Why Tall Grass and Leaf Litter Keep Ticks Thriving in Burlington

In Burlington, you could be making your yard a tick paradise. But, how can you know for sure? 

Well, it all comes down to the conditions you allow for ticks to thrive on your property. 

So, what attracts ticks to your home in the first place? And what are the best options for your tick control this year? 

What Ticks Need to Survive

While you might think ticks need warmth to survive between hosts, that’s not true. They really need these two things: 

Humidity and shade. 

And here’s what you might have in your yard that’s keeping ticks alive and well on your property: 

• Tall grass
• Leaf litter
• Dense ground cover
• Wooded edges

Why Tall Grass Is a Tick’s Best Friend

Ticks often find hosts through a behavior called questing. They climb tall blades of grass to the tippy top. Holding on with their back legs, they extend their front legs outward, waiting for a passing host to brush against them. 

They are the ultimate parasite hitchhikers (except you often don’t notice them hitching a ride). 

And the height of your grass matters here. Taller grass holds more moisture at ground level and gives ticks a higher platform to quest from. And this only means one thing: 

They have much more contact with any passing host (i.e. you, your family, or pet). 

So, a tidy, mowed yard removes their vehicle to hitchhike and reduces humidity that keeps ticks alive and well. 

Leaf Litter and Dense Ground Cover Make the Perfect Tick Hiding Places

Even when temperatures drop, ticks never go away completely. 

In Burlington, deer ticks overwinter in layers of decomposing leaves and dense ground cover (like ivy and low plantings) that hold moisture and insulate them against the cold. They truly give them the perfect winter hide-a-way. Then, come spring, ticks emerge active and ready to take on a new host. 

So, raking and removing leaf litter and ground cover during the fall (before ticks commit to a location for the winter) helps keep ticks from biting you during the spring and summer. 

Your Home Near the Woods = Tick Migration

But, even if you keep a tidy, mowed yard, it might not be enough to keep ticks away. Especially if your property backs up against a wooded area. Ticks will gather like a congregation on Sunday where your mowed yard meets the forest. 

And, if you have stone walls, woodpiles, or stacked debris along the edges of your property, mice and other small rodents will find it and spread ticks there too. Deer also follow the same corridors and drop ticks as they go. 

So, maintaining a buffer zone between your mowed yard and the treeline helps with this. You can install a mulch or rock bed as a blockade (ticks won’t travel very far across it).

An At-a-Glance Tick Prevention List

To review, here’s a quick tick prevention to-do list to keep ticks off your property: 

• Mow on a shorter cycle, particularly along fence lines and edges
• Rake and remove leaf litter 
• Maintain a buffer of mulch or gravel between your lawn and any wooded areas
• Move woodpiles off the ground and away from your home
• Trim down dense ground cover and low plantings that hold moisture close to the structure

None of these will remove every tick, but they can change your yard's conditions, and attract fewer of them. 

When to Start Professional Tick Treatment

Keeping a tidy yard can help attract fewer ticks, but combining that with professional tick control is your best bet. 

And that’s why we use Yard Defender on your property while battling ticks. It targets the edge and areas that ticks love most, using EPA-registered products applied by trained technicians. 

While professional tick control can never remove 100% of ticks, we get pretty dang close. Our flea and tick treatment program helps control up to 85 to 90% of ticks in treated areas, applied on a recurring schedule. This way, your kids and pets can enjoy the yard without worrying about constant tick checks. 

Not sure where to start? Browse our local blog for more tips on managing tick activity in the Burlington area, or explore our full range of local services.

Worried about ticks in your Burlington yard? Call Mosquito Squad Plus of Mount Laurel at (856) 300-6146 or contact us online for a free quote.