They definitely can, and ticks don't need forests or hiking trails to live. Any backyard with shade, leaf litter, ground cover, or wildlife passing through can support an active tick population.
There’s nothing quite as nasty as finding a tick on your leg in your own backyard. You might think, “what gives? I’m not in the woods, how did this even happen?” And no one could blame you. Who wants to have to do tick checks every time they mow the lawn?
But that’s life in Rhode Island, unfortunately. This state is one of the ones hardest hit by tick-borne disease, and a good part of that comes down to how well ticks have adapted to suburbia. They don’t need deep woods to live their best lives. They just need shade and moisture, and with some time and luck, a host to feed on.
The edges of your yard are the highest-risk places. That means the place where your mowed grass meets a fence line, garden bed, or tree line. This is where ticks are most commonly found. Mice, chipmunks, and birds spend a lot of time around these borders, and they drop ticks as they go. Ticks also tend to like stone walls, woodpiles, and leaf litter since they’re all relatively shaded and humid.
If you look under your deck or around your shed, there’s a good chance you’ll find ticks there, too. Those are areas that tend to be shaded and damp.
Maybe the one redeeming quality about ticks is that they don’t jump or fly. Instead, they climb onto vegetation and wait with their front legs outstretched until a host walks by. This charming behavior is called questing.
Keeping your yard less hospitable makes a real difference in how much you’ll deal with ticks in the spring, summer, and fall. If you want to learn more about what you can do on your own, check out the 6 C's of tick control for some practical DIY tips.
If you're a Rhode Island homeowner and you want more active protection, Mosquito Squad of Rhode Island's tick control program can help. It includes barrier treatments applied to the shaded, high-risk zones where ticks live. With each treatment, a professional walks your yard and treats the high risk zones. And they come back every 21 days to make sure your coverage never lapses.
