Disease-carrying ticks pose a number of health risks, and early fall is peak season for bites. Take preventative steps when going outdoors to protect yourself and your pets. Below, you’ll find three essential pest control practices so you avoid harmful and potentially life-threatening tick bites.

Fall Tick Prevention Tips

1. Make Your Yard Tick-Proof

Ticks don’t light sunlight, short vegetation, and dryness, so trim landscaping accordingly. You can also have a pest control professional spray any surrounding woods with pesticides. Ticks carry a number of diseases, including Lyme disease, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, so take any necessary precautions to keep them away.

2. Steer Clear of Leaf Piles, Tall Grasses & Heavily Wooded Areas

Jumping into a pile of leaves is a quintessential part of fall, and it’s also a known way to get bitten by a tick. When collecting leaves, check yourself for ticks when the job is done, and avoid playing or walking in tall grasses or brush where they’re known to hide. Make sure pets stay out of these areas as well. In addition, consider contacting pest control professionals if you find ticks on your property or pets. If you’re hiking, make sure to stay in the middle of trails where you’re less likely to brush up against grasses, trees, and bushes.

3. Dress Accordingly

Ticks love to latch on to the extremities, so dress to protect. Always wear socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. When working in the yard or while gardening, wear gloves. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends spraying permethrin—an insecticide—on outdoor clothing and camping gear to repel ticks. When you come indoors, check your clothing and body for ticks. You can also tumble your clothes on high for 10 minutes in your dryer to kill ticks.

If you have concerns about ticks, turn to the pest control professionals at Joy Exterminators. Based in Newport, OH, these professionals are backed by 50 years of experience. Being a locally owned and operated company, they’re familiar with local pest problems and will handle bee, spider, roach, and rodent removal. Visit their website for a full breakdown of their services, or call (740) 473-2739 to schedule an inspection.