As the warmer weather is approaching here in Northeastern Pa, Green Machine Lawn Care is gearing up toward treating lawns and yards for those dreaded and disease-ridden pests that are prevalent in our area. Fleas and ticks present a threat to pets not only in the warmer spring and summer months, but year round. They are especially more active beginning as soon as March in Northeastern and Eastern PA.

Pet owners know the absolute havoc that an infestation on your pets and in your home can cause. The sheer discomfort is enough to drive your beloved pets insane. Most pet owners will take action to prevent infestation by treating their animals with a monthly tick and flea medicine. Unfortunately if the problem continues, you will have to consider that there are other factors that exist in your home as well as your lawn. Green Machine Lawn Care’s program consists of three applications to control fleas and ticks during their most active times of the year. These three applications help to get the infestation under control to prevent the spread of illness, such as Lyme disease.

As a homeowner, Green Machine Lawn Care of Kingston, Pa, recommends following the easy tips to control fleas and ticks in your yard:

Lawn Maintenance

Do Not Overwater. Fleas and ticks thrive in moist environments. An improperly draining lawn can lead to overwatering and create the perfect hosting space for insects. Make sure that you are watering your lawn properly. If your lawn does have drainage issues, aeration can help. Moist and shady areas will attract the most fleas and ticks, so be sure to follow the tips below. A shorter lawn cut will greatly reduce the number of fleas and ticks by removing areas they are prone to hide. The lawn height needs to be not too long, nor too short as to avoid attracting spiders, and ants, as well as avoiding the disease-ridden fleas and ticks. If you’re not sure of the exact right length, contact your local lawn care professional to get a quote for your grass.

Proper Yard Cleanup

Focus on where your pets spend the majority of their time outdoors. The larvae from ticks and fleas will stay within 50 feet of your pet’s usual resting place. Treating around cool, and shady spots as well as cleaning those areas, such as low-hanging shrubs or along fence lines will help eliminate larvae, fleas, and ticks from that area. Do not neglect dog runs or kennels.

Clean is key. Cleanliness is important when removing habitats for fleas and ticks to hide and lay eggs. Take away yard debris, like excess wood, bricks, and stones. Remove discarded pots and various gardening tools; stack them neatly to lessen hiding spaces. Toward the end of the growing season, make time to clean up your lawn and garden as well as storage places in crawl spaces and under the patio.

Keep An Eye On Wildlife

Try to keep out errant animals and rodents. There are many urban animals that carry fleas and ticks. This includes squirrels, deer, rabbits, raccoons, mice and feral cats. In fact, any warm-blooded wild animal is most likely carrying some sort of blood-sucking insect. If you have an excess of wild animals visiting your lawn take steps to limit your lawn’s appeal. For those animals that love your trash, keep your trash in a contained space that is not easy to “break in”, for those animals that are looking for grubs in your lawn to snack on, treating our lawn for grubs will eliminate your problems. Keep birdseed far away from the home to avoid squirrels, and limit shrub berries to avoid mice. Do the best you can to avoid attracting wild animals to your yard.

Create Barriers

Create a no-migrate zone. If your area is known for ticks, establish a barrier between your lawn and surrounding woods or properties. Remove weeds, brush and leaf litter. Create a barrier to your home. Protect your home by creating a barrier around your home with a pesticide perimeter treatment. The treatment can prevent fleas and ticks from moving into your home, although they can still hitch a ride on you or your pet. Take away all brush, plants and leaf litter around your home, shoot for at least a 6-inch-wide clean area. It will remove the hiding places for fleas and ticks. Allow the “bad guys” to come in. By making your landscape appealing to flea and tick predators, keeping your grass mowed to the right height, and incorporating native plants and ground covers you will attract birds that eat these insects. Avoid those bird feeders and allow those birds to “hunt” their natural resources. Cedar mulch can also repel fleas and ticks. Use it to border areas where your pet likes to play or rest to keep insects from migrating into those areas. Place cedar mulch along the edges of your yard to form a barrier.

Professional Flea and Tick Control

Sometimes you can follow every DIY tip in the book and still see no results of getting rid of these pests. If you have more questions about fleas and ticks in your yard or you are interested in receiving treatment for ticks and fleas, contact Green Machine Lawn Care today to set up a free quote. We currently serve the Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties.