Outdoor pest control treatments aren’t just for keeping your lawn healthy; they’re also for keeping your family healthy–and that includes your four-legged family members. A flea and tick treatment for your yard can provide an extra layer of protection for your pets and family.
But I keep my pets indoors!
Even if your dog spends most of its time indoors, you still have to take your pup out for exercise or to use the bathroom. It’s entirely possible for them to pick up ticks or fleas just from that.
I haven’t seen any fleas or ticks in my yard.
You may not have seen them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Fleas are very small; adults are only about ⅛ of an inch long. And for every adult flea you might see? There are 100 immature fleas that you don’t.
Ticks, meanwhile, range in size from the size of a pin head to the size of a pencil eraser.
Both fleas and ticks carry parasites or diseases that can cause life-threatening problems for both humans and animals, so it’s really important to be proactive in protecting your home and family. Taking care of a flea infestation can get very expensive, so preventative flea and tick treatments can save you money in the long run.
How can I find out if my yard has fleas?
Fortunately, it’s pretty easy! Just do the white sock test (be sure to use a pair of socks you’re going to toss anyway):
Put on a pair of tall white athletic socks (pull them up as far as they will go) and walk around your yard, especially near spots your pet likes to frequent. If fleas are present, they’ll show up on your socks. (Afterward, seal the socks in a plastic bag and dispose of them.) [1]
How long do fleas and ticks live?
For ticks, the life cycle can be between 90 days and three years, depending on the species. For fleas, the life cycle ranges between 2 and 3 months.
Are there pet-safe flea and tick yard treatments?
There are! At Pest Guard, all our treatments are pet- and kid-friendly. That means once the treatment dries, fleas and ticks are the only ones with anything to worry about.
What else can I do?
You have a few other options for making your yard an unfriendly place for fleas and ticks:
- Keep your lawn cut short. That lets more light in at the ground, which fleas and ticks don’t like. [2] However, remember that cutting your grass less than 2 inches tall makes it unfriendly to spiders and ants, both of which like to eat fleas. [3]
- Create barriers around your home by removing leaf litter, brush, and plantings for 6 to 18 inches to make it harder for fleas to get into your house. [4] You can do something similar to your yard if you live next to a wooded area or a neighbor whose lawn is overgrown: cut back your brush and put a 3-foot barrier of wood chips or gravel to keep ticks from traveling into your yard. [5]
- You can also beef up your barriers with cedar mulch, since fleas don’t like cedar. [6]
Give fleas and ticks the boot
With some basic lawn maintenance and professional flea and tick yard treatments, you can make sure that your outdoor areas are safe and fun for your pets and family alike.
Give the Pest Guard pros a call at 918-299-5296 for a free quote on pest control for your lawn.
Sources:
1, 3, 4, 6 – Scotts.com – How to Treat Fleas in the Yard
2, 5 – Fetch by WebMD – Healthy Yard: Insect Control for Your Lawn