Does Mowing the Lawn Kill Ticks?

Ticks are invasive and can make a home out of your lawn. If you let the grass get too tall and the weeds get overgrown, there’s no doubt a few pests will come over. Many homeowners believe the best remedy for ticks in the grass is to use a lawnmower; But is there any truth to these claims?

Mowing the lawn kills ticks because it slices them and causes them to have to find a new place to live. Ticks typically don’t live on mowed lawns because they have nowhere to hide or find animals to attach to. Regular lawn maintenance is crucial for getting rid of ticks in the grass.

In this post, we’ll talk about what cutting the grass does to ticks, how you can maintain your yard to prevent them from coming back, and whether or not ticks can live in mowed grass. Enjoy!

Does Cutting Grass Help With Ticks?

Cutting grass helps with ticks because it takes away their shelter and food source. Ticks need a place to stay hidden while waiting for animals to cling to. Without the grass being longer than four to five inches, they won’t be able to hide long enough to make it worth their time.

Here’s why cutting the grass helps with ticks:

• Short grass isn’t a good home for most ticks because they can’t hide. According to Garden Tech, most ticks can’t live in short grass. There’s not enough room for them to stay sheltered, nor will they be able to find any prey to latch themselves to. It’s an all-around harsh environment for ticks.
• Using a lawnmower can kill the ticks living in the grass. The lawnmower’s blades will cut through the ticks, bees, spiders, and other insects on the grass. It’s not the most effective way to treat ticks repeatedly, but mowing the yard will definitely take its toll on them.
• Animals can’t be bitten by ticks as easily if they live in short grassy lawns. Ticks love living in crabgrass and other weeds, too. Dogs, cats, humans, squirrels, and almost any other animal going through the grass is a target for ticks.

These simple tricks are some of the main reasons ticks don’t like to live on mowed lawns. While it’s very uncommon, you might be surprised to learn that ticks don’t always steer clear of low-cut yards. For more information on where ticks can be found in the grass, read on.

Do Ticks Live in Mowed Grass?

Ticks can live in mowed grass, but it’s quite rare. If ticks live on your cut lawn, they’ll likely stay near the border where animals are more likely to go. However, there are many treatments to get rid of ticks in your yard. Various essential oils can be used to treat ticks in a mowed lawn.

That doesn’t mean mowing your grass is a bad idea. It can drastically reduce the tick population and keep you and your pets safe from them. Ticks are nasty pests, so cutting the lawn will help you stay out of their way. You don’t have to cut the lawn much shorter than you usually do, though.

Getting the ticks out of your yard is good, but you shouldn’t try to remove the bees. Many lawn services harm bees indirectly, but these same practices can be used to deal with ticks. Mowing the lawn kills ticks, but these services also use fertilizer to treat the grass, which can affect the bugs.

Ticks can definitely live in mowed grass, but it’s discouraging for them to do so. That being said, some ticks are much more persistent than others. Cutting the lawn usually isn’t enough to make them go away permanently. If you want to keep the ticks off of your grass and the rest of your yard, follow the process in the next section.

How Do I Get Rid of Ticks in My Lawn?

To get rid of ticks on your lawn:

1. Mow the lawn down to 2.5 inches to kill the ticks and stop them from returning. This length is ideal for preventing fungi, weeds, invasive insects, and bacterial growth. Mowing your lawn has countless benefits outside of its appearance, starting with the fact that ticks won’t like it.
2. Use neem oil or another essential oil to treat the tick-infested parts of the grass. Wondercide EcoTreat Pest Control uses cedar oil to naturally repel all sorts of pests, including ticks. You can spray it on your lawn without worrying about harming the grass or ruining the soil. One bottle covers thousands of feet.
3. Trim all of the weeds in and around the lawn as much as possible (remove them by their roots if you can). Getting rid of the weeds is highly effective because it reduces the potential hiding places for ticks. It also stops spiders from living in your yard. Pull the roots of the weeds to stop them from spreading.
4. Don’t leave piles of leaves, grass, and other organic materials around the lawn. Consumer Reports claims that piles of organic debris from around your yard are perfect hiding places for hungry ticks. They’ll sit in the grass clippings and leaves until an animal walks by that they can attach themselves to.

Getting ticks out of your lawn can be a pain in the neck, but it’s more than worth it. Once they’re gone, these prevention tips are almost all you need to do to keep them at bay. Ticks live in local environments, so they’ll likely try to return eventually. The good news is you have everything you need to defend your lawn against them.

Wrapping It Up

While there’s no doubt that ticks can live on a lawn, mowing, fertilizing, and watering the grass will drastically limit the chances. If you let the grass get too tall, ticks, beetles, and other bugs will live in it. Raking the yard will also help to remove these insects.