The Rustic Garden Feature That May Be Attracting Ticks

Homeowners with a love for the rustic look might add rock walls to their gardens to protect them from rabbits and deer. They add charm, style, and a lot of beauty to your outdoor space. Unfortunately, they can also add ticks, due to the dark crevasses and crannies that are found between the rocks. Rodents usually hang out in those crevasses as well, which will also attract ticks. Ticks will hide out in dark, wet places until they attach themselves to a human or animal, which is how they usually end up inside your home. There are more than 12 dangerous diseases spread by ticks that humans and animals can get, including babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease. So you definitely don't want these harmful creatures around.

There are several reasons your rock walls may be attracting ticks. Ticks like environments that are cool and moist, including dense woods, forest hiking trails, wet leaves, and tall grasses. They need cooler, wet conditions so they stay hydrated and don't dry out. You are more likely to find ticks on your rock walls in the springtime, when adult ticks emerge from hibernation and are hungry and looking for a food source. Other places you will find ticks in your yard could include wood and brush piles, heavily wooded areas on the outskirts of your yard, camping and hiking areas, and spaces called ecotones, the space that is between your lawn and another environment, such as woods or marsh grasses.

There are several things you can do to reduce the tick population on your rock walls. Making the rustic walls less appealing to ticks is the objective. While it is impossible to eliminate them from your outdoor areas completely, you can definitely reduce the numbers. Keep all the grassy areas around your home trimmed and get rid of tall weeds and grasses, as these are two places where ticks will get on humans and pets. Get rid of all debris, leaves, brush, and twigs around your home. Keep the grass and weeds trimmed along your rock walls. A possible option for small stone walls would be to fill in nooks and crannies with outdoor-ready caulk or grout. It would be a long process, but it could prevent ticks and rodents from using your rock wall as a place to hide.

Once you have your rock wall area cleared and the grass trimmed along the bottom, there are some ways to make your home garden repel ticks, like adding a variety of plants along the wall that are known to repel ticks, including marigolds, lavender, and rosemary. Not only will it make your rock wall area look beautiful, but it will also help keep the ticks away, too. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, make sure to check yourself and your pets for ticks when you come inside. If you find one on yourself, remove the tick properly and dispose of it by putting it in rubbing alcohol, flushing it down the toilet, or wrapping it tightly in tape and throwing it away. Don't crush them with your fingers, and remember that stepping on them won't kill them.