Will Raking Leaves Expose Me to Ticks?

Unfortunately, raking leaves can expose you to ticks.

Fall cleanup around your Nashville area home might make your yard look tidier, but before you dive elbows-deep into that pile of fallen leaves, it’s important that you remember that ticks don’t just go away when summer does.

If you’re working around wooded edges, shrubs, dense ground cover, and piles of fallen leaves, you could be at higher risk of an unwanted tick encounter.

Do Ticks Live in Fallen Leaves?

They certainly can. Because ticks prefer environments that protect them from dehydrating, leaf litter could offer the shady, humid conditions they favor. This is particularly true around wooded areas, along fence lines, within shrubs, and among other ground cover and vegetation.

In fact, the Tennessee Department of Health lists leaf litter, tall grass, and brush among preferred tick hiding spaces around homes and properties. Reported cases of several tick-borne illnesses typically decline in late summer and early fall, we cannot equate declining tick activity with zero tick activity.

So, when you rake leaves, carry them across the yard for disposal, or venture out to do any sort of fall cleanup, you could unwittingly disturb a tick habitat.

How Can You Avoid Ticks While Raking Leaves?

It’s important not to skip the leaf cleanup this fall. After all, removing leaf litter is actually one of the recommendations for making your property less hospitable to ticks in the first place.

The trick is to protect yourself while you perform the task at hand.

Here are a few ways to help avoid ticks:

• Wear long pants, sleeves, and closed-toe shoes
• Consider applying an EPA-registered tick repellent, such as DEET or Picaridin
• Perform a full-body tick check when the work is done

Don’t forget to check your children and four-legged friends when they come indoors too!

Fall Tick Control in Nashville is Worth a Look

At Mosquito Squad Plus, we understand that crisp morning air might make it seem like tick season is safely behind us. Unfortunately, the calendar isn’t the only determining factor.

Black-legged ticks might remain active in temperatures above freezing. Other types of Tennessee ticks remain a concern well into the fall season, as conditions permit.

Our Squad Yard Defender pest control plan provides year-round outdoor pest control, including tick control, so treatments can continue when conditions support tick activity. Combining this broader outdoor pest control plan with your regular fall yard maintenance can reduce tick activity and your chances of encountering these unwanted visitors.

Where Do We Offer Outdoor Pest Control?

Mosquito Squad Plus of Nashville is pleased to offer mosquito control, tick control, as well as expanded outdoor pest control services, including flea control, throughout these areas in Davidson County, Wilson County, Sumner County, Williamson County, and beyond.

• Murfreesboro Tick Control
• Hendersonville Tick Control
• Brentwood Tick Control
• Gallatin Tick Control
• Juliet Tick Control
• Lebanon Tick Control
• Belle Meade Tick Control
• College Grove Tick Control

Choose Mosquito Squad Plus for tick control in Nashville TN!

Mosquito Squad Plus treats mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and many more outdoor pests throughout the Nashville TN area! Contact us today at (615) 492-3662 or fill out our online form for your complimentary tick control assessment and treatment quote.

Our pest control packages and related services all come with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee!

Also Read: What's a Good Pest Control Option for Autumn?