Creating A ‘Tick Free’ Zone Around Your Home – Ag Matters

Until playing "Golf in the Woods" this past weekend I never realized just how concerned many people are about ticks.  Can you make a "tick free" zone around your home? Cornell Cooperative Extension has some tips.

Our wet spring has the tick population on the rise. We should take steps to reduce tick bites and the spread of Lyme disease. CCE has created brochures and fact sheets to help you, your children, and pets to minimizing interactions with these pests while outdoors. The brochure titled Ticks, Create a tick Safe Zone can be found at Cornell Cooperative Extension Onondaga County’s website at http://cceonondaga.org/environment/invasive-nuisance-species/terrestrial-animals/ticks.

One method to inspect for ticks is by conducting tick drags. Wear appropriate clothing when conducting a tick drag. Following the tick drag, it is best to identify these ticks to better understand your risks and exposure to tick-borne illnesses in your area.

The information posted on the website guides one how to reduce tick populations in the landscape by creating buffers, fencing off ornamental and vegetable beds, detaining rodents, and mulching. Take action now to help safeguard your gardening and outdoor experiences this season.

Or speak directly to one of the master gardeners by calling the hotline Wednesdays or Fridays between 9am and noon, 315-736-3394 and get more information at the garden page on CCE's website.

SOURCE: Cornell Cooperative Extension