Natural Yard Sprays

Cedar oil, neem oil, and garlic sprays for the yard, with honest notes on how long each one actually lasts.

Cedar Oil Spray

Cedar oil sprayed on the grass and shrubs kills ticks on contact, it dries them out and messes with the way they signal each other to mate. Tests have shown it keeps 80 to 94 percent of black-legged ticks away. The stuff doing the work is called cedrol, and how much of it you actually get depends a lot on how the oil was made, so quality varies a good bit between brands. Figure two to three weeks of protection in dry weather, less if it rains a lot.

Spray it along the perimeter, around shaded beds, anywhere you've actually seen ticks. About 82 percent of the ticks on a lawn are within 9 feet of the edge, so that's where to put your effort. A quart of concentrate, diluted right, covers about 40,000 square feet. It's safe for pets once it's dry, and you don't have the cat problem you get with permethrin.

Neem Oil Yard Spray

Neem oil clogs up the little holes ticks breathe through and messes up the larvae's ability to molt. It's safe for earthworms and the rest of what's living in your soil. Best to put it down early morning or evening since heat and sun break it down fast. Mix 3 tablespoons of cold-pressed neem oil into a gallon of warm water with a teaspoon of dish soap to help it mix. Spray it on shaded ground and soil. You'll need to redo it every week or two during the worst of tick season.

Garlic Yard Spray

The sulfur in garlic genuinely keeps ticks away. The smell's strong the first day and fades a good bit by day two. Store-bought versions (look for "Mosquito Barrier") pack more punch than what you'd make at home. To make your own: steep 3 to 4 minced garlic bulbs in a gallon of water overnight, strain it well, add a teaspoon of dish soap, and spray the perimeter and low plants. Redo it every 5 to 7 days, sooner if it rains.