Struggling with ticks in your garden? Get rid of them using these all-natural remedies and resources
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Ticks are very commonly-encountered parasites outdoors, especially during the summer, when they come out of their shelters to attach themselves to animal or human hosts to feed. Potentially disease-carrying, ticks reproduce at incredible speed and you need to act promptly to stop them spreading everywhere.
Fortunately, there are numerous all-natural remedies that are very useful in combating ticks and we outline these below:
Tidiness and cleanliness above all else
The first thing to do to prevent or eliminate a tick infestation, is to keep your garden clean and tidy. Ticks love shaded and humid spots, so it's important to deny them these conditions by doing the following:
- mow the grass regularly: tall grass can be an excellent source of shade for ticks, so it's important to regularly mow the grass to deny ticks this shelter;
- pick up grass cuttings and leaf-fall: clean up piles of fallen leaves and grass cuttings in your garden promptly. Decomposing, humid piles of leaves/cuttings provide the ideal environments for ticks (as well as other creatures upon which ticks feed, like mice and rats);
- Fencing and barriers: it is important to fence off your garden to keep out endemic, tick-carrying creatures (like mice and rats). Additionally, you should set up a barrier between your garden and any nearby forest/bush/woods by using laying down wood chips or gravel (which will deter ticks from traversing).
More sunshine
Shade can certainly be a lifesaver on hot summer days, but sunshine is excellent in keeping ticks at bay. Take care of the bushes and trees in your garden, pruning them regularly so that sunshine can penetrate them more efficiently. This will ensure the surrounding environment will be less humid and the lack of shelter will dissuade ticks from settling in your garden.
All-natural remedies to combat ticks
In addition to the preventive measures described above, there are several all-natural remedies that you can use to keep ticks away from your garden and without resorting to the use of chemical insecticides:
- natural predators: chickens and birds feed on ticks and can be of great help in eliminating them from your garden; raise chickens and/or grow plants that birds like to feed on (and you can also put out feeders and/or water sources to further attract tick-eating birds);
- all-natural repellents: use essential oils in the garden - rosemary, mint, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon and tea tree oils are well-known for their antibacterial and antiparasitic properties and will keep ticks and other parasites away. Additionally, by growing these plants in your garden, the natural scents they give off will keep ticks at bay.
And remember: if, despite taking the above precautions, ticks are still present in your garden, call a professional!
