A Landscaping Day Could Keep the Ticks Away

The following was provided on behalf of Lexington's Health Division. 

Landscaping your yard may be another tool to prevent encounters with ticks. Maintaining a yard free of brush and yard debris, keeping your grass cut short, and creating a barrier of wood chips or mulch between your yard and any woodlands are all methods to help maintain a tick-free yard.

Ticks generally cling to plants near the ground in brushy, wooded, or grassy places. Ticks climb onto animals and people who brush against the plants and yard debris. The edges of woodlands and leaf litter are high risk areas. Here are some tips to maintaining a tick-free yard: 

• Keep your grass cut short (2”)
• Prune plants, shrubs, and bushes
• Remove any leaf litter and underbrush, especially around sheds and stonewalls.
• Store woodpiles off the ground and away from your home
• Create a barrier between the wooded tick habitat and your home by lining your yard with a wide perimeter of mulch, wood chips, gravel, etc
• Move swing sets, hammocks, and picnic tables away from the woods. 

For more information or to receive a free “tick identification card” please contact the Office of Community Development, Health Division, Gerard Cody, Health Director at 781-862-0500 x 237. You may also visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm or http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/cdc/factsheets/lyme.pdf. The Lexington Board of Health brought this important message to you.