Tick Season
Spring is tick season, and after a heavy snow cover that sheltered ticks from the cold, it may be a very bad tick season in the northeast. The deer tick or black-legged tick is a serious concern because it transmits Lyme disease, babesiosis, erlichiosis and anaplasmosis. But broadcast spraying not only puts your family at risk when they come into contact with it, and when your pets rub residues onto family members, the spray also contaminates runoff and drinking water. How to balance these issues? Take measures to decrease the tick population naturally.
Remove Japanese barberry wherever possible. It gives deer ticks a perfect place to reproduce and grow. It also outcompetes native plants, preventing regrowth of native trees and shrubs so you will be improving your backyard for native plants and wildlife, too. Mow the grass where people play often because ticks dry out and die when they are in an exposed area. Mulch and compost your leaves. Ticks flourish in the dark, damp underside of leaves, but not in a healthy compost pile. Consider chickens. Okay-this isn’t for everyone, but we have them, and it has made a huge difference. And, there are eggs and they are attractive walking around the garden. If you go into the woods, do a thorough tick check when you get home and remove them. When the tick population is very heavy, we also put Bio-Spot on our dog. It is localized and doesn’t wind up in our drinking water. Don’t touch it, and don’t let your kids snuggle on the pet’s shoulders for a few days until it is absorbed and not oily.
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