The Natural Way to Kill Ticks
Ticks live in tall grasses in large numbers, and jump off onto any warm-blooded creature that wanders by. These small insects make their living by sinking their jaws into an animal's skin and sucking blood until they're full. Besides being a disturbing pest, ticks can carry fairly serious diseases and pass them on to pets. If you have ticks on your property, take some natural steps to get rid of their habitat. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Lawn mower
- Bug repellent
- Citronella spray/candles
- Permethrin oil/spray
- Guinea fowl/Chickens/Ducks
- Bird feeders
- Bird houses
Instructions
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Spray bug or citronella spray over any exposed skin on your body and mow the yard. Mow all grass and brush down to a few inches. This immediately eliminates the majority of the ticks' habitat.
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Treat your yard with all-natural citronella and permethrin oils (available at home and garden shops). These oils are derived from flowers and are nontoxic to other animals and pets. Follow the directions on the label to mix the oil, and spray it over vegetation as you would spray pesticide. Repeat the treatment monthly.
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Purchase and use natural tick eaters such as ducks, chickens and guinea fowl. Hang bird feeders and bird houses to draw birds to the area to eat ticks. Citronella and permethrin are harmless to these birds.
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Tips & Warnings
Use citronella to drive away flies and mosquitoes as well.
If you pull a tick off a dog or cat by hand, there's a chance that its jaws will break off and stay embedded in the animal's skin to cause an infection.
