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Looking For The Best Tick Killer For Yards?
Here’s a look at our favorites, including our top pick – Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Home Spray.
#1 Best Tick Killer For Yards
Ticks and fleas are everywhere. While you can’t do much about them when you take your pet to the park or on a nature walk, you can rid your yard of the pesky pests with a good flea/tick killer. Whether you choose to use a pesticide or a natural alternative, a good flea/tick killer should last for at least four weeks, so you’ll just need to spray down the yard once a month during tick season.
What to look for in tick killer for yards
As you’re looking for a good tick killer for your yard, here are a few important things to look for:
- Pesticides – I won’t dive into a discussion of whether pesticides are good or bad, but it’s important to note that when you use a pesticide-based tick killer you’ll need to keep your kids and pets away until the solution dries. To avoid water contamination, you’ll also need to apply the solution when the ground is dry and there’s no chance of rain. Some of the common pesticides you’ll see in the active ingredients include pyrethroid and permethrin.
- All-natural solutions – most all-natural tick killers are plant-based, with essential oils as the primary active ingredients. Some of the common oils that are effective against ticks, fleas, and mosquitos include peppermint, eugenol (from clove plants), cedar, rosemary, thyme, and sesame. The great thing about using all-natural, plant-based tick killers is that they’re safe to use around kids and pets, and there’s no risk of environmental contamination (no risk to groundwater, bees, beneficial insects, birds, and other animals).
- Cedar oil repellents – cedar oil has proven to be especially effective at repelling and killing pests. Cedar oil blocks octopamine in ticks and fleas, which is used to regulate their metabolism, movement, and heart rate. Pests that come in contact with cedar oil will die, and pests in the area will keep their distance. Beyond ticks and fleas, cedar oil is a good repellant for mosquitos, ants, crickets, chiggers, beetles, chinch bugs, roaches, scorpions, and even venomous snakes.
- Safe to use directly on pets – note that some tick killers have a higher concentration of active ingredients and should only be used outdoors, while others are gentle enough to spray directly on your pet and inside the house.
- Added fragrances – if you intend to use this spray inside the house (on your pet’s bedding and the carpets, for example), be sure to avoid products with added fragrances and artificial coloring, as these may leave stains.
Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Home Spray
Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Home Spray kills mosquitos, ticks, fleas, and flea eggs on contact without using harsh chemicals. The company has been blending quality plant-based ingredients for over 30 years, so you can trust that their formulas are both safe and effective. This particular solution uses a special blend of certified natural essential oils like peppermint and eugenol, and has been independently tested to confirm its effectiveness against ticks, fleas, and mosquitos.
In addition to spraying in your yard, the product is safe enough to spray directly on dogs and puppies that are at least 12 weeks old. With each application, you’ll spray their coat until it’s lightly damp and massage the oils into their skin. It’s also safe to use around the house, and is especially useful for sterilizing carpets, furniture, blankets, bedding, kennels, crates, and any other surfaces or objects that your dog regularly comes in contact with. The spray doesn’t include any fragrances or artificial ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about stains.
Wondercide Flea & Tick Control Yard & Garden
If you’re looking for an all-natural flea and tick spray for use exclusively outdoors, I’d highly recommend this Yard & Garden spray by Wondercide. While the Vet’s Best spray that we just discussed is gentle enough to use inside the house and directly on your dog, the Wondercide Flea & Tick Control Yard & Garden spray is more concentrated and designed to cover large outdoor areas.
The ready-to-spray formula comes in a 32-oz. bottle that can cover up to 5,000 square feet, and it kills pests at all life stages—eggs, pupae, larvae, and adults. The solution is effective against mosquitos, ticks, fleas, ants, chiggers, beetles, scorpions, chinch bugs, and roaches. It even repels venomous snakes! The company recommends using it on patios and lawns and spraying around swimming pools and koi ponds. If you want to be a good neighbor, you can even spray the local dog park or playground next time you take your pooch out to play.
The great thing is that it does all of this without using harmful chemicals and pesticides, so it’s a good alternative to pyrethroid and permethrin yard products. The primary active ingredient is cedar oil, a natural solution that’s been used for centuries to protect against pests (think grandma’s cedar chest). Thanks to its natural composition, it’s completely safe to use around kids, pets, and plants, even when wet.
EcoSMART Botanical Yard and Kennel Flea and Tick Killer
EcoSMART Botanical Yard & Kennel Flea & Tick Killer is another great all-natural solution. The botanical-based oil blend attacks attributes that are exclusive to pests, so they’re safe for pets, children, and the environment.
All of the active ingredients are approved as direct food additives and are classified GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the FDA. Some of the active ingredients that you’ll see on the label include rosemary oil, eugenol, peppermint oil, thyme oil, and sesame oil. The formula is fast-acting, killing fleas, ticks, eggs, and larva on contact.
Adams Plus Flea & Tick Yard Spray
Adams Plus Flea & Tick Yard Spray is a permethrin-based pesticide that is 100% effective against mosquitos, ticks, fleas, crickets, and ants. It’s intended for outdoor use on lawns, shrubs, trees, flowers, and roses. Each container can cover up to 5,000 square feet, and each application lasts for up to four weeks. It comes with a hose-end sprayer that makes it easier to apply to large areas. While it’s a non-staining formula, you shouldn’t use this on fabrics or patios.
Black Flag HG-11108 (R) Killer
Black Flag Flea & Tick Killer is a strong pesticide that can provide complete protection against pests for up to 12 weeks. Each ready-to-spray canister can treat up to 5,000 square feet of yard space. As it’s a pesticide, don’t allow any people or pets to come in contact with the spray until it has dried. You’ll also need to be careful using it around water sources to avoid contaminating the environment.
Takeaways
If you’re like me and you prefer to use all-natural products when possible, I’d recommend using the Vet’s Best spray for flea/tick control inside the house, and using the Wondercide Flea & Tick Yard & Garden spray outside.
The Vet’s Best spray is certainly good enough to use in your yard, but with the manual squeeze-spray squirt-top it’s not the idea choice for covering large areas. If you have a major tick infestation and require a heavy-duty pesticide to clear the yard, the Adams Plus spray is highly reviewed and recommended.
