Managing Your Space for Human-Wildlife Interactions

Mosquitoes are bloodsucking insects with the potential to transmit disease, including West Nile Virus and Dengue fever. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and will take advantage of any opportunity to reproduce. When a mosquito goes to feed, it will land on the skin of an organism and feed for up to several minutes, after which an irritating, itchy bump will develop on the skin. These bumps typically go away without treatment.

Ticks are bloodsucking arachnid parasites that can transmit a slew of undesirable diseases, including Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome, and more. When “questing”, or searching for a host, ticks often wait at the tips of grass or shrubs and attach to a passing organism. A tick host could be a mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian. Once attached, a tick may cling to the host for several days. The time required for disease transmission varies considerably among pathogens, so prompt tick removal is always recommended.

Ticks thrive in thick leaf litter, dense vegetation, and moist ground, benefitting from access to blood meals in birds and mammals. A garden with ubiquitous closely-cut lawn and diligent leaf disposal will reduce tick habitat; however, that space will not support tick predators or other friendly wildlife. You can manage this issue by dividing your space.

Non-native, invasive plant control can help mitigate ticks. Ticks are known to thrive among invasive honeysuckles and barberries, most famously Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). In the Southeast, some invasive grasses such as cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) have been associated with lone star tick abundance. These invasive species can create cool and humid microclimates ideal for ticks. 

An important aspect of tick management is managing their wild hosts, particularly deer and mice. These animals can carry and spread ticks over long distances. Read on to the next sections to learn more about limiting these specific critters.

Your human-use area can be maintained by cutting grass short, moving leaf litter and yard debris, and creating three-foot (one meter) wide dry barriers (woodchips or bark mulch) around wilder areas. Wide, short-cut paths through wilder areas can prevent humans from brushing up against tall vegetation. 

Leaf litter can be moved to the edge of your yard, where it can support other organisms, such as the larvae of butterflies and moths, or beneficial tick predators. Tall grass and thick shrubbery can be contained to this area as well. The further from the human-use area, the better; maintaining a buffer between frequently used spaces and dense vegetation can reduce human contact with questing ticks.

Supporting native predators such as snakes (as outlined in this article) and birds of prey (as outlined in this article) can also contribute to natural rodent predation. Building habitat that can support apex predators will help create a more ecologically balanced landscape. Outdoor cats will prey on rodents, but are also a significant threat to birds and reptiles. We do not recommend using an outdoor cat as a form of rodent management. Consider keeping your cat on a leash or building a “catio”.

Keep your compost stored in containers with secure lids to prevent scavengers, or place your compost heap some distance away from your house. Trash and other waste should be similarly sealed in containers that rodents cannot access or chew through. If you grow fruits or vegetables, harvest ripe produce quickly; you may want to use properly-installed netting or covers to protect your crops from opportunists. If you have pet food or birdseed, make sure it is securely sealed. Remove fallen fruits and nuts from human-use areas. 

Water management can also help limit rodents. Repair leaking water sources, particularly near buildings, to avoid attracting rodents. 

Deer are abundant in many parts of North America, at once beloved for their cervid elegance and decried for their vigorous herbivory. Moreover, deer are common mobile tick hosts; managing their populations can make your garden a safer space for human beings. 

One of the most effective ways to protect spaces from deer is by installing an eight foot high fence, constructed with strong material. A smaller double fence with a gap in-between can also be effective, as deer prefer to have a clear landing zone. Visible electric fences are also an option. Make sure any fencing you construct doesn’t pose an entrapment risk for wildlife – including deer. High-visibility fences are best to avoid bird collisions, and barbed or spiky tops should always be avoided; read more about wildlife-friendly fencing to avoid hurting local creatures.

That being said, fences can be costly and laborious; another option is to use scare devices, such as auditory, olfactory, and visual deterrents, though these solutions are often only temporary. Be mindful of the effect that lights and noise can have on other wildlife. Use of deer repellents can also be somewhat effective, or applying an artificial smell or taste that deer find unpleasant to vulnerable plants. A spray of 20% egg and 80% water may reduce deer pressure on specific plants. 

Plants can be protected by fencing closer to the house, including fencing or netting around individual, vulnerable plants, while native plants that are less palatable to deer can be used further into the yard. Keep in mind that a hungry deer will eat just about anything, so no plant is truly deer-resistant. 

Clean and cover your grill. If you have livestock, keep young and small animals close to barns or within enclosures. Remove bird feeders from your yard when bears are active, and bringing them inside at night can be prudent as well. Never intentionally feed a bear, as this can lead to ongoing human – bear conflicts which may result in the bear being euthanized.

A great way to deter bears is to install an electric fence around vulnerable parts of the garden, particularly around orchards, beehives, compost piles, and vegetable gardens. Be aware of wildlife-friendly fencing techniques. Just as in managing deer, scare devices can be temporarily effective, if used while being mindful of other affected wildlife.