How to get rid of ticks from your yard and your body

The last thing you want to do is make your yard a home for ticks. "Reducing tick habitat around your home is important to minimize exposure to pests and diseases," says Griffin Dill, PhD, coordinator of the Cooperative Extension: Tick Lab at the University of Maine . Cut the brush back, cut short grass, rake leaves and compost litter, and generally keep the lawn landscaped to prevent ticks from settling.

White-footed mice are actually the vermin that infects ticks with the bacteria that causes the disease. Placing tick control tubes around your garden – which are stuffed with cotton containing permethrin insecticide – can kill ticks and drive them away. How? Mice (yes, they almost always exist near your landscape) will steal treated cotton and use it as nesting material, thus preventing an infestation. Place these biodegradable tubes in July or August, then in the following May, suggests the Tick Encounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island.

STEEL CONTROL TUBES

When it comes to spraying anti-tick products in your garden, know that many pollinators kill like bees, says Dill, so always read the label. While many "natural" tick killers use essential oils, research on their effectiveness is not particularly effective. However, it is not a problem to try, and the one that gets the highest marks from users is the natural Wondercide anti-flea and anti-tick spray based on cedar oil. Just note that the use of these aerosols must be associated with other preventive measures.

SHOP SPEED SHARD TICK YARD

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), building a fence in your garden can be a good way to keep deer, stray dogs and raccoons outside your property. Ticks like to hang on these animals (they do not only bite humans). Therefore, moving them away from your garden can prevent pests from entering your home.

If you live near a habitat known for ticks, such as a forest or wooded area, tall grasses or shrubs, you can prevent ticks from migrating into your garden for the purpose of helping. a physical blocker. Just create a barrier of wood chips or gravel (which suits you best) three feet wide between your lawn and the tick-friendly area to keep creatures at bay, suggests the CDC.

Ticks can hitchhike in your home after catching your pets. Therefore, examine them systematically after their stay outside, especially if they have rolled on their territory. If you find a bite, here is the right way to remove a tick from your dog.

Repellents containing at least 20% DEET, picaridine, IR3535 or lemon eucalyptus oil protect ticks from the skin because they can disturb the sensory organ of the tick that detects heat and odors. Repellents with a lower percentage are equally effective, but will need to be reapplied more often (not to exceed 30%). Follow the instructions above and apply it directly to your skin when the label prompts you specifically. OFF!, Sawyer and Repel are excellent brands to look for. Just make sure your repellent is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency. Discover our best tick repellents here.

TICK REPELLENT STORE

Tick ​​nymphs are the size of poppy seeds and can reach you by crawling. However, a CDC study found that various types of ticks (including those with diseases such as Lyme disease) died in less than a minute after contact with permethrin-treated clothing, and that those who survived could no longer move so easily. . Look for a product containing 0.5% permethrin, such as Sawyer's premium repellent repellent. and apply to your clothes and shoes only, says the CDC. It is also ideal for equipment (such as tents and backpacks) if you plan to go camping or go hiking.

BOUTIQUE PERMETHRIN

"Although ticks can attach and attach to any part of the body, some parts are more common, especially in the hairline and in remote places such as the armpits, groin and behind the knees," Dill explains. Check your body after outdoor activities, but pay close attention to these areas, as well as around and around the ears, navel and around the waist. (You do not know what a tick bite looks like? These pictures can help you identify one.)

Anyway, you are probably sweaty, so you can also cool off. Washing within two hours will not only help you rinse the ticks, but also give you the opportunity to check if you are looking for creatures.

Go straight to the laundry and throw your clothes in the dryer, which will eliminate ticks on your clothes, says Dill. If the garment is clean and dry, dropping it on high for 10 minutes should be enough, says the CDC. You may need to go a little longer if the clothes are wet. And what if they need a total wash? Hot water should be used – medium to cold temperatures do not help to get rid of ticks.

To remove a tick correctly, it is best to grip it firmly with a thin tweezers and remove it regularly. However, social media is full of suggestions for household products that you can dabble to turn back, including dish soap, petroleum jelly or essential oils. "Often, these remedies work and ticks fall – but there is concern that the tick will regurgitate body fluids in the bite site, increasing the risk of transmission of the disease," says Dill.