Protecting your family and pets from tick bites is important to avoid serious disease. This is especially important to consider about small children, elderly people and people with suppressed, weakened immune systems. Your pets can suffer with anemia if bitten by too many ticks. However, if you worry about using deadly pesticides at your home, check out these natural ways to help keep ticks away.

Plant Beds Of Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum plants are pretty, small white daisies that contain pyrethrins, compounds used in most over the counter tick and flea repellants sold for pets. Planning these daisies around your house will help a lot to repel ticks and many other insects as well. You also get the benefit of having attractive flowerbeds in your landscape. When planting your flower beds, be sure to also cut your grass. When grass gets high in your yard, it provides the perfect breeding environment for ticks. This is bad news for pets and for your children when they play outdoors. Keeping your grass cut at all times is best way to prevent ticks.

Do Not Feed The Animals

If you live in a rural area and have frequent visits from raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife, you have an increased chance of ticks becoming a problem in your yard. Pet owners should especially avoid attracting wildlife to prevent more than just ticks, but rabies as well. Put your food scraps into a compost bin, a great way to get rid of them while also saving money for soil fertilizer. Be sure to invest in high quality trash cans for ensuring animals are not attracted to your household waste. Bear in mind that any kind of warm-blooded animal can carry ticks into your yard.

Invite The Good Bugs Over

Creating an environment in your yard that attracts the good insects is a great way to keep ticks at bay. Praying mantis hatchlings eat small insects, so when you see a praying mantis in your yard, do not kill it. If you do not have praying mantis insects, you can purchase egg sacs that will hatch when left attached to a tree branch during the spring. You do not have to worry about praying mantis hatchlings becoming a problem because you will more than likely hardly ever see them.

Ticks can cause serious diseases, so taking the time to learn more about them is a good idea. Protecting your family and pets from ticks is easier when you know how to do so effectively and naturally. If you need professional help, visit Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Services.