Dr. Stafford Tick Management Handbook - Newtown, CT

StaffordThe Connecticut Agricultural Experimentation StationDeer Fencing: Fencing is the most effective method to control access by deer to a property. Fencescan keep deer from large garden beds or small to moderate sized home lots. The exclusion ofdeer from areas of 15 to 18 acres with a slant high-tensile electric fence was shown to reduce theabundance of I. scapularis nymphs by as much as 84% and larval ticks by 100% approximately 70yards or greater inside the fence as fencing would need to enclose an area large enough to exceedthe range of smaller animal hosts. A deer fence does not inhibit small animal movement and tickmovement. Fencing of smaller areas also may be bene. cial, but tick management practices withinthe enclosure and the use of an insecticide at the fence perimeter may also be needed. Barrierfencing can be used to protect individual trees, shrubs or other plantings from deer.There are many types of deer fences and selectionwill depend upon deer pressure, area to be protected,and site characteristics. The most common choice fora fence is a plastic or wire mesh vertical structure. Anelectric fence is another option. A number of companiesspecialize in providing deer fencing and can providethe fencing materials or install the fence. However,many communities have local restrictions or ordinanceson the type and height of fencing allowed – check withyour local authorities.Non-electric fence: The fence may be vertical orthree-dimensional. A vertical fence requires the leastspace and a wide variety of fence materials and designsare available. Increasingly, a black polypropylene plasticfence-like mesh or steel mesh is being used instead of achain-link for vertical fences because of reduced cost, lowmaintenance, long life, and near invisibility, an attractivefeature in the residential landscape. The plastic materialcomes in rolls of various lengths and 7.5 feet wide andcan be fastened to existing trees or several different typesof posts. White . ags should be attached at around 4 feetto signal the presence of the fence. While deer can jump avertical fence of eight feet from a standing position, theyrarely do so and are more likely to try and push underfencing. Proper anchoring or staking of the fence alongthe ground is important. Single or multiple electric strandsalso can be placed along the top of a vertical wire ormesh fence. Another option is a slant deer fence set at anangle of 45 degrees for use in areas with moderate to highdeer densities, but it requires more space (about 6 feet ofhorizontal space). Deer cannot clear both the height andwidth of the fence and often . nd themselves under thetop outer wire. Solid 5- to 6-foot fences are also effective.Access gates, driveway gates (can be remotely controlledin more expensive systems), or in ground drivewaydeer grates (similar to cattle guards) will be needed tocompletely enclose the area and still allow owner andvehicle access.919293Bulletin No. 1010 53