So many of us have had a tick bite, or know someone who has. It’s frightening to imagine these tiny creatures lurking in our yards, ready to pounce and possibly make us sick.

The impulse is to take control and keep things tidy — a well-trimmed green lawn means there’s nowhere for those critters to hide, and add an insecticidal treatment for good measure. Surely that will keep us safe, right?

In fact, studies show that will make the problem far worse. Our best defense against infectious disease is biodiversity.

First, tick treatments are nonselective, which means they kill much more than ticks — pests may die but so will beneficial insects like bees, butterflies, etc. Insects are dying at an alarming rate — there has been a greater than 75% drop in total flying insects biomass since the 1970s, and that trend is continuing in the wrong direction.

Second, lawn is a nonnative monoculture. It is a biological dead zone that supports no wildlife. The resulting sterile void creates the dilution effect — when diversity is reduced, the species that tend to move in are the ones that spread disease, like mice. (While deer get blamed for bringing ticks to our yards, the primary deer tick host is the white-footed mouse, who is completely unimpressed by your 7-foot fence.)

Mosquito spraying is another false solution to infectious disease control. It’s hard enough to successfully swat a mosquito that’s landed on your arm, let alone spray one in flight. So companies spray gallons of toxic nonselective insecticides into your bushes and shrubs in hopes of killing them. Guess what else gets killed? If the poison is strong enough to kill a mosquito, it’s strong enough to kill all the other insects, including the charming fireflies that make summer nights so magical. Plus, there’s nothing to stop the mosquitos who just hatched down the street from stopping over to your house in a few days, after the poison has worn off. Don’t believe the hype around organic treatments and essential oils either — that’s just a waste of money that’s meant to make you feel better about the mass extinction that’s happening in your backyard.

Still, you don’t want tick and mosquito bites. So what should you do?

Let your garden protect you. Invite biodiversity into your yard. Reduce your lawn and plant native plants. Plants are the foundation of the food pyramid. Get rid of Japanese barberry, which is a popular but invasive ornamental shrub that provides ideal tick habitat, and replace it with favorites like black-eyed Susans or purple coneflowers. Add goldenrod to invite predatory wasps that manage the less desirable insects. Stop spraying poisons that indiscriminately kill and instead start building your soil health. Leave the leaves to attract birds. Before you know it, these small steps will turn your yard into a thriving ecosystem.

While climate change will continue to mean an increased tick and mosquito population and we do need to remain vigilant, we can — and must — garden our way to a healthier environment for all.

To learn more, read this article by Yale infectious disease specialist Dr. James Shepherd.