eliminating ants, flies and other household pests

Ticks are a common garden pest that, unlike most other pests, don't actually pose a threat to your garden's plant life. Instead, ticks pose a threat to both you and your pets, as they can carry a wide range of diseases that they can spread to you through bites. If you notice that you or your pets have a tick attached to them, or you've seen ticks crawling around in your garden, you'll want to take a couple of steps to eliminate their population and keep your pets and yourself safe.

Lawn Maintenance

The best way to remove the ideal breeding environment for ticks is to keep your lawn well maintained. This means that you should regularly mow your grass, as shorter grass provides a less hospitable environment for ticks to lay dormant in. Further, you should remove any piles of organic debris, like leaves and grass trimmings, that may accumulate over the warm months as these piles can hold onto moisture and provide the ideal breeding and resting environment for a tick population. 

Move the Woodpile

In a similar vein to the above point, your home's woodpile is one of the ideal locations for ticks to take up residence in. While you don't have to get rid of your woodpile entirely, you should take steps to reduce the amount of moisture that it holds on to. The best way to do this would be to shift it into a sunny area, where moisture and condensation will quickly evaporate, and to elevate it a few inches off of the ground. You should also take care to stack your logs in such a way that air is able to circulate around them, preventing moisture buildup and thus further tick breeding.

Discourage Other Hosts

Ticks aren't solely after you and your canine or feline friends: they'll latch onto any mammal that comes by to suck their blood. This means that if you have a large population of rabbits, mice, or other small animals in your garden, they may be spreading ticks throughout your yard. In order to cut down on the amount of potential hosts for a tick infestation, you should take steps to discourage these small animals from entering your yard. This means patching up any holes in your fencing, removing potential food sources like open garbage cans and pet food dishes, and removing installations like bird feeders and bird baths.

For more information, contact companies like Leck's Exterminating​.