Fleas and ticks are some of the nastiest pests we have to deal with in our yards.
First of all, ticks are hosts of quite a few scary diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and tularemia. Other parasitic organisms like tapeworms can even pass from fleas and ticks to humans.
And their populations are on the rise. Why? Well, the shorter winters mean more time for these insects to feed on hosts.
Getting rid of these disease-carrying, opportunistic bugs becomes a must-do, especially if you own pets that go outside frequently. But how can it best be done and what treatments really work?
One of Natural Green’s clients based in Mechanicsville, Maryland, receives flea and tick control treatments to protect his dog and family. Let’s learn more about what this entails.
Understanding Flea & Tick Behavior
Both fleas and ticks are opportunistic pests that feed on blood. They wait for a meal to come walking by and latch on to get their dinner.
For this Mechanicsville, Maryland customer, Natural Green recommended some strategies to deter fleas and ticks and then get rid of them for good
1. Prepare Your Lawn
Long, overgrown grass gives fleas and ticks a place of protection from the sun, as well as things to climb. They use this as a chance to latch onto your pet or family members as they walk pas
Mow our lawn regularly because shorter grass helps decrease moist places for these pests to hide. Pruning foliage and cleaning up clippings and yard waste can reduce flea and tick populations and keep you safer as you move through your landscape.
This also can ensure flea and tick control treatments reach the pests more easily since they don’t have to go through tall grass.
2. Clean Up Your Yard
Shady, humid spots are where fleas and ticks like to wait for warm bodies or animals to pass by.
Natural Green recommends its customers remove brick, log, or garden pot stacks, pick up pets’ and children’s toys, and discard empty bird or rodent nests to keep the yard tidy.
3. Separate People From Pests
Keep swing sets, tree and dog houses, and other children’s playsets or sports equipment away from wood or brush lines at the far edges of your property.
That way children and pets aren’t playing or hanging out in the areas where fleas and ticks like to congregate.
4. Minimize Wildlife Visitors
Squirrels, deer, rabbits, raccoons, mice, and other rodents bring fleas and ticks to your yard. This is what increases your pets’ risks of picking up these pests and bringing them inside your home.
For Natural Green’s Mechanicsville, Maryland customer, the company recommended making his yard less desirable to these wild animals and limiting their access.
Use the following tips to keep tick- and flea-carrying wildlife out:
- Keep secure lids on garbage cans.
- Keep bird seed and pet food stored in sealed containers.
- Don’t leave uneaten pet food out.
- Install deer fencing.
- Add deer-resistant plants to your garden.
- Patch up any fence holes.
4. Receive Flea & Tick Control Treatments
For its Mechanicsville, Maryland customer, Natural Green conducted flea and tick control applications in a liquid form to the lawn, flower and shrub beds, and other pest harborages near tall grasses and trees.
They applied the treatment every 30 days from April through October.
For someone like this customer with pets, the family was more at risk because they let pets out multiple times a day. The full program for the season helped ease his concerns and save him time checking his pets’ fur for fleas and ticks every time they came in from going out.
Want to learn more about what it will cost to get those fleas and ticks out of your Central and Southern Maryland yard? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice. Then you can play catch with Rover in the backyard without worry that he’ll bring unwanted visitors into your home.
