INSECTindex

Will My Pollinator Garden Attract Ticks?

By Carol Allen

The simple answer to whether a pollinator garden will attract ticks is no, not to a degree that should prevent you from supporting your local pollinators. However, we can take steps as gardeners to decrease tick-favoring habitats and vectors while keeping our pollinator-friendly gardens. In the DC metro area, one can encounter six different tick species: the American dog tick, blacklegged tick or deer tick, brown dog tick, lone star tick, and—more rarely—Gulf Coast tick or Asian longhorned tick. All of these animals can transmit diseases to humans. They each prefer slightly different habitats. More information is here: https:// extension.umd.edu/resource/ticksmaryland. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends: • Clear the tall grasses and brush from around the home and at the edge of the lawn. • Place a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas, patios, and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into areas of human activity. • Mow the lawn frequently and keep leaves raked* • Stack wood neatly and in a dry area to discourage rodents. White-footed deer mice are an alternate host and like to nest in wood piles. • Keep areas of human recreation in sunny spots if possible, and out from under overhanging trees. • Remove trash and discarded furnishings that ticks may hide in. *This point is debatable if you use leaves as mulch. We know that a bareearth approach increases erosion and stormwater run-off that leads to flooding. A lot of the CDC advice sounds quite reasonable—unless you live in a forested area with no sunny spots. (We know better than to cut down trees, because trees are integral to preventing stormwater run-off). Or if we like to fill our surroundings with flowers and green plants. Or if we like to increase the ecosystem services our little plot of land can offer, as well as increase its biodiversity. To control tick exposure by removing all the vegetation is a short-sighted approach that does not address the biggest issue: the animals that support the tick life cycle. Our most common deer tick feeds alternately on whitetailed deer and the white-footed deer mouse. Controlling those animals—the vectors of our common ticks—is a strategy to embrace. Fence out deer wherever possible. No, it is not expensive when you consider loss of income and quality of life living with Lyme disease. Small rodents can be more difficult to control, but controlling young ticks who feed on them is easier than you think. Rodents like to use soft, fibrous material to line their nests. Providing nesting material that is infused with pyrethrin or a synthetic pyrethroid is a good way to kill the young ticks while they are cohabitating with mice. A product like Tick Control Tubes (Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3yNzeRL) can be placed around the yard. The mice will use the infused cotton to line their nests and the juvenile ticks will die. Place the tubes in the shed, garage, firewood pile, or any other place mice reside. If the price of the readymade tick tube puts you off, consider a hack. There are several videos and blogs that outline the procedure, but this is what I did. I saved the cardboard rolls from toilet paper and paper towels. The paper towel roll I cut into one-third pieces. I spray-painted them black, both for concealment and to give the paper some protection from moisture. I bought cotton balls at the drugstore (some hackers save up their dryer lint). Working outside, I fluffed up the cotton balls and then liberally powdered them with pyrethrin. A lot of the hacks use a liquid preparation. They both work. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection. Wearing a mask would also be a good idea. Washing your hands afterward is also advisable. Fill the tubes with the pesticideinfused lint or cotton and place where mice frequent. Do they work? I would say yes. I have observed a significant decrease in ticks in my garden. It is suggested they be placed outside in late spring when last year’s juvenile ticks start feeding, then again in summer when the new larvae hatch and take their first blood meal on a rodent. Note that some invasive plant species can aid in the spread of ticks. Studies have found barberry (Berberis thunbergii) offer safe harbor for small rodents and higher numbers of ticks are found in association with those bushes. Also, Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) seems to afford white-tailed deer with safe hiding places, so a higher number of ticks are found in those areas as well. There is another good reason to remove invasive plant species from your property. o

Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases; is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the state of Maryland; and is an ISACertified Arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com.