How to reduce ticks around your home

With described video

Transcript

Transcript

(Music)

Text on screen reads: “How to reduce ticks around your home”. A tick climbs down a fern leaf.

NARRATOR: The best way to protect you and your family from tick-borne diseases, like Lyme disease, is to prevent tick bites.

Succession of different scenes starting with two young adults are hiking through a dense forest followed by

NARRATOR: Contrary to popular belief, ticks can be found outside of rural areas,

A woman jogging on a path facing a cityscape,

NARRATOR: in cities,

A house in the suburbs,

NARRATOR: suburbs,

A public playground,

NARRATOR: playgrounds

A young boy petting his dog in a backyard.

NARRATOR: and even backyards.

And a young girl biking on a path surrounded by tall grass.

NARRATOR: Areas with trees, shrubs, tall grass and piles of leaves are ideal hiding places for them.

The scene changes to a rake gathering leaves in the suburban house’s backyard. A dog is running in the background. A thermometer icon appears on screen and the colour inside the thermometer changes from red to blue as the temperature lowers.

NARRATOR: Remember that ticks are active anytime the temperature is above freezing.

A mother and son playing soccer with a ball in a backyard.

NARRATOR:  That means ticks can be found around your home

A family of five sitting at a picnic table outdoors in front of a parked camping trailer.

NARRATOR:  and places you visit, all year round!

Close-up of the front lawn of a suburban house. Text on screen reads: “Tips to reduce ticks”.

NARRATOR: Here are some tips to help you reduce ticks around your home:

A dad mows grass on its front lawn.

NARRATOR: Mow the lawn regularly. Ticks don’t like short grass.

Close-up of rake scraping leaves.

NARRATOR: Remove leaf litter and weeds at the edge of the lawn, around stone walls and woodpiles to help make it less inviting for ticks.

A whipper snipper trimming grass along a stone edge.

Mulch is spread throughout a garden with a rake.

NARRATOR:  Create a 1-metre or wider wood chip, mulch, or gravel border between your lawn and shrubs, woods or stone edges. This helps reduce ticks on your lawn.

The dad wears gloves and safety glasses, and drills a screw into a white picket fence.

NARRATOR: Put up barriers around your home and

The mom wears gloves and safety glasses, and seals the cracks between a stone wall with a caulking gun.

NARRATOR: Seal stone walls and other openings to help prevent animals,

Succession of different animal starting with a deer in front of a forest,

NARRATOR: like deer,

Then a mouse in a pile of leaves,

NARRATOR: mice and other rodents, from bringing ticks into your yard.

And a chipmunk in a forest.

Scene changes to an outdoor dining set on a backyard patio.

NARRATOR: Place patios, decks and children’s play sets away from yard edges and trees,

A boy swings on a swing set in a playground.

The boy plays with a toy truck on the mulch base of the playground.

NARRATOR: and if possible on a woodchip or mulch foundation.

The mom inspects her dog’s fur for ticks on a backyard deck.

NARRATOR: Talk to your veterinarian about tick-prevention products for your pets, as they can also carry ticks on to your property and indoors.

The dad brushes off his pant legs on a front porch.

NARRATOR: After being outdoors, inspect your clothing, your gear

Hands run through the family cat’s fur checking for ticks. The cat enters the suburban house through the front door.

NARRATOR: and your pets for ticks before going inside.

The dad stands in the bathroom and closely inspects his arm.

NARRATOR: Also do a full body tick check on yourself – and don’t forget to check your family!

The mom inspects her little boy’s hair for ticks.

Screen fades to white. Text on screen reads: “Canada.ca/LymeDisease”. Four ticks of different sizes appear on screen. The Government of Canada logo appears.

NARRATOR: Learn how to protect yourself against tick bites and tick-borne illnesses on Canada.ca/LymeDisease

A message from the Government of Canada.