The arrival of the warmer months means it's time for bug bites and bug spray. It also means there could be ticks in your yard.
It's common, especially if you have deer in your yard. Joellen Lampman with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell says that is marker number one.
Bird feeders can also lead to unwanted pests. Ticks can be on birds, but feeders also attract squirrels and mice. Mice are a tick's favorite animal to feed on. If you have piles of wood, mice love those, so perhaps move that pile inside.
Other tick-risky places in your yard include very shady areas along stone walls and woodland edges as well as shady spots on your lawn.
Ticks also like humid spaces, as they thrive in humidity.
It’s suggested you put about three feet of mulch or some sort of barrier between your lawn and a forest or woodland edge as a visual signal to stay away.
Lampman adds that pet owners should make sure they're taking the proper precautions to keep pets tick-free.
“It has been shown that people that have dogs are three times more likely to get Lyme disease, because the dogs are bringing them in and sometimes they might not have attached to the dog, and they'll leave the dog and they will get on to us," Lampman said.
Repellent options include DEET, Picaridin and IR 35-35. Lampman says oil of lemon eucalyptus also works, but you have to apply that every hour.
There’s also the option to buy or send your clothes in to get treated. It’s called permethrin-treated clothing and it lasts several weeks.
If you are concerned about ticks in your yard, Lampan says take a white cloth or sheet and tie it to a stick. Drag it across your yard, and it will catch any ticks that are questing.
It's recommended that every time you come back inside, do a tick check. Remember that ticks like armpits, areas under knees and behind ears.
To remove a tick, use tweezers and pull it out straight from the head. Then put it in a plastic bag and send it to get tested for disease. Depending on where you live, there might be a fee.