Personally, ticks are the most annoying and potentially dangerous pest. I don’t want them near my family, pests nor even enemy. Not only do they suck your blood, they will also carry diseases that will harm everyone that comes in contact with these pests. Thus, you need to protect yourself, your children, and your animals against tick bites. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Thus, if you were looking for natural solutions to repel ticks, you are in the right place. Read this article to see some tips to repel ticks in your backyard without using dangerous chemicals.
1. Destroy their habitat
Thus, you need to destroy their habitat. This means that you need to get rid of tall grasses, brush, and other overgrown areas. They like these areas because there they get the protection they need due to temperature extremes. Thus, if ticks are a serious problem in your backyard, keep a swath of lawn 2-4 inches high around your home, children’s play areas and dog yards. It will significantly reduce tick populations.
Another trick you can do is to border the area you mow with a wide strip of 4-6 feet minimum of mulch. Cedarwood chips are an especially good choice because they repel many insect pests. Ticks will not cross the mulch. However, they can still be carried over by animals or people. So make sure to keep the bush from overgrowing the mulch barrier.
2. Use specific plants to repel ticks
The best plants you can use to repel ticks are lavender, garlic, pennyroyal, pyrethrum, sage, American beautyberry, and eucalyptus.
3. Discourage mice from coming into your yard
Mice is the one responsible for carrying out the ticks. Thus, you need to prevent mice from coming into your yard. One way to discourage them is to plant resistant plants. Brush piles provide homes for mice so make sure you locate them well away from play areas and other tick-free zones. Bird feeders are another garden feature particularly prone to attracting mice. Again, locate bird feeders well away from your tick-free zones and be sure to store the food securely in a metal garbage can.
4. Invite predators
If you live in an area where they are allowed, domestic poultry such as chickens and ducks can take a major bite out of your tick population, while also providing healthful, free range meat and eggs for your family.
Wild birds are also enthusiastic tick eaters. You can attract insect-eating birds by planting insectary plants. Insectaries are plants such as dill, dutch white clover, and New England aster that attract large numbers of beneficial insects such as butterflies and bees. Insect-eating birds will take note of this tasty smorgasbord and stick around to make a dent in populations of less desirable insect visitors as well.
