Looking for a few simple and easy ways to eliminate the ticks lurking in your yard this summer?
Ticks may be small, but they can bring big problems to your yard, your pets, and you and your family’s health. The tiny pests hide in grassy areas, leaf piles, and around wooded sections of the yard – just waiting to latch onto a person or pet that passes by.
Mary and I both have had friends and family who have been struck by the sickness that ticks can bring with a single bite. For us, believe it or not, chickens certainly help in the fight. In fact, at our old farm, as soon as we had free ranging chickens, the ticks practically disappeared overnight. But, of course, not everyone has free ranging chickens!
The good news is that even without your own backyard flock, there are a couple of simple and natural ways you can tackle the problem of ticks – and all without having to use harsh chemicals!
How To Eliminate Ticks In Your Yard
Why Ticks Are So Dangerous
Ticks don’t bite like mosquitoes or flies. Instead, they dig into the skin of a human or animal and stay attached for hours or even days feeding off the host. This makes them especially dangerous. Not only are their bites painful and irritating, but ticks can also carry and spread diseases.
One of the most well-known tick-borne illnesses is Lyme disease. It affects both humans and pets, and if not caught early, it can lead to serious health problems. Issues like joint pain, nerve damage, and extreme fatigue can all be brought on from a tick bite. Other diseases ticks can transmit as well – many of which can be dangerous and difficult to treat.
Ticks don’t fly or jump. Instead, they crawl onto a host when they sense body heat, carbon dioxide, or movement nearby. That’s why walking through a tall patch of grass or sitting near a woodpile can be all it takes for a tick to climb on.
So how do you get rid of them for good? One of the easiest and quickest ways is with all natural neem oil!
Eliminating Ticks In Your Yard With Neem Oil
One of the most effective and natural ways to get rid of ticks in your yard is by using neem oil. Neem oil comes from the seeds of the neem tree. It’s actually been used for centuries as a natural pest repellent. The best part? It’s completely safe to use around people, pets, and when applied properly, even around beneficial insects like bees.
So how does neem oil work on ticks? Neem oil affects the tick’s ability to eat, breed, and grow. When ticks come into contact with neem oil or its residue on grass and leaves, it disrupts their entire system. It also has a bitter smell and taste that ticks and many other pests simply don’t like.
How To Make & Use Neem Oil Spray For Your Yard
To spray your lawn with neem oil, you’ll need just a few basic supplies. Start with 100% cold-pressed neem oil. Make sure it is not refined or mixed for full effectiveness. You will also need a garden sprayer or pump sprayer, water, and a little bit of mild liquid dish soap.
For every one gallon of water, add 2 tablespoons of neem oil and 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap. The soap helps the oil mix with the water so it can stick to grass, leaves, and soil. Always shake and / or stir well before pouring it into your sprayer.
Where & When To Spray To Eliminate Ticks
Spray the mixture over your entire yard, focusing on high-risk areas like shady spots, the edges of woods, and near fences, stone walls, or garden beds. Also spray under decks and porches.
Be sure to spray under shrubs and into thick plants – these are often places ticks love to hide. Avoid spraying directly on flowers during peak bee activity. This will keep the bees safe from the spray. As soon as the spray dries, it will not harm pollinators. For best results, spray either early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is not too strong.
Listen In Below To Our Podcast On Eliminating Ticks In Your Yard!
Repeat this process every 7 to 10 days during peak tick season. For most areas, that is usually spring through mid-summer. If it rains, reapply the spray once the grass dries. After just a few treatments, you’ll notice a huge reduction in ticks. And with regular spraying, you can keep your yard tick-free all season.
Neem oil on a lawn also has the added benefit of helping to control grubs – which can keep ground moles out too! See our article: One Simple Trick That Will Stop Ground Moles & Grubs This Spring.
Another Big Key To Tick Control
Even the best spray won’t get rid of ticks if your yard gives them plenty of places to live and breed. Ticks don’t survive well in open, dry, and sunny areas – but they thrive in shady, moist spots with cover. That’s why it’s so important to clean up brush, leaves, and clutter around your yard.
Ticks love to live in leaf piles, wood piles ,tall grasses and weeds and overgrown shrubs and bushes. By simply removing these hiding spots, you make your yard far less attractive to ticks – and they’ll either die off or move elsewhere.
After a long winter or even a summer storm, it’s easy for piles of leaves, sticks, and branches to build up in your yard. These piles trap moisture and create a cool, dark spot that ticks love. Walk around your yard and clear away fallen leaves from around trees and fences. Also make sure to rake up and remove thick grass clippings left after mowing.
Woodpiles are also a major attraction for ticks – and the mice, chipmunks, and other small animals that carry them. If you store firewood or lumber outside, keep it stacked neatly and off the ground. It’s also best to keep it far away from your outdoor living spaces to help eliminate places ticks love to live.
Ticks can survive for a long time under moist logs or bark, so keeping wood dry and elevated makes it harder for them to survive.
Mow And Trim Regularly
Ticks avoid dry and sunny areas because they can’t survive long in the heat. So the more you cut back your lawn and trim bushes, the less inviting your yard becomes to them. If you have a wooded edge along your yard, cut back any brush or grass at least 3 feet from the tree line. This creates a dry barrier that ticks are unlikely to cross.
By simply keeping your yard well maintained and using neem oil – you can eliminate the ticks in your yard all summer long! For more pest control tips, be sure to check out our article: 2 Simple Secrets To Get Rid Of Japanese Beetles – For Good! Happy Gardening, Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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