Outdoor Pest Control - Ticks

Live in rural area surrounded by forest. So far this year have had seven tick bites, in spite of efforts to prevent (tucking trousers in socks, spraying clothes with pyrethicin, wearing large brim hats, tight neck and wrist bands). Last bite has given me basic symptoms of Lyme disease, so am going for medical care. Now--I have sprayed, spred granules, invoked all the saints, but I even find these little bastuds in my house! Anyone got some magic ideas on how to suppress and control these creatures?

Gosh, sounds like you are under attack. Unfortunately these warmer winters don't kill off as many pests. This first site has some helpful ideas. If you are going to work in your yard a 'tick drag' or CO2 trap should help.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page9.html#Ticks%20and%20Fleas:
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=500

Newt

Newt--
Thanx--have reviewed both sites you cited. Never heard of a Tick Drag before; have begun to think that's what <<I>> am!

Am going to crank up the 20gal electric spray rig and hit all the undergrowth around my place. Also bought two bags of insecticide granules which will run through the spreader when next I mow.

The VA had given me a 20-day course of Doxycycline as a Lyme disease preventative when I reported my first tick bite (AND took them the tick in a jar, because I had read they can analyze to see if the tick is a disease carrier, but they just laughed and tossed the jar in the trash).

This serious bite I got on the last day of the antibiotic course. There is some carryover, but I don't know how much. I am not yet having any of the other Lyme disease symptoms, just the swelling, rash, and pain/itch at the bite site.

So I promptly notified the VA dr. and expect to hear from him within next three or four days, possibly with a renewal of the doxycycline scrip.

I was born, raised, and lived 60 years in the Rocky Mtns and grew up knowing about ticks and Spotted Fever. But these are Deer Ticks (should they be Green and Yellow, with "Nothing runs like a deer" printed on them?) and I gather from the Neb U website that they are more dangerous than the rocky mtn ticks. (Incidentally, in 1943 I worked for the NU Agricultural college in Lincoln cleaning chicken houses and pulling bindweed off of fences. I was 13 then; my Dad was stationed at Lincoln AAFB with the 485th BG (H) preparing to go overseas. As soon as he left, my mother took us back to Ft. Collins, Colo, where I had been born. Now the OTHER website you sent me is for a firm in--of all places!--Ft. Collins, Colorado! How did you manage all that?

Reddnekk

one of the reasons for heavy tick populations is we have controled the brush fires that used to happen naturaly. grass and brush fires help to control ticks as they can't fly or even crawl extremly fast. the high deer populations contribute to the problem. I have had best luck with pyrethim on my clothes and wearing light colors with tape on my pants leggs at the shoes.

murphy was an optimist.

Reddnekk, I'm so sorry to read about your tick bites. :( I don't know how I managed to find those sites, but I've had them for a while. I''m glad they had extra meaning for you though. I sure hope some of that info helps.

Newt

We live out in on a horse farm and have issues with ticks on our Siberian huskies when they are out during the day in their pen. We were finding one or two on them a day, ones that we noticed anyways..hard to find on Huskies. We would find them on ourselves too, had to watch just going out in the yard! Then I came upon this stuff: Amorphous Diatomaceous Earth. I've known about it for a while but I finally got fed up with the ticks and we don't like using chemicals on our dogs if we can avoid it.

I tell ya what, this stuff is the bees knees. Non-toxic. harmless to humans and pets and deadly to all insects. It works mechanically by poking holes into the exoskeletons of insects, abrading etc. and desiccates the little buggers in short order. I used a yard sprayer and a hose at first, but then moved onto a pump and cary ortho yard sprayer..using about 2-3 cups per 2 gallons of water. I treated our yard and esp around the dog pen. Have not seen a tick since. You have to re-apply every now and then, esp if you get a hard rain, but seems a small price to pay for what is basically a big bag of chalk dust.

You have to make sure you get the "Food Grade' DE, however. There is a cheaper type that is heat treated and used in pool filters..it's not effective against insects and it can cause term health problems because it turns it into crystaline DE. Can cause basically the same problem you get with asbestos, so be careful about that aspect. I bought a 10lb bag from ebay for 10 bucks and only has 1/2% crystaline, in it according to the mineral analysis.