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Ticks in the Grass

By Home & Garden Last updated Sunday, June/02/2024

Types of Ticks

There are hard and soft ticks. Hard ticks have a shield behind the mouth, while soft ticks have no shield. The hard ticks are called ixodids and are slow feeders, taking many days to finish a meal. Soft ticks are called argasids and finish sucking in just a few hours. There are at least 15 species of problem ticks, but most of them only bite animals. The American dog tick is the most common species that will feed on humans. Ticks can be found indoors or outdoors, hiding in warm, moist locations.

There are four stages in the tick life cycle, which starts with the adult. The adult lays eggs after having a blood meal, which helps the eggs grow. The eggs hatch into a larval stage and then move to a juvenile stage. The juveniles are found in the soil, where they keep hydrated. As they search for a meal, they climb up a blade of grass and feel around with their legs for a suitable host. If they don't find one, they drop back to the soil to rehydrate. Ticks may live up to 20 years and can fast for a long time.

Mowing prevents ticks from engaging in their scouting behavior. They like to linger on long blades of grass so they can catch a ride on a host. Mowing prevents them from having a scouting location. Fall and winter are the times when ticks are most active, and any outside activities should conclude with a tick check. All areas of the body need to be checked and clothing shaken out. Ticks do not attach immediately, so usually you will have time to remove them. Comb out your pets after they have been outside. Wear pants tucked into socks so the ticks can't crawl onto your skin.

In addition to keeping the lawn mowed, you should keep debris and leaf litter raked away from the house. There are commercial products available for the control of arachnids. Often just one or two applications is enough to control the pests. Treatments are done four weeks apart to check the natural life cycle of ticks. The product should contain permethrin or chlorpyrifos. There are granular or spray treatments. Sprays tend to penetrate grass thatch better than granules do.