Spending time in your yard is something you and your family enjoy. You have burgers and steaks to grill. Your children want to enjoy the swing set or slide. Your dog wants to play fetch or do that back-itching wiggly move he does in the warm grass.
Your backyard should be welcoming. But fleas and ticks can make it feel like a scary place where you have to constantly keep an eye out for these tiny, disease-carrying pests.
What’s the best strategy for yard flea and tick control? Is there a fast yard flea and tick spray that could help you take back your yard?
Let’s look at some tips for optimum yard flea and tick control in your Central and Southern Maryland landscape.
How to Recognize Whether You Need Yard Flea & Tick Control
Fleas and ticks have one big thing in common: They both crave blood, whether it’s from wild animals, your pets or people. It’s gross, but it’s true.
They literally hang out waiting for their next blood meal to pass by. When they latch onto a host, small bits of saliva can enter your bloodstream, which is how they transfer diseases. Ticks can spread Lyme disease and fleas can spread typhus.
In fact, the number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. has tripled since the late 1990s. So understanding yard flea and tick control can help you avoid these risks.
And to make matters worse, the unseasonably warm, wet weather we’ve had means pests, especially ticks, will be especially tough this year.
How To Know If You Need Yard Flea & Tick Control
One of the first signs of flea and tick problems is if you notice your pets doing a lot of scratching, accompanied by loss of hair and even changes in appetite or sleeping patterns. It’s not fun to see your favorite furry friend all bummed out and bothered.
Or you might even go outside for a walk, to clean up your backyard or play with the kids, and when you come back in you spot the infamous dark brown or black tick crawling on your jeans or even inside your sweatshirt. They can hitch a ride relatively quickly and you won’t even know it right away. They don’t waste a second looking for a feast.
Fleas and ticks usually hang out in woodpiles, shrubs, tree branches, leaf piles and tall grasses--all places that are cool and moist. They sit there just waiting until you or your pet walk by.
If you’ve noticed a tick or two on your pets or your clothes, that’s probably a good sign that they are present in your landscape and you could use some yard flea and tick control.
Yard Flea & Tick Control: The Basics
There are a few steps you can take to follow best practices for yard flea and tick control.
By following these maintenance practices, as well as looking into professional yard flea and tick control, you can eliminate most of your worries and get back to enjoying your landscape.
Maintenance Tips for Yard Flea & Tick Control
Let’s start with your lawn. Fleas and ticks enjoy taller grasses, so it’s important not to let your lawn get too scraggly. Keep your lawn well-mowed to a 3- to 3.5-inch height for the best yard flea and tick control.
If you have woods or brush lines at the far corners of your property, try to keep swing sets, tree and dog houses, fire pits, and other regular hangout spots away from those areas. This way you limit your exposure to fleas and ticks.
Professional Yard Flea & Tick Control Strategies
Lawn care and pest control companies can offer yard flea and tick control as part of their menu of services.
Experienced technicians who are certified, licensed and trained on yard flea and tick control best practices are the best to rely on. Why? They can more quickly recognize these problems in your landscape and offer swift solutions and strategies.
Even though fleas only infest animals, and ticks target animals, as well as humans, yard flea and tick spray can tackle both pests at once.
Applications are usually liquid-based. Professionals apply products to flower and shrub beds and other harborages, such as in tall grasses, under tree canopies, under decks or near other wet areas on your property.
Yard flea and tick spray should be applied every 30 days, beginning in March or April when temperatures hit 50 degrees and fleas and ticks become more active. Treatments usually end in October.
While you may want to try one application to see how it works, professional lawn and pest control companies recommend a minimum of three applications to ensure adequate control. But six applications through the season is really best because yard flea and tick sprays can only control these pests for about 30 days.
Yard Flea & Tick Control Cost
Yard flea and tick control applications are not typically high-cost, add-on services. Prices can range between $55 and $69 each for a 5,000- to 10,000 square foot property. The best part: You control two pests for one price.
Need Yard Flea & Tick Control? We Can Help You Make a Smart Decision
Stop running inside and hiding from fleas and ticks and the diseases they carry.
Run around outside again. Enjoy some lemonade on your patio. Share some good times with your family. Make some good memories.
We can help. Natural Green can discuss your options, inspect your yard, and help you determine your options. We want you to be able to make the smartest decision in choosing a professional yard flea and tick control partner.
Learn more about what it takes to eliminate fleas and ticks from your Central and Southern Maryland yard? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident about your next steps. Then you can stop searching your kids and pets for pests and start living again.
