Ticks in Will County: Forest Preserve Yard Safety

Which ticks live here

Will County has several tick species, including the blacklegged (deer) tick associated with Lyme disease and the American dog tick. They share the same habitat preference: shaded, humid transition zones against woods, tall grass and brush. That shared habitat is what makes edge control effective against all of them at once.

Ticks do not jump or fly — they "quest," climbing vegetation and waiting to grab a passing host, which is why the overgrown edge of a yard is the hotspot and the mowed center is not.

Why preserve-edge homes see the most

Preserves like Messenger Woods, Waterfall Glen and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie border subdivisions across Will County, bringing deer, small mammals and the ticks they carry right up to yard edges. Homes along those borders — in Homer Glen, Lemont, New Lenox and similar — have the highest tick pressure in the area.

Make the yard edge safer

A few steps sharply reduce ticks where you use the yard:

• Keep a 3-foot mowed, mulched or gravel buffer between the lawn and the woods.
• Mow regularly and clear leaf litter and tall grass at the edge.
• Move play sets and seating toward the sunny center, away from the border.
• Treat the transition zone through the warm season where pressure is high.
• Discourage deer with plantings and fencing where practical.

Can a yard treatment reduce Lyme risk?

Treating the yard edge and keeping a dry buffer reduces tick numbers where people spend time, which lowers exposure. It works best alongside personal precautions — repellent, tick checks after being near the woods, and keeping to the center of trails. No single step is complete on its own, but together they make a real difference.