Maybe you are so eager to start your own garden. Or, perhaps it could be that camping you are about to take. Well, all those fun activities you plan to undertake. However, did you know that some irritating little buggers could get a chance to feast on you? and they are none other than ticks. These creatures can cause real discomfort. Therefore, you should equip yourself with knowledge on how to get rid of ticks.
These buggers are present throughout the year in most regions of the United States. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that they are more troublesome between April and September. Ticks become more proactive when it starts to warm up.
Other than these creatures irritating the skin, they also may transmit diseases. An example is the Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Despite all that, do you have to stay in the house all day during summer?
The important thing is to reduce the chances of exposure or to collect them through your clothes. In fact, preventing infestation depends on how you reduce the encounters. The other thing is to know how to get rid of the ticks once you have them in your surrounding or clothing. Below are the measures that you should take.
Measures to get rid of ticks
1. Clear the yard
Do you have a lawn in your compound? Note that these are favorite places for the ticks due to the shade and moisture. Therefore, be sure to maintain the lawn by frequently cutting the grass short. That way, it is possible to get rid of tick infestation around the homestead.
These bugs use the tall grass blades to climb to the host as it passes by. When you maintain short grass, there is less shade, and the conditions are drier due to the increased sun. However, trimming the lawn is not effective if you leave the debris lying around. You should empty the mower in another place since it may contain the ticks. You can use a rake to pull the grass. In case there are trees around the compound, ensure you collect the leaves as soon as they fall.
Maybe there are those overgrown trees or shrubs in the compound. Be sure to trim them back to allow adequate sunlight to reach the ground. There are shrubs, e.g., the barberry that is very effective in harboring ticks due to their dense growth habit. You must avoid them in the compound if you are keen to get rid of ticks.
2. Block the shaded areas
Maybe you live adjacent to a wooded area or a tree line. You can add a three-inch border using wood chips to hinder the crossing of ticks to your side. Ensure the wood chip mulch is you are using is the traditional one and not the dyed variety since the latter could contain some moisture. Additionally, you should set the recreational areas away from possible sources of ticks, such as treelines.
3. Get rid of deer and rodent attractants.
Rodents are reservoir hosts, while deer are reproductive hosts. It means that when the ticks are on the deer, they get enough nourishment that enables them to lay up to 2,000 eggs. Being a reproductive host, they are pathogen-free, meaning they won’t contract Lyme disease from deer. However, infestation increases exponentially.
On the other hand, the ticks can obtain infectious pathogens from the rodents. Therefore, when you are reducing the deer and rodent attractants, you are solving two problems. The first one is the increasing population due to the deer and Lyme disease incidence due to rodents. You can replace the attractants with respective repellants. For instance, Critter Ridder is a great rodent repellant.
4. Use lemons and oranges
Citrus fruits won’t kill the ticks as such. However, it is an effective method of repelling them. Orange peels have D-Limonene, which is a concentrated form ward off the ticks.
5. Use tick tubes
Rodents are the source of tickborne diseases. You can use tick tubes to target the rodents. These are permethrin soaked cotton balls. Permethrin is a recommended chemical since it gets rid of ticks and is safe for pets and kids when dry. You fix the balls in a cardboard tube and place it in sites where the rodents frequent.
The chipmunks and mice carry the make cotton balls to their nests. In the process, the fur gets into contact with a significant amount of permethrin, which kills the ticks. The use of permethrin soaked cotton is an excellent method to get rid of ticks in a technique that resembles spraying the rodents that host them.
6. Use diatomaceous earth
You can use diatomaceous earth to get rid of ticks. This product dehydrates the creepy-crawlies and eventually leads to their death. The only drawback in the use of diatomaceous earth is that it takes time to kill the ticks. They have to get into contact with it for it to work. However, it has its pros. If you did not know how to get rid of ticks in an affordable, safe, and all-natural way, then consider the use of diatomaceous earth. But confirm that it is the food-grade type.
7. Kill the ticks using heat
You can use heat to eradicate ticks, especially if they are in your clothing. It is an easy and natural way to kill these little buggers. The dryer is more effective than the wash when it comes to killing the ticks. Place the clothes in the dryer for ten minutes to get rid of ticks every time you pass through the woods.
Heat won’t spare the ticks no matter the life stage. However, the downside is that you cannot put everything into the drier. A steamer would is a better and elegant solution. Through the use of this tool, you can reach the ticks in their likely hideouts. You can steam the curtains, furniture along baseboards and in the corners of the house.
8. Use essential oils
Essential oils won’t kill the ticks but are an effective solution to ward them off. One of the perfect essential oil you can use is the rose geranium. It has a lovely scent, and a small amount of the product can keep the ticks at bay.
You can as well use lemon eucalyptus oil. This oil should be a real one from the real tree and not a blend of eucalyptus oil and lemon oil.
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