Yes, and leaf litter is their preferred habitat. Deer ticks dry out quickly in open air, so shaded leaf piles give them the humidity they need to survive between hosts.
If there were one place on a property that would be perfect for ticks to live indefinitely, it would be a shaded pile of leaves. Blame moisture. Deer ticks (blacklegged ticks) can’t survive well in dry conditions, so they have to stay in humid places instead. On a sunny open lawn, they won’t last long. A leaf pile, on the other hand, is shaded and humid, and very comfortable as far as they are concerned.
Habitats like these carry ticks through the year. Blacklegged ticks do not die off in a New Jersey winter. They shelter in leaf litter, and the layer plus snow cover insulates them from the cold. It’s like being under multiple blankets on a cold night. On any winter or early spring day above freezing, adults climb back onto vegetation and quest for a host.
Leaf piles also concentrate the animals ticks depend on. White-footed mice, the main host for immature ticks and the main reservoir for the Lyme bacterium, forage and nest in leaf litter. Chipmunks use it. Deer bed near it. So the pile holds both the ticks and their hosts in one place.
For Bergen and Passaic county homeowners, this matters because New Jersey is a hotbed for Lyme disease. It’s also possible to get illnesses like anaplasmosis and babesiosis too.
As for what you can do about ticks, raking or blowing leaf litter out of areas your family uses helps. Don’t pile them at the edge of the lawn and leave them through winter. That can build a tick reservoir right where kids and dogs pass by. And don’t forget to do tick checks after spending time outdoors. If you find ticks before they have been attached long, you can remove the tick and greatly reduce your odds of getting sick.
If ticks are showing up around your yard, Mosquito Squad Bergen Passaic can help. Mosquito Squad treats the leaf litter and shaded edges where ticks wait for a host. This will help you protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring cycle.
