Ticks and mosquitoes around the house

Many people pick up ticks in their own yard. Ticks are most active from April to September, but they can bite all year, and mosquitoes bite day and night. Both spread diseases. A few jobs around the yard cut the numbers of both.

What you need

• A rake
• A mower or string trimmer
• Wood chips or gravel, if your lawn meets woods
• An EPA-registered insect repellent

Steps

1. 1

   Empty the standing water

   Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Walk around the house and yard and empty, scrub, turn over or throw out anything holding water: tires, buckets, toys, kiddie pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers and trash cans. Do it once a week.

   10 min

2. 2

   Check the screens

   Look over the window and door screens and repair any holes.

   10 min

3. 3

   Put on repellent

   Before the yard work, put on an EPA-registered repellent, following the label. Look for DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD or 2-undecanone on the label.

   2 min

4. 4

   Clear the leaf litter and brush

   Rake up fallen leaves, and cut back tall grass and brush around the house and at the edge of the lawn. Mow the lawn often.

   20 min

5. 5

   Lay a barrier at the woods

   Where the lawn meets woods, lay a strip of wood chips or gravel about 3 feet wide. Ticks are less likely to cross it into the yard.

   10 min

6. 6

   Move things away from the edge

   Keep swing sets, decks and patios away from the edge of the yard and the trees. Stack firewood neatly in a dry spot, which discourages mice. Get rid of old furniture, mattresses or trash where ticks can hide.

   5 min

7. 7

   Shower and check for ticks

   Shower within two hours of coming in, which lowers the chance of Lyme disease. Then check your whole body: under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in the hair, between the legs and around the waist.

   10 min

Clothes, gear and pets

Ticks ride in on clothes and pets and bite someone later. Check your clothes, jacket, bag and pets when you come in. Ten minutes in the dryer on high heat kills ticks on dry clothes. If the clothes need washing first, use hot water, since cold or warm water won't kill them.

For mosquitoes, wear loose, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Clothing treated with permethrin keeps working through several washes. Never put permethrin on your skin.

Repellent on children

Don't use oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD on children under 3. Keep repellent off a child's hands, eyes, mouth, cuts and irritated skin. Spray it on your own hands and rub it on the child's face. If you use sunscreen too, put it on first and the repellent second.

Spraying the yard

Pesticide can cut the number of ticks in the parts of the yard you treat, but it's not enough on its own. If you spray, follow the label. Your local health or agriculture office can tell you the best time and product for your area.