Get Rid of Ticks

When organic gardeners consider the issue of ticks in the yard, they may not consider these pests as a garden problem. After all, these insects forgo the succulent sap of garden plants for the blood of their mammal and avian hosts. However, ticks are insidious garden pests, because they keep gardeners from spending necessary time in the garden, weeding, handpicking plant pests, and enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Just as organic gardeners don’t choose to treat the pests on their lawns, vegetables, and flowers, neither do they care to spray pesticides willy-nilly around their property to kill biting insects. However, you can send these blood-sucking pests packing without dousing your yard with toxic sprays.

Stop Animal Carriers

Ticks commonly hitch a ride on our animal friends, whether our cats and dogs or the wild birds we lure to our yards with feeders. If you live in a wooded area where ticks are a problem, don’t allow your pets to roam in the woods. Stop feeding wild birds at the end of May, when ticks become active again.

As if you needed another reason to discourage deer from visiting your gardens, keeping deer away from your property can reduce the tick population around your home. Exclude deer with an 8-foot fence, or place two 4-foot fences three feet apart, as deer won’t have enough room to jump between the barriers. You can also try your luck with deer-resistant plantings, although very hungry deer will eat almost any kind of vegetation.

Tick-Free Clothing

When you work in the garden, wear light colored pants that you tuck into your socks. Although light colored clothing doesn’t repel ticks, you can spot tiny “seed” ticks, not much larger than a pepper flake, more easily on white pants than on dark pants. If you have long hair, pull it back and don a hat, so ticks don’t race up your locks to the safety and privacy of your scalp.

Cultural Tick Control

Ticks appreciate brushy areas, where they crawl to the tops of grasses or stems and reach out until an unsuspecting host walks by, picking up the pest. If your gardens are lush with shrubbery and dense vegetation, you must maintain a wide path so you can pass through without picking up these hitchhikers. Keep your lawn well trimmed, as even shaggy grass provides a haven for ticks.

Natural Tick Sprays and Powders

If your tick infestation is particularly severe, or you live in an area with a Lyme disease problem, cultural controls and other preventative methods aren’t enough. You can apply natural tick control agents to your lawn and garden, especially near shrubby areas that require regular weeding.

You can use a natural insecticide composed of a blend of nontoxic but effective plant oils, including oil of wintergreen, rosemary oil, and peppermint oil. Although these essential oils are nontoxic, they can still cause skin and eye irritation, so follow manufacturer’s application and dilution directions.

Many organic gardeners are familiar with the use of beneficial nematodes to kill garden pests like grubs, but you may not realize that some parasitic nematodes target ticks. It’s satisfying to imagine these microscopic helpers feeding on the carcasses of ticks throughout the yard. Look for the nematode S. feltiae, which is commercially available and can infect as many as 100% of the ticks it meets.

Sources:

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 849: 355-364 (1998).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tick

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds