If you or your pet are getting ticks in your own yard, there are things you can do make the environment less hospitable to ticks. However, you should still continue to take precautions against tick bites, including checking for ticks after going outdoors.

The ticks that bite people and pets usually feed on wild animals, like deer and rodents. Discouraging wildlife from living on or visiting your property may help reduce the number of ticks. You can use fencing to keep deer out of your yard. Rodents can be discouraged by eliminating their sources of food and shelter.

Ticks are often found in tall grass and leaf litter. Keeping grass mowed and removing leaf litter may help reduce the number of ticks in your yard.

You may be able to keep ticks from coming into your yard from adjacent brush or forest by making a 3′-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel at the edge of your lawn.

You can find other tips in the Tick Management Handbook, pages 44-62, and on the CDC website: Preventing Ticks in the Yard.

Page last reviewed: December 28, 2023