How do you safely keep ticks off your children and animals. I'm concerned about some of the insecticidal chemicals but don't want my daughter getting Lyme disease either. Does anyone know of any good natural methods for treating large areas?
Here are some natural repellants and links.
Bugrepel
www.bugrepel.com/
TickSafe Tick Repellent. Super effective natural Geraniol based product
countryfarellc.com/
GB04 Herbal Insect Repellent is from Green Ban Company in Australia.
I use seven dust. It's what you use in a garden to keep bugs away. I sprinkle it on my dogs. You can also sprinkle it in your yard and on the floor in your house. Leave on for ten minutes and vacuum it up, it wont hurt the kids. My grandaughter plays with the dogs after they have been treated and it hasn't harmed her.
Sevin Dust contains highly toxic Carbaryl toxic and dangerous to pets.
In fact, though carbaryl was first approved for use in 1959, it's never been brought into compliance with modern safety standards, according to Toxic Tradeoff, a recent report on carbaryl by the Washington Toxics Coalition. As early as 1969, a U.S. government report called for restricting carbaryl after it was found to cause birth defects in test dogs. Carbaryl is also highly toxic to bees and has been linked to immune-system cancer in farmers and brain cancer in children.
I would not recommend Sevin for this purpose, because it is toxic, and you definitely shouldn't be breathing it (like you would when you were vacuuming it up).
We treat our dog with Frontline every month. We dust the yard with sulphur using a spreader set on "fine" a couple of times a summer - this really helps repel ticks. Yes it does smell a little right when you first do it.
For ourselves, we take a garlic capsule every morning (the "no-smell" variety), and when we are going into the woods we spray our feet, legs and ankles with a DEET repellent.
We rarely get ticks, but we still make it a policy to check every night throughout the summer and fall just before showering.
I can understand your concern with Lymes. A neighbor of ours has a child (14 now), who has had it for the past 4 years. Her health has been devastated, and she misses school most of the year. In a neighboring town, a 16-year-old died of it last year.
We should all be so careful to check our children and ourselves every night for ticks!
One more thing about Sevin... it is widely suspicioned that these kind of chemicals are at least part of the cause of bee populations being so decimated these past few years. Please if you must use this stuff, use it judiciously, and only as a last resort.
I am a believer in Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil. Ticks do not like it. I buy it in the large container and refill my little spray container with it.
During the summer months, I spray a little in my hand and rub it on my legs, arms and around my waist every morning. I'm in the grass and bushes a lot and have no problem with ticks.
A little goes a long ways. It not only keeps the ticks away, it's good for your skin.
Does the lotion work?
There are several products on the market for repelling and killing ticks on your dogs. Some pet owners also attempt to remove them manually, care needs to be taken to remove the head.
Depending on where you live and the time of year ticks can be a parasite on dogs and humans. Food grade diatomaceous earth may be helpful in reducing ticks. This is a page about getting rid of ticks in your yard.
When pets pick up ticks outside they frequently leave them in your home, where they can become an infestation. This is a page about getting rid of ticks in your house.
What attracts ticks to a home without pets?
By Margaret P.
The attach themselves to socks and long pants. Research shows they don't live and breed in a home, so they will most likely try and get back outside but if not, will find a cool place to hide and die.
All of my money is tied up in medical bills and my house is infiltrated with ticks. I only let my dogs out for short periods of time, but they're getting them from in the house because they seemed to have taken up residency. I am going through chemotherapy and need an inexpensive way to get rid of them.
By Stacie
A very effective and inexpensive way to get rid of fleas and ticks is FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth. I get a 50 pound bag for $28.07 at my local feed store.
My dog just got spayed so she cannot get wet for another week, but some how she has picked up a bunch of seed ticks. I have heard all kinds of thing regarding garlic. Can I spray her down with a water garlic mix just enough to make the ticks want to get off of her? Or, do I have to wait until I can give her a bath and if so can I put garlic in her bath water and wash her with a tick and flea shampoo? I have already given her Advantix, but it does not treat for ticks :( Any suggestions?
By tiffany.byrd
My brother and his wife live in Florida. They are having a lot of trouble with ticks in their yard and in the house. They have two small kids and animals. What can they use to keep the ticks away? The kids have gotten up and had one crawling on them help!
By Jami T
Ticks don't like anythjng citrus. So you can cut up a lemon or an orange (or use both) and boil them in water for a few minutes and then turn it down and let it simmer for an hour and then drain off the fruit and put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray it on animals and people alike and it won't hurt anybody and the ticks hate it.
How do I kill ticks on my wooded property without killing everything else?
By Deborah
Guinea hens will clean them up for several houses around.
I live in Mesa, Arizona and I have never had ticks on my dogs growing up. Now that my wife and I have a house of our own we have ticks like crazy all over our 3 dogs. They come in the house and in one sitting I can kill 10 on the floor. We have tick collars on all three, have given them baths with the tick soap, and put the oils down their backs. Please help. I need ideas to get them gone.
By Jimmy
We keep guinea fowl in the yard, and they help keep the tick population down. You can also try bathing your dogs in a very dilute pine oil and water mixture, to kill the ones already on them. Sometimes the over the counter collars aren't strong enough to work. You can also try a sprinkling of Sevin dust, or diatomaceous earth dusting on the dogs. Be sure to research online about the amounts and frequencies.
Best of luck to you!
We live in ETX and know your pain. First you have to treat the yard, over,under around everything with the liquid 7 and a sprayer. Wait until the yard is dry before you let the dogs out. Do again in 7 to 10 days again as ticks hatch every 7-10 days. You may have to do again, you will have to judge. Wash the dogs with a flea an tick shampoo as you go along to make sure that all are off and keeping off.
I use the Adam's shampoo and tick an flea squeeze you put on the dogs neck after they are dry, get from Walmart, watch your dogs to make sure they are not having a reaction from the squeeze, If you are diligent and clear your yard the problem will be much better and doable. Good Luck. Believe me it takes consistence and perseverance but well worth the effort.