How to get rid of ticks in the yard naturally
Ticks have multiplied dramatically over recent years alongside growing deer populations, making standard outdoor spaces hazardous for families and pets. Controlling them without chemicals requires disrupting their habitat through clearings, barriers, and natural predators to stop populations from surging unchecked.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- It goes quiet, then comes back — 3 separate clusters since September 2025.
- It is not one crowd: 3 people on Reddit and 2 on Stack Exchange ran into the same thing.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1mowing the mowed areas very shortDid this help you?
- 2trimmed shrubs away from the walking pathsDid this help you?
- 3getting rid of leaf litter and wood pilesDid this help you?
- 4wearing full body Insect Shield clothingDid this help you?
- 5using organic sprays containing geraniol or cedar oilDid this help you?
- 6Turning on the grill with the lid closed to heat and kill the waspsDid this help you?
- 7Scraping the nest into a pail at night when wasps are docileDid this help you?
- 8cleaning around and under the bed to eradicate food sourcesDid this help you?
- 9taking photos of spiders to identify them for specific treatment methodsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Obviously I would just spray it with a wasp killer but I’d like to avoid having chemicals on my grill. Is their any other way I could get them to leave the nest or is the normal killer stuff the way to go.”source ↗
“I’d like to get rid of them, because they’re eating my books and other cardboard and paper items.”source ↗
“I don’t know how to make them go away, as I can’t use harsh chemicals because I have a small child at home, as well as a rabbit and a dog as pets.”source ↗
“I keep getting spider bites (yes we checked, its not another insect, we have spiders who bite here). Anyway, I'm trying to avoid insecticide as long as possible, anyone got ideas of other ways to get them away from me ?”source ↗
“Before this year I have had two tick bites in my entire life. Spring is just beginning and I have extracted three ticks from myself and four from my dog this year.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7How to naturally deter bugs without harming kids
- 2How to safely remove a tick from a kitten without leaving the head behind
- 6How to safely clean up toxic pest control dust
- 44How to get rid of tiny flying bugs coming out of wooden furniture
- 26Why do I have fleas if I don't have pets?
- 7How do you finally get rid of bird mites after removing a nest?