Living

The #1 Thing Experts Say You Should Do to Keep Ticks Out of Your Backyard

By José R. Mendoza Men's Journal

Updated June 2, 2026 8:47 PM

For many homeowners, the backyard is an outdoor oasis where they spend lots of time during the warmer months of the year. However, unfortunately, the same can be said for ticks. And that can lead to serious health consequences, with tick bites resulting in a variety of illnesses, including Lyme disease. In fact, this year, ER visits for tick bites are on the rise, which is why it's important to learn how to manage ticks in your backyard and prevent tick bites.

Ticks are most active from the spring through the end of fall, which is why now is the ideal time to create an action plan to safeguard your yard, family, and pets from ticks. We've got you covered with this guide on how to get rid of ticks in your yard. Spoiler: One of the most important things you can do is keep your grass short.

How to Know if You Have Ticks in Your Yard

First things first, ticks are little creatures that live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas. They feed on "hosts," usually small mammals such as mice, squirrels, birds, or bunnies, as well as bigger mammals like deer. When they are done feeding, ticks drop off of their hosts.

If you've seen any of the animals listed above in your yard, there's a good chance there might be ticks on your property. Sometimes, you find out you have ticks because one has attached itself to your clothes or body, but otherwise, they are not really visible.

One of the most common ways to find out if ticks are present in your yard is by performing a test called the "tick drag."

How to Perform the Tick Drag Test

Wear long sleeves, pants, and rubber boots if possible.
Attach a piece of cloth that's about 3 feet long by 3 feet wide to a piece of wood, then attach string to the wood to pull it. A white cloth is best. It is easy to see and identify ticks on white cloth.
Walk around the perimeter of your yard and across it, dragging the piece of fabric on the wood. Ensure you cover all the grounds.
When you're done, lay or hang the drag on a flat surface and check whether any ticks have hopped onto the cloth. If you find any ticks, you can pull them out with tweezers and place them in a small container with rubbing alcohol. This serves two purposes: One, the ticks will die, but they'll also be preserved so you can identify what kind of ticks they are and make a treatment or prevention plan accordingly.
Once you complete the tick drag method, do a tick check of yourself. Take off your clothes, run them in the dryer, and take a shower.

Ways to Get Rid of Ticks in Your Yard

Thom Almendinger, director of stewardship at Teatown Lake Reservation, who has more than 20 years of experience in natural resources and deer management, shares that "the most effective, non-chemical method" of getting rid of ticks is "to keep grasses short." Keeping the height of your grass to under three inches is the ideal length to help control ticks.

The other option is to spray for ticks. You can choose the DIY route or hire a professional. However, either spraying option comes with an added cost and includes the use of chemicals, Almendinger notes.

When spraying for ticks yourself, it is important to follow the manufacturer's directions carefully to ensure the spray is effective. You have to thoroughly soak the top layer of your yard, focusing on the shady, woody, and grassy areas; ticks love these environments.

Tips for Spraying for Ticks

Wear the proper safety gear: goggles, gloves, pants, and long sleeves.
Don't spray on windy days.
Check the forecast for rain. Avoid spraying if rain is expected within 24 hours.
Keep your pets and kids inside.
Let the spray dry completely before resuming activities in the backyard.
The best time to spray for ticks is in spring and the early fall.

How to Prevent Ticks From Living in Your Yard

Ticks don't discriminate and will hop on and bite anyone in the family, including children and pets. That's why it is important to take preventive measures to eliminate or minimize the risk of getting ticks or tick bites. Here are some strategies you can use.

Proper Landscaping

The ideal habitats for ticks are moist and shady locations, such as wooded areas, wood or leaf piles, brush, and tall grasses. Keeping your wood nicely stacked in a sunny area (like in a firewood shed), raking and clearing out leaves, brush, and weeds, and keeping your lawn trimmed are effective ways to reduce the amount of ticks in your yard.

Fencing

Installing a six-foot fence around the perimeter of your yard can keep deer away, significantly reducing the number of ticks that accumulate in your yard. Also, creating "free tick zones" by fencing off areas more prone to ticks can help.

"Keeping deer out of [your] yard through fencing or deterrents can drastically decrease tick presence," says Almendinger.

Pest control

Lastly, Almendinger advises controlling the mice population in your yard and treating household pets that go outdoors on a year-round basis for ticks, not just during the warm months. "Ticks are active at much lower temperatures than pet owners realize," he explains.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Home Living section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 7:28 PM.