How to Prevent Ticks on Your Property and Person

How to Prevent Ticks on Your Property and Person

Ticks are a growing concern in Central Illinois and Western Indiana, particularly due to the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Prevention is your best defense against these small but potentially dangerous parasites.

Yard Maintenance

Ticks thrive in tall grass, leaf litter, and wooded areas. Keep your lawn mowed to a short height. Clear leaf litter, brush piles, and overgrown vegetation from around your yard and foundation. Create a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and any wooded areas to discourage tick migration.

Discourage Wildlife

Deer and rodents are the primary hosts that bring ticks into your yard. Use fencing to discourage deer from entering your property. Remove bird feeders that attract rodents. Keep woodpiles neatly stacked and away from the house to reduce rodent habitat.

Personal Protection Outdoors

When spending time in tick-prone areas, wear long pants tucked into socks and long-sleeved shirts. Treat clothing and gear with permethrin. Apply EPA-registered tick repellents containing DEET or picaridin to exposed skin. Stick to the center of trails when hiking and avoid walking through tall grass and brush.

Tick Checks

Perform thorough tick checks on yourself, your children, and your pets after spending time outdoors. Check the scalp, behind the ears, under the arms, around the waist, behind the knees, and between the toes. Shower within two hours of coming indoors to wash away unattached ticks.

Protect Your Pets

Dogs and cats can bring ticks into your home. Use veterinarian-recommended tick prevention products on your pets year-round. Check your pets for ticks after outdoor activities, especially around the ears, between the toes, and under the collar.

Proper Tick Removal

If you find an attached tick, remove it promptly using fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Save the tick for identification if possible.

Professional Tick Control

For comprehensive tick reduction on your property, professional treatment can dramatically decrease tick populations. Terminix offers tick control services throughout Central Illinois and Western Indiana. Contact us today for a free inspection.