Tick reminder

[Hkindiana]

Been saving up tp and paper towel tubes all winter. Looks like I'll be getting some out this weekend. Next week is supposed be back into the 60's again.

I've been using permethrin livestock premises spray on the yard and on the cotton in the tubes. Works good, is cheap, and is relatively safe. Plus the mix can be used on clothing.

How do you make them, and how do they work?

 

[johntheplinker]

Very simple. Mice and other small animals are the biggest carriers and food source for tick eggs and newly hatched ticks so that is our target. Mix up some permethrin spray (or other long lasting insecticide of your choice) first. Spray a bunch of cotton balls, let dry. Stuff some of the balls into a TP tube or half paper towel tube. Distribute the tubes in corners, in crawlspace, other places where mice frequent. The mice take the balls to make their nests. This kills the newly hatched ticks that the mice pick up in their travels. By not killing the mice, they continually go out and pick up more of the ticks, take them back to the nest and then the ticks die from the spray. If we kill off the mice right away, then the ticks have to find another food source, and then us and our pets become part of their life cycle at an earlier point. This method does take some time to work completely but is extremely safe to us, our pets, and most of all beneficial insects (like bees) since we aren't randomly spraying the chemicals all over.

 

[two70]

Tips and tricks for how to spray for ticks? I recently bought this fogger and just bought bifenthrin. Do I just spray everything near my house? Trees, bushes, grass? What about the exterior of the house? How far away from the house should I spray? (I have 110 acres, so probably not all of that.) How long should I stay in one area / how thick should I apply it? Any "best practices" would be appreciated.

This is a new house on mostly forested land. I really would like to "go nuclear" on these ticks and kill all of them, as much as possible.

Depending on your goals for your property and the layout of it, you may be better off doing a series of controlled burns. Controlled burns will not only kill off ticks, it will also improve the habitat.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

I still have a bite that is healing from last fall. I saved the tick but the Dr. didn't seem interested. My calf was hot for a week but it's downhill now I hope.

 

[bwframe]