3 Ways Ticks End Up in Your Yard in the Fall
Posted by Mosquito SquadDecember 20, 2023
Adult female ticks are on the hunt for a final blood meal before overwintering. Don’t allow them to find that meal at your house.
It can be easy to get out of the habit of protecting ourselves from ticks after spring and summer. The fact remains ticks are ever-present in the fall. They are even more visible this time of year, because the biggest threats are adult ticks, whereas tiny nymphs are more prevalent in the springtime. While they are not larger in numbers in the fall, they are certainly larger in size. Though, you could unknowingly be increasing the number of ticks in your yard this time of year.
A tick can hitch a ride home on us.
Fall is such a teat! We love getting outdoors this time of year. Hayrides, corn mazes, and hiking adventures are all great fun in the fall. Thing is all this outdoor fun could result in ticks hitching a ride back home with us. Therefore, it is very important to check your clothing and your body for stowaway arachnids. One great way to ensure our safety from would-be tick intruders is to take our outdoor clothing and throw it into the dryer when you return home. Turning the dryer on high for only 10 minutes will kill any ticks that are on your clothes. And don’t forget to check your pets for ticks when they venture back indoors!
Ticks can come home on fall decorations.
Picking our favorite pumpkin straight from the patch is another fall delight. So is choosing seasonal flowers, gathering cornstalks, and bringing home hay bales. Ticks could be living right inside or on those fall décor items. If you will be brining home live floral arrangements, corn stalks, or hay bales, give them a once-over for pests. Not just ticks, but spiders too!
If you place these items in your yard, tick control is very important. Be sure that you have had your regular Mosquito Squad of Worcester tick treatment applied before bringing these items home!
Wild animals can carry ticks to your front door.
Pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns grace the porches, stoops, and lawns of homes across the country right now. It is advisable to wait out carving our pumpkins to extend their lives, because open, deteriorating pumpkin shells attract nearby fauna. Whether that be deer or rodents, we must remember that animals can carry ticks right onto our property. Do not dispose of pumpkin guts close to your home, and do not allow pumpkins to rot on your doorstep. The less chance of an animal visiting your yard, the better!
Mosquito Squad of Worcester offers tick tubes, which are strategically placed around your home and property this time of year. If a rodent is attracted to your yard, give them something to take home – insecticide treated cotton to kill ticks in their nests or on their bodies!
Tick control should not be stopped in the fall. Call Mosquito Squad of Worcester today at (508) 388-5640 for year-round tick protection.