Here is what the net says to do to help control ticks:
Habitat change is very important in tick control. Since ticks cannot hop or fly to get to their host, they must climb onto an object (such as tall vegetation, fences, etc.) and wait for a potential host to travel close by. Detecting shadows, vibrations, exhaled carbon dioxide or other host odors, the tick then drops from their tall perch to attach themselves to their host.
Create ‘tick-free’ zones around your home by cutting back wooded areas and increasing the size of open lawn. Move woodpiles, birdfeeders and birdbaths as far from your house as possible. Mice and chipmunks hide and nest in woodpiles, and eat spilled food from birdfeeders. Birds can spread immature ticks over great distances as they migrate, and they may drop ticks in your yard as they use feeders and birdbaths. Keep your lawn well mowed, to a height of 3 inches or less. This lowers the humidity at ground level, making it difficult for ticks to survive. Also, mice and other small animal hosts avoid these neatly trimmed areas because they cannot easily hide or find food and nesting materials. Keep garbage in tightly closed cans and don’t put pet food outside or purposely attract and feed wild animals. Remove brush, weeds, leaf litter, and other yard debris that attract ticks and their hosts. Reduce the plants in your yard that deer love to eat (such as azaleas, rhododendrons, arborvitae, and crabapple) and increase the plants that they don’t like (such as Colorado blue spruce, Scotch pine, boxwood, daffodils and marigolds). Extension agencies and local nurseries can offer more suggestions for your area. Rake back leaf litter and cut away undergrowth several feet into the edge of any woods that are on or next to your yard. Eliminate dense plant beds close to your house, such as ivy and pachysandra
