Things You'll Need
Tweezers
Dish
Rubbing alcohol
Acaricides
Pet treatment products
Fipronil- or permethrin-based rodent traps and baits
Light-colored clothing
DEET-based insect spray
Tree ticks is the common name given to various tick species that live in wooded areas, such as the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). These ticks may also be found in your yard or garden. Not only do ticks bite and cause physical discomfort, but they may also carry dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease. Kill the ticks you find on yourself and pets or in your yard to protect your family.
Step 1
Remove ticks that are biting you. Use tweezers to pinch the tick on its head near the point at which it is biting your skin. Pull the tick away from your skin. Avoid twisting it as you pull. Drop the tick in a dish filled with rubbing alcohol to kill it. Rub the tick bite with alcohol to disinfect the area.
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Step 2
Kill ticks in your yard. Spray your entire landscape, including the lawn, with a permethrin-based acaricide every three to four weeks. Focus on areas of your yard that border wooded areas. Various companies offer acaricide products, including Astro, Bonie and Ortho. Apply according to the specific product's guidelines, as toxicity and potency varies widely by formula.
Step 3
Treat your pet for ticks, if applicable. Numerous tick-killing products are available and come in the form of oral medications, shampoos, spray solutions and dusting powders. Such products can be found at a pet store or the pet department in a general retailer. Alternatively, consult your pet's veterinarian for prescription-strength tick-killing pills.
Step 4
Control future tick populations after killing ticks on yourself and your pets, and in your landscape. Ticks found in trees, lawns and wooded areas require hosts and typically rely on rodents for these purposes. Fipronil- or permethrin-based rodent traps and baits can effectively control ticks on wildlife, thereby reducing the overall tick population and preventing future infestations.
Step 5
Minimize your risks for getting bitten by ticks when walking through forested, wooded areas. Wear light-colored apparel sprayed with DEET-based insect repellent to drive away ticks and kill any that may land on your clothing.
Tip
Reduce shade in your yard to deter ticks. Keep your lawn mowed and trimmed, and prune back shrubs and foliage.
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