Explain why tick exposure risk peaks during certain seasons and how homeowners can reduce yard exposure.

• A. Tick activity increases in spring and fall; reduce exposure by mowing, removing leaf litter, creating low-grass zones, and restricting deer access.
• B. Tick activity increases in summer only; water the lawn deeply to drown ticks.
• C. Tick activity is constant; only rely on chemical barriers without yard changes.
• D. Tick activity is higher in winter; cover yards with plastic.

Answer: (A)

Tick exposure risk follows the times when ticks are actively questing and when their preferred habitats—leaf litter and tall grasses—are closest to where people spend time. In many regions, this activity peaks in spring and early summer, with another uptick in fall as conditions stay warm enough and humid enough for ticks to move about. The risk isn’t constant through the year, and simple yard changes can make a big difference because they remove or reduce the places ticks like to wait for a host.

Mowing the lawn keeps grass short, which reduces the height at which ticks perch and wait for a passing person or pet. Removing leaf litter and other debris eliminates damp, sheltered spots where ticks thrive. Creating a low-grass or cleared buffer zone between woods or gardens and the main yard reduces the edge habitat where ticks are most abundant, making outdoor areas less inviting to them. Restricting deer access helps because deer bring and spread ticks into the yard, so limiting their presence lowers the number of ticks around you.

Watering deeply to drown ticks isn’t an effective strategy because ticks aren’t free swimmers and drought or irrigation won’t reliably affect them. Relying only on chemical barriers without changing yard habitat ignores how much outdoor exposure comes from the environment where people move, brush past vegetation, and sit in tick-prone areas, making non-habitat changes essential. Winter tick activity also tends to be lower, so focusing on seasonal hot spots and habitat reduction provides the most practical protection.