Consumer Reports: Keeping ticks away this summer

As temperatures and humidity rise, tick season is shifting into high gear with ticks showing up in places they might not have been before.

Consumer reports has tips to help keep them away this summer.

You might expect ticks on a hike in the woods, but your own yard can be a hot spot too.

“Ticks love tall grass and dark shaded areas, so in general, we recommend that you keep your grass cut to about three inches,” Consumer Reports’ Paul Hope said. “We generally recommend mulching your grass clippings, but if you live in an area with a lot of ticks, it might be a good idea to bag them instead.”

Consumer Reports recommends removing leaves, leaf piles, and other debris that ticks could use as shade in your grass.

They also say to trim tall grasses, weeds, and low-hanging branches.

“If your property is surrounded by a large, wooded area, putting up a fence can help keep out deer, which transmit ticks,” Hope said.

If installing a fence isn’t an option, Consumer Reports says you can use dry wood chips or gravel to make a three-foot barrier between your lawn and any wooded areas.

This adds a dry, hot perimeter that ticks don’t like.

However, do not use shredded mulch, because it can get damp, which ticks like.

If you’re tempted to spray your whole yard with pesticides, Consumer Reports says don’t.

“A better and more targeted approach is to use something like tick tubes, which have a small amount of poison which coats the skin of mice, can kill ticks and reduce the population after several years of use,” Hope said.

Consumer Reports says no matter what, one rule always applies — after being outdoors, check yourself and your pets for ticks. It’s a simple step that can make a big difference.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says if you’re in tick-prone areas, you should shower off within a few hours. That can wash away any ticks on your body that have yet to attach.

Some ticks are tiny, as small as a poppy seed, so pay close attention.

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