Tips to Keep New York Pets Tick-Free

Summer is the heart of tick season in NYC. Summer temperatures make wildlife active, and active wildlife spread ticks everywhere they go. If they come into your yard, your pets can be at risk for tick-borne diseases. They can also expose you and everyone living in your home to these diseases. So it is important to apply strategies to prevent ticks from getting on your dogs or cats. Here are a few tips to help you keep your pets tick-free.

Pet Products

Flea and tick collars are an important first step in tick prevention. While they are certainly not a complete solution, they provide a frontline defense that should not be overlooked. Consult your veterinarian to see if a collar is right for your pet and your particular situation.

Along with tick collars, you should have other veterinarian-prescribed products on hand just in case you discover a tick on your pet. There are many oral and topical treatments available for protecting your pet from ticks.

Pet Control

If you have a dog or several dogs that are allowed to go out into your yard and you don't have a fenced-in play area, consider creating one. Fences reduce wildlife traffic. They also keep your dog(s) from roaming around in your yard and coming into contact with ticks in tall grass and other vegetation.

Wildlife Control

Many attractants can lure wildlife into your yard and expose you and your pets to ticks. Some of them might surprise you.

• Bird feeders. Are you aware that birds can have ticks on them? It's true. Birds can actually have dozens of seed ticks on them, and they are proficient transporters of black-legged ticks, which can carry Lyme disease.
• Keep feeders away from your exterior walls and away from your outside recreational areas to reduce ticks.
• Lawn clutter. Mice and rats love clutter. Mice will hide in objects left in your yard, and Norway rats dig burrows underneath piles. Keep clutter picked up or stored away to reduce rodent activity.
• Tall grass. Wildlife feels much more comfortable coming into your yard when you let your grass grow, and your weeds get out of control. Keep things trimmed to resist wildlife traffic.
• Dense landscaping. When plants are close together, they provide the perfect location for animals to hide and explore for food. Put space between your plants to make animals feel more exposed to predators when exploring your perimeter.

Tick Habitation

When animals drop ticks in your yard, those ticks mustn't find moist vegetation to hide in. Keep your landscaping as dry as possible to make it harder for ticks to survive. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Trim tree branches to let sunlight into areas of dense shade. This will help dry the topsoil after it rains.
• Putting space between your plants will not only make animals feel exposed when they crawl around in your landscaping, but it also provides better airflow for keeping things dry.
• If you use sprinklers, put them on a timer so that you don't saturate the ground.
• Inspect your gutter system and fix clogs or broken spots.

Tick control is essential. For the best control possible, consider seasonal tick treatments for your yard. Residual tick control products are the only way to achieve a tick-free yard. If you live in the NYC area, reach out to Parkway Pest Services.