You don't need to venture into deep woods to pick up a tick. Grassy fields, meadows, and especially their brushy edges are tick habitat too, so walking through tall grass can absolutely expose you to the blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease.
It's easy to assume that ticks are a forest problem. They're something that lives in the woods. But that's not quite true. Open fields are hardly tick-free. Where there is tall grass, you can find ticks (or they'll find you).
Ticks favor humidity and cover. That’s why wooded areas are a classic habitat. But tall grass provides plenty of the same cover and moisture at ground level. Fields are full of the hosts ticks depend on, mice, voles, rabbits, deer, and ground-feeding birds. Ticks climb to the tips of grass blades and wait, legs outstretched, for something to brush past. This behavior is called questing, and a walk through knee-high grass is exactly the opportunity they’re waiting for.
If you were to go through a field without taking any tick precautions, the riskiest areas would be the edges. Transition zones between mowed areas and tall grass tend to have the most ticks. You can find this where woods meet fence lines, too.
In practice, the best way to avoid ticks is to treat tall grass the same way as you would the woods. Stick to mowed paths where you can, tuck pants into socks, use repellent, and do a tick check afterward. As for your own grass, mow regularly to reduce the risk of tick exposure.
If you're tired of worrying about ticks even in your own open yard, Mosquito Squad of Northwest Indiana can help. Mosquito Squad treats the tall-grass and brushy edge zones where ticks wait. This can help you to protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
