Landscaping Helps Prevent Lyme Disease

GUILFORD, Conn. -- The fight against Lyme disease could come down to landscaping. State health officials say keeping backyards tick resistant is key to preventing the spread of the debilitating disease.

The Ledge Light Health District is showcasing five sites featuring a tick resistant lawn. Health experts say controlling the tick population slows down the spread of Lyme disease. What they do can easily be duplicated at home.

Jim Mancini, Sachem Nursery & Landscaping, Guilford, says to keep ticks from moving in, add plants that deer don’t prefer.

"Globe Thistle is one they don't prefer because it's thorny, Mancini says. “Any plant that's thorny for the most part they don't like."

Still, when hunger strikes there's no stopping deer from grazing -- except possibly a natural solution spray for plants designed in mind for the finicky deer, says Mancini.

"That makes the plant taste like a daffodil,” Mancini says. “What they do is nibble on a plant and say wait a minute, that's a daffodil, I know that taste, I don't like it, so then they'll move on."

Another tip is to create a buffer between shady tick prone areas and the lawn using bark mulch, according to Mancini.

"Insects don't go after bark, Mancini explains. “Insects go after the pulp, the wood part. That's why you put bark around the home. You want a clear border. Anything you can do to help keep the ticks from feeling at home in your yard the better off you are."