Ticks are harmful pests that no one wants to find on their property. To mitigate ticks in your lawn this season, you'll want to take certain steps. First, regularly mow your lawn to keep it short, as ticks in Iowa tend to hide in tall grass and wait on the top of blades to latch onto passing hosts. Second, maintain a clean yard by removing leaf piles, sticks, and other debris where ticks could hide from the elements and predators. While these steps are beneficial, the most effective way to keep ticks off your property is by signing up for a professional tick control service. Professionals will apply highly effective insecticides to eliminate ticks and reapply them throughout tick season to ensure your property remains protected.

1. Mow your grass regularly to reduce ticks.

To keep your lawn tick-free, it's important to maintain a regular mowing schedule. Ticks are known to hide in tall grass, so keeping it short can help reduce their habitat. Additionally, ticks often climb to the top of grass blades, waiting to latch onto passing hosts. By keeping your grass trimmed, you can minimize the likelihood of ticks finding their way onto you, your pets, and others. Regular mowing is a simple yet effective way to help protect yourself and your loved ones from tick bites and the diseases they can transmit.

Ticks transmit several common diseases, including Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

2. Keep your lawn free of debris so ticks have nowhere to hide.

A dangerous tick walks along a leaf in Des Moines, IA.

Keeping your lawn free of ticks involves more than just regular mowing; it requires creating an environment that is less inviting to these pests. Ticks are drawn to shady, damp areas where they can hide from the sun and predators. To reduce their habitat, remove leaf piles, sticks, and any debris that could provide shelter for ticks. Focus on areas around fences, sheds, and trees where ticks are more likely to hide. By maintaining a clean and tidy yard, you not only eliminate hiding spots for ticks but also create a less hospitable environment for them, reducing the risk of tick bites for you and others.

3. Sign up for a professional tick control service.

The third tip for keeping your lawn tick-free is to sign up for a professional tick control service. While keeping your lawn mowed and free of debris are good steps, the only real way to ensure these pests stay off of your property is by signing up for a tick control service. Oftentimes, store-bought insecticides just aren't enough to get ticks under control. Professionals will apply highly effective insecticides to eliminate these pests from your lawn so you can spend more time enjoying your outdoor space. They will also reapply these treatments throughout the tick season to ensure your property is always protected.

In Iowa, the most common types of ticks are the American dog tick, lone star tick, and blacklegged tick.

Contact our professionals today and schedule our tick control treatments.

At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we understand that ticks can be extremely harmful to you and others. That's why we offer a top-rated tick control service to residential and commercial properties, along with HOAs, in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, IA, and the surrounding areas. Our treatments are applied by our team of local experts to your lawn every six weeks starting in May so that we target them when they are most active. Keep the presence of ticks on your lawn at a minimum this tick season by scheduling our tick control service. Call us today at (515) 289-2020 to get started.