What Animals Eat Ticks?

Not only is summer the best time to be doing outdoor activities, it is also high season for ticks. These small insects are notorious for their bites and ability to transmit diseases. One of the ways, outside of tick control services, to get rid of ticks is through having natural predators of ticks on your property.

Learn what animals eat ticks and how to prevent infestations to keep your home and family safe and tick-free.

What Eats Ticks?

There are a variety of animals that are natural predators for ticks. Having these animals on your property can help to naturally prevent tick infestations in your yard.

These animals all eat ticks:

• Frogs
• Lizards
• Chickens
• Squirrels
• Opossums
• Guineafowl
• Wild turkeys
• Ants and fire ants

Do Opossums Eat Ticks?

Yes, opossums are one of the top predators for ticks and kill more than 90 percent of the ticks they encounter. Not only are opossums really good at removing ticks, they can also eat up to 5,000 ticks per season. So, the next time you find an opossum in your yard, know that it is doing a very important job in keeping your yard safe and free of ticks.

How to Prevent Tick Infestations

Unfortunately, housing these animals on your property probably isn’t realistic, and we can’t choose what animals decide to call our yard home.

Here are some alternate ways to keep ticks away from your property:

• Keep your grass short
• Clean up lawn clippings
• Create a barrier of mulch around your yard
• Weed and trim any tall weeds or plants
• Use professional pest control services, like Mosquito Joe, to protect your yard

How to Avoid Tick Bites

Anyone who lives in an area with ticks is likely open to anything that would decrease the chaprofessnces of a tick bite.

Here are a few ways to prevent tick bites:

• Wear long sleeves and pants when walking in wooded or grassy areas
• Tuck your pants into your socks
• Wash clothing immediately after coming inside
• Inspect kids and pets for ticks (time for a tick check!), then have another adult inspect you for ticks
• Use a bug spray with DEET
• Avoid tick-infested areas

Find Pest Control Services Near Me

You take the first step toward eliminating pests from your yard when you choose the dedicated experts at your local Mosquito Joe. Our team is ready to support you with everything from tick control to special event sprays. Call us at 1-855-275-2563 or find a Mosquito Joe near you to get started today.

It’s important to understand the life cycle of a tick and where they lay their eggs so you can help prevent a tick infestation in your yard. Did you know that a female tick can lay up to several thousand eggs at a time? Not only are ticks a nuisance, but they also cause numerous diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The tick goes through four separate stages if its life cycle: eggs, larva, nymph and adult. Each of these stages can easily be recognized by its special appearance.

The Life Cycle of a Tick

Stage 1: Eggs
After feeding through some of the winter months and spring, adult females will lay their eggs in protected areas of grass. They can lay over a thousand eggs in their lifetime, and the eggs will normally hatch by summer.

Stage 2: Larvae
Once hatched, the larvae begin searching for a host to feed on. They wait on the tops of leaves and tall grass where pet and human activity are normally high.

Stage 3: Nymph
Once the larvae have eaten, they will drop off the host and transform into an eight-legged nymph. The process will then repeat itself where they look for a host. The nymph may also transmit disease.

Stage 4: Adult
Adult ticks will then go for a third quest, looking for a larger host. Successful adult ticks reproduce during the fall, and the female tick will survive through winter to lay more eggs in the spring. This entire process can take up to three years.

What Does a Tick Nest Look Like?

Unlike other social insects such as ants and bees, ticks do not form a communal colony like a hive or nest. Ticks are more likely to crawl into the burrow or hole of a potential host and lay their eggs there, creating a small, lone “nest.” This provides immediate access to a potential host to which the larvae can latch to and feed upon. Ticks may also opt to lay eggs in leaf litter or grassy areas and, in general, any location that is soft and warm.

What Do Tick Eggs Look Like?

Since a female tick is capable of laying thousands of eggs at once, these eggs are often easier to spot than the ticks themselves. They appear brownish-red in color and are translucent. A brood of eggs may look like miniature caviar. The eggs are not yet infectious and can be dealt with by simply coating with salt to dry out the eggs.

How to Prevent Tick Eggs and Tick Bites In Your Yard

• Know where ticks hide. Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas. Hunting, gardening or spending time in your backyard are all activities where you, your family and your pets could pick up ticks.
• Dress to avoid ticks. Wearing long sleeves and long pants, tucking socks into boots and wearing light-colored clothing can help prevent tick bites.
• Utilize Mosquito Joe barrier treatments as an added layer of defense. Regular barrier treatments from Mosquito Joe eliminate ticks and give you and your family peace of mind.

Don’t Be Ticked Off This Season

To add an extra layer of defense against your outdoor space, contact your local Mosquito Joe today to enjoy a bite-free yard! We have special services that add against ticks and other pests, so let us help you protect yourself and your family throughout the year.

Whether you are spending time in the great outdoors or simply playing fetch with your furry friend in the backyard, we know that nothing ruins outdoor fun like unwelcomed pests; especially ticks in your lawn. Protecting your family from ticks is important because not only are they are a nuisance, they can also pose serious health risks, such as Lyme disease.

If you are looking for a more natural way to incorporate tick prevention in your outdoor spaces, essential oils are a great alternative. Naturally derived, essential oils can be applied to clothing or directly on the skin to help keep irritating ticks at bay. If you aren’t sure which ones to use or how to best apply them, the list below will help guide you on how to use essential oil for ticks.

What Are the Best Essential Oils to Repel Ticks?         

While essential oils are often not as potent as their chemical-based alternatives, they can be effective in providing a second layer of tick control. Here are few essential oils that have tick-repelling properties:

Eucalyptus

• A pleasant-smelling oil, eucalyptus can be used to repel ticks and pests. Be sure to dilute with a carrier oil or purchase a spray solution that has already been thinned with water. Due to the potency, use sparingly with pets or select a different repellent if you’re using it around furry friends.

Cedarwood

• Toxic to ticks and their larvae, cedarwood is a prime choice for a tick repellent. Combined with the fact that it is safe to apply to people and pets alike, this is one of the best options for essential oil repellent.

Garlic

• Useful beyond seasoning a savory dish, garlic can be easily transformed into a tick deterrent. Mince garlic, mix with mineral oil, allow to soak overnight, and then put in a spray bottle. This simple mixture can be sprayed directly on skin, pets, or even on plants to keep ticks away.

Geranium

• This oil can be a potent and effective tick repellent and is OK to apply to the skin or on your dog’s collar to deter ticks.

Lavender

• Versatile and virulent to insects, lavender can be a fantastic addition to the arsenal. This essential oil is safe for topical use on all ages, including infants, and is lethal to ticks and their eggs.

Pennyroyal

• A powerful member of the mint family, this can serve as a great tick deterrent. Pennyroyal is best applied under cushions, rugs, and fabrics in the home as a preventative measure should pets bring ticks into the home. It should not be used on the skin or on pets.

Did you know that Mosquito Joe also provides natural treatment options for your yard? Our natural treatments are an alternative to our traditional synthetic barrier treatment. There are several spray options,  garlic repellent treatment, and two variations of essential oil solutions which include peppermint,  rosemary, and lemongrass essential oils. Similar to our traditional treatment, trained technicians use a backpack sprayer in order to apply the natural formulas to the foliage on your property. , Your property will be treated on a 14-21 day cycle, depending on which natural solution you choose, to provide effective outdoor pest control. You can learn more about our natural treatment options here.

If your yard is still being overrun with ticks, it may be time to contact a professional tick exterminator.  Call Mosquito Joe today at 1-855-275-2563 to explore tick control options near your location or contact us online and kick the ticks for good this season!