Which list correctly identifies two non-chemical and two chemical tick-management strategies for residential landscapes?

• A. Two non-chemical strategies are yard hygiene and removal of tall grasses; two chemical strategies are residual barrier sprays and perimeter acaricide treatments.
• B. Two non-chemical strategies are yard hygiene and removal of tall grasses; two chemical strategies are fogging and perimeter acaricides.
• C. Two non-chemical strategies are leaf litter removal; two chemical strategies are fertilizer applications.
• D. Two non-chemical strategies are mowing the lawn; two chemical strategies are insect growth regulators.

Answer: (A)

This question tests the idea of pairing habitat modification with chemical controls for ticks in residential landscapes. Two non-chemical strategies should reduce tick habitat without pesticides, and two chemical strategies should provide a treated barrier or active kill.

The best choice lists yard hygiene and removal of tall grasses as non-chemical strategies, which reduce debris, leaf litter, and dense vegetation where ticks and hosts thrive. It also lists residual barrier sprays and perimeter acaricide treatments as chemical strategies, which create lasting chemical barriers around the landscape to reduce tick encounters.

The other options mix in practices that aren’t as effective or typical for tick management in landscapes. Fogging tends to be short-lived and not a durable landscape strategy. Fertilizer applications don’t target ticks. Mowing alone is a partial habitat modification, and insect growth regulators are not standard or reliable tick controls in residential settings.