat reduction at the yard edge is the single best DIY yard intervention.
02
Rake and remove leaf litter, especially along the wooded perimeter. Compost it well away from the house.
03
Mow lawn regularly and keep it short.
04
Clear tall grass and brush around the house and at lawn edges.
05
Trim tree branches and shrubs to let sunlight in - ticks are far less common in bright, dry areas.
06
Stack firewood neatly in a dry place; messy woodpiles harbour mice (and therefore ticks).
07
Move children's swing sets, sandboxes, and patios away from the wooded edge.
08
Well-maintained lawns away from brushy edges reliably carry fewer blacklegged ticks.
Diseases this can help prevent
9 known