Ticks

– Wear light clothes and check skin after hikes.
– Check pets and kids after yard play.
– Look in hairline and behind the ears.

Granular or liquid residual acaricide applied to yard perimeter and transition zones; deer-exclusion fencing; host-targeted desiccant tubes (cotton bait for rodents) for tick population reduction. A pro treats the yard edges where ticks wait. Keeping deer and mice out lowers the tick supply. Bait tubes target the mice that carry young ticks. Fewer host animals means fewer ticks in your yard.

We treat yard edges and shady brush with tick spray. We also recommend mouse-targeted tubes to cut tick numbers.

– Apply EPA-registered tick repellent (DEET 20%+ or permethrin on clothing) before outdoor activity.

– Wear long sleeves and pants tucked into socks in wooded or grassy areas.

– Conduct a full-body tick check within 2 hours of outdoor exposure.

– Mow lawns regularly and clear leaf litter from yard edges and play areas.

– Shower within 2 hours of potential tick exposure to dislodge unattached ticks.

– Keep lawn edges trimmed and leaf litter cleared.

– Create a three-foot mulch or stone barrier at yard edge.

– Use EPA repellent on skin and permethrin on clothes.

Quests in tall grass, leaf litter, and woodland edges where host animals travel; nymph stage is peak-risk (May–July) due to small size and slow feeding detection. Ticks wait on tall grass and brush for a host. They climb on as people or pets brush past. Yard edges and wooded spots are the riskiest areas. Young ticks are tiny and very hard to spot.

Ticks are common around Portland woods and coastal trails. They hide in tall grass near yards.