This may be an odd question, but I figure y'all are the most likely
ones to know ...

How prevalent are ticks in the Austin area (especially Cherry Creek
and Greenbelt areas)? I'm trying to figure out what flea control to
use on the new puppy. If there's no need for tick control, I'd rather
not use a treatment with chemicals that are unnecessary, not to
mention potentially harmful to our cats. I have not seen any ticks on
the puppy or around the house, but I see references to ticks in past
a.g messages. Perhaps the ticks are limited to a particular part of
Austin (e.g., Blackland Prairie areas vs. Hill Country areas)?

Also, Natural Gardener has a sign up about using beneficial nematodes
to treat fleas in the yard. When I asked about it, the salesperson
said you have to keep the yard wet for the treatment to be effective
.... but that would counter our efforts to make our yard less
water-intensive. Does anyone have any experience with using these
nematodes for flea treatment and if so, how wet/how often does the
yard need to be to be effective? I really don't like using nonorganic
treatments in the first place, and until this puppy gets out of her
grass-eating phase, I'm leery of treating the yard with anything at
all. Perhaps the Advantage or Frontline on the puppy would be
sufficient.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.