The ticks are taking over.

The ticks are thick this spring at our place. The dogs are constantly covered. We treat them with the spot stuff, but they won't stay out of the water long enough to allow it to dissolve. I guess we'll have to keep them indoors for a couple of days.

I figure brushhogging will help, but does anyone have any other ideas to slow down the invasion? I prefer something cheap, quick and 100% effective. Thanks.

Fortunately, it's been a long time since we had a problem with fleas or ticks, but when we did, the vet recommended a dip with diluted liquid or "flowable" Sevin. We dipped the dog in it (except for his head, of course) then I poured the dip through a cloth to make sure there was nothing that in it that could plug a spray nozzle and sprayed it on the yard. It worked very well. But of course it could get expensive if you're talking about spraying a large area.

Guinea Hens

Eric, Brush hogging is not going to do it. The nymphs hang out at ankle height as their preferred host is rats, mice, bunnies, and such. Adults hang out at deer height on bushes and such and have IR sensors to help them find prey.

I hate ticks, getting a tick on me really creeps me out and with all the bad diseases they can carry it isn't a casual thing.

Never grab a tick to remove it. Don't touch them with bare fingers. Do not use Vaseline, fingernail polish a lighted cigarette or any similar folk remedies. They carry the disease causing pathogens in their gut. Anything you do to hurt or make the tick sick along the folk remedy line may cause the tick to empty the contents of its gut into your blood stream which is what it attaches to.

There are some simple and inexpensive tick removal appliances (look on the net) that work pretty good. The design of the removal device allows you to get between the ticks head and body and slowly and carefully twist and pull the head out of the host's body. They actually secrete a glue and glue themselves to you so getting them off fairly soon is good. If you apply pressure to the ticks body it is like giving yourself a shot into your bloodstream with the contents of the tick's gut (where the disease pathogens are concentrated.

Ordinarily pathogens are not put into your blood stream until after a few hours (if you don't use the tick's body as a syringe to give yourself a shot of its gut contents.)

An ounce of prevention... Permethrin is used by the DoD to protect the troops from insects. You used to treat your BDU's (Battle Dress Uniform, AKA fatigues, cammies...) by spraying with a permethrin solution. Now the uniforms are made from cloth already treated.

Permethrin is pretty safe. It is the active ingredient in shampoo used on children to control lice and also in anti-fly and insect control for cattle etc. Permethrin is available over the net from various distributors to be used to treat clothing to make you essentially tick proof.

I bought some permethrin over the net at typical net prices. The next time I bought it much much cheaper from an ag supply store. My last purchase was a gallon for $40. It was 10% solution. To use it you dilute it to 1/2 of a percent (20:1) with water. You spray socks, outer shirts, and pants till wet but not dripping and let dry outside. The stuff I buy has some petroleum distillates in it so you don't want it in the electric dryer till that evaporates.

This will give you approximately 50 hot detergent washings or a year of time for effective tick control. These figures and instructions assume high cotton content clothing. The permethrin bonds to the cotton fibers. Permethrin is not effective when applied to your skin as your body chemistry breaks it down fairly quickly but bound to cotton cloth it works well and lasts a long time.

If you have more $ than time then you can go to Wall-Mart and buy permethrin in aerosol spray cans. It is 0.5% concentration just like recommended by the DoD and comes with instructions on the can how to use it. I did the math. $40 for a gallon will make 20 gal of spray which is well over a thousand dollars worth at Wall-Mart prices. Even if permethrin were a couple hundred a gal I would buy the gallon. It keeps. For us a gal is a 3 year supply and we spray all our cotton outer wear that we might wear where there is a reasonable tick risk.

It works super. It doesn't just divert ticks it will kill them. A plus is that red bugs (chiggers) spiders, and mosquitoes are covered as well. A mosquito will not bite you through treated cloth. Your only risk is skin not covered with treated cloth.

There are time release micro encapsulated DEET creams to use on exposed skin. They last longer than normal DEET but less DEET gets to you so it is lower possibility of toxicity. The cream was developed for our troops and is now available over the counter. Look around where insect repellents are displayed. Wearing treated cotton clothes and using cream on exposed areas gives you 99% plus protection from ticks, mosquitoes, etc.

I don't know about treating dogs but treating a cotton pet mattress will help.

IT is fun to see a tick on treated cloth. I have seen folks take a tick off them before it attached and I had them put it on my pants leg. The bug wandered randomly not at all headed purposefully upward which is normal. The permethrin "JAMS" their sensors. They wander around a bit and fall off to die.

Mosquitoes are still a bother as they will still circle your ears whining and buzzing but they won't land or "spud in" to drill for blood. I treat my hats with the spray and it sure helps.

All the above info can be confirmed from various sources if anyone wants a second opinion. CDC Atlanta, WHO, DoD, and on and on. This is the straight stuff.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

You need some fire ants!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Okay, maybe not the best solution.

A few years ago I eradicated every single fire ant mound in our yard and it led to an EXPLOSION in the tick population. We had ticks so bad, I'd find them crawling in our bed sheets, across the floor, our clothing etc. The dogs were absolutely covered daily.

Since then, I manage the fire ants, but not quite to the extreme. We hardly ever see ticks any more.

Gee Pat.... Thanks for ruining my breakfast [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
Here I was sitting eating my pineapple cheam cheese bagel and my french vanilla flavored coffee and there I go reading you detailed discription of ticks.... [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
Have you ever heard of fore warning us of graphic content... LOL [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Seriously, good read man [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Ok, here is my take on these little critters.

I live in the country here in Tenn and we have a lot of deer ticks as well. Enough so that you couldn't walk across the feild without picking up several on yourself.

I found keeping the lawn mowed solved that. I mean I would mow an area and it could lay down on the ground and not have one tick on me. Walk in the taller grass and pick up a few. So I found they Do Not like mowed lawns.
Yea I know... dog don't care if the grass is mowed or not, they will run and live the good life of a dog... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Another thing I found first hand while living in Florida, the land of fleas... Is Garlic.
Yep I said garlic. Sprinkle a little bit, like your putting some on your own food and you will be surprised.
Fleas don't like Garlic, ticks don't like garlic and neither does skeeters.

I am as serious as a heart attack gents.... After about a week or two, it will be in their pores in their skin, they might even smell a little. You might find a couple walking around on them, but I don't think you are going to find one embedded though.

I used to feed my Rottie, an outside dog, garlic powder sprinkled in his food and never had any problems with fleas or ticks.

I would also get some guinees as well. Those things will eat anything and everything that doesn't eat them first [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

WARNING: Science Content! (Borrowed from Myth Busters)

Handyman, Permethrin is a Pyretheroid. It was developed from the crysanthanum flower (if I recall correctly.) I'm sure it was a flower just not 100% positive it was the 'mum.

Different folks vary in their attractiveness to crawlin' and flyin' critters. Mosquitoes would come from great distances to get to feast on my mom but ignored my dad right next to her. He never had a mosquito problem and didn't need a repellant. I don't have much of one since I treat outer clothing with Permethrin and sometimes use the time release DEET cream.

A close cousin of Permethrin is Cypermethrin (sold as Demon and other names.) That is the best stuff I have ever seen for controling (killing) lots of bugs without being a problem for people. It kills spiders, scorpions, roaches, and on and on and is safe to use indoors. You mix it in water to spray it and after it dries is safe for rug rats and pets. Yoiu only have to spray every 3-4 months. It doesn't stink and is safe for household use indoors or out. Just don't spray it on food handling surfaces like counter tops.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]