Ticks in the garden and around your home can be a nuisance. Ticks carry a variety of blood-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, and some of these diseases can be fatal to your pets. This article will show you how to get rid of ticks that may be living around your home.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: How to Get Rid of Ticks in Your Home
Step 1. Put your house in order
Although ticks live outside, it is not uncommon for a brown dog tick to invade the interior of the house. Mites of this species parasitize dogs and other animals and prefer warm, dry conditions.
The first step in removing these mites is to clean your home, as mites can hide just about anywhere. Collect all things from the floor and do not throw dirty clothes around. Tick infestation is a reason to undertake a general cleaning in the house
Step 2. Wash dirty clothes in hot water
Ticks hide in dirty clothes and bedding. Wash items of clothing and bedding that the ticks may have gotten into in the hottest water suitable for the fabric.
Do not leave dirty clothes and laundry on the floor. If you suspect that ticks may have gotten into some items of clothing or bedding, do not put them in the basket with other dirty items to prevent ticks from entering there. Load dirty items directly into the washing machine
Step 3. Clean the house thoroughly
The next step is to thoroughly clean the entire house. Clean shelves, dust off corners, sweep, mop and vacuum floors.
- When getting rid of mites, a vacuum cleaner will play an important role as it sucks up these small insects easily. Thoroughly vacuum pet rugs, cracks in floors and walls, baseboards, tiles, and under furniture.
- After that, be sure to remove the dust bag from the vacuum cleaner and discard it.
Step 4. Treat the house with a pesticide
After you've tidied up the house and removed as many ticks as possible, you need to use a pesticide to kill the remaining ticks and their eggs.
- To kill eggs and mite larvae, lightly spray all areas of the house with pesticide. Use a pesticide with boric acid and plant extracts. Apply a little more pesticide to pets' rugs and other places they like to lie.
- To kill adult parasites, use a pyrethrin-based pesticide spray that is specifically designed to kill brown dog ticks. This pesticide is fast acting and safe for humans and pets.
- Spray the whole house with this pesticide. Watch out for carpets and curtains, undersides of tables, chairs and sofas. Before using the pesticide, be sure to read the instructions for use.
Step 5. Remove ticks from animals living in the house
Pets, usually dogs, are often infected with ticks. Dogs can bring ticks from the street or get infected from other animals that live in the neighborhood.
- The first step is to physically remove the ticks that the pet is using as a host, and then treat the dog's coat with a tick repellent that contains ingredients such as fipronil, amitrazine and permethrin. Check with your veterinarian.
- You can also purchase a tick collar for your pet. Such a collar is able to ward off ticks from a cat or dog for three months. These collars are rarely sold in stores, so check with your veterinarian or search online for a collar.
Step 6. Contact an exterminator
If a tick infestation is severe, professional help may be required. They use special equipment and insecticides to get rid of the ticks quickly. In addition, the habits of ticks are well known to specialists, so they can easily identify their habitats.
If, despite your best efforts, you are unable to get rid of the ticks, try a specialist
Part 2 of 3: How to Get Rid of Ticks Around Your Home
Step 1. Pay special attention to the favorite habitat of ticks
As a rule, ticks hide in the grass and bushes, they prefer shaded areas. They like high humidity.
- Ticks can also be found in places that are often visited by animals that they like to parasitize. Therefore, remember: every time you overcome tall grass or wander among the bushes, you are in "enemy" territory.
- The first step is to ward off ticks from the area around your home, and to do this, you need to make it less attractive to them.
Step 2. Prune overgrown plants
To begin with, get rid of too lush vegetation in which ticks like to hide. Trim the grass regularly and remove dead, diseased, or overgrown plants.
- Make sure that the grass does not grow too tall, remove vines and other plants that create too dense thickets.
- Ticks are like vampires - they drink blood and they don't like sunlight. Keep this in mind when clearing your area and try to keep as few shady corners as possible.
Step 3. Cut the grass more often
Regular mowing of lawns prevents ticks from hiding in tall grass and deprives them of their shade; in addition, dew evaporates faster from low grass in the morning, which deprives ticks of their beloved moisture.
Remove tall grass around your home and lawn. Use a lawnmower to create an area that is difficult for the mites to cross. In addition, short-cut grass will no longer attract wild animals that carry ticks
Step 4. Clear your yard of dry twigs and leaves
If mites cannot hide in tall grass, they look elsewhere for shade. In this case, the accumulation of branches and leaves (especially dried ones) suits them perfectly. Remove fallen branches and leaves from your area in time.
Step 5. Use pesticides
Treat your garden with safe pesticides in late spring or early summer to prevent ticks from entering your garden. A single spraying in late May or early June can reduce mite numbers by more than 50 percent.
- Only use pesticides that are intended to control ticks in your area and follow directions for use.
- Pesticides with lambda-cyhalothrin and esfenvalerate work well.
Part 3 of 3: How to prevent ticks
Step 1. Fence your yard
This will block access to large animals such as deer and foxes. Ticks are often carried by mammals, so try to keep wild animals out of your area to prevent ticks from entering. In addition, deer can gnaw on your plantings, and foxes can hunt domestic cats.
Step 2. Keep the wood in a clean and dry place
Like fallen branches and leaves, firewood traps moisture and creates shade. Keep the wood dry to prevent ticks from getting in. Plus, this will keep the wood longer and be able to use it next winter!
Step 3. Do not let children play where ticks might be
Make sure children play away from tall grass and trees. If you notice tall grass under the swing, get out your lawnmower and cut it!
Step 4. Clean the ground under the bird feeders
Ticks can grow under feeders, so you should clean up these areas regularly.
Step 5. Check for ticks on you
Examine yourself, your children, and their pets regularly, especially after playing or walking in the fresh air.
- Examine your hairline, armpits, legs, and other areas of your body. If you find a tick, remove it with tweezers.
- Be careful not to squeeze too much of the body of the insect, otherwise liquid may leak out of it, which increases the risk of contracting various diseases, including Lyme disease.
Step 6. Prepare a natural remedy for ticks
You can make your own non-toxic tick repellent. Take a 500ml spray bottle and spray it all around!
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Make a citrus-based product.
Ticks avoid citrus fruits, so they can be used to create a remedy for these parasites. Boil 2 cups (500 ml) water and add two sliced lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruit to it - you can use either one or a combination. Let the water simmer for about one minute, then simmer for about an hour. Then strain the water, let it cool, pour into a spray bottle, and spray on yourself, children, pets, and around the house - wherever ticks may be.
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You can also use geranium, lavender, or peppermint essential oils.
This product is not safe for cats, so do not splash it on them.
Advice
- Try this home remedy: Mix 1/2 cup (120 ml) lemon-scented dish soap and 1/2 cup (120 ml) garlic juice. Pour the mixture into a 75 liter garden sprayer filled with water. Spray the area around your home. Repeat the process every two weeks to prevent ticks from entering your area.
- Wear light-colored clothing that shows the mites better. Tuck your trousers into your socks to make it harder for ticks to get under your clothes.
- Ticks prefer moist, overgrown areas; they dislike dry, well-lit areas. Keep this in mind when laying out and caring for your infield.
- Sulfur dust repels ticks. If you are going to visit a place where there are many mites, apply sulfur dust to the cuffs of the shoes and the lower part of the legs. You can also sprinkle it on the dog, its kennel, and the ground under the bushes.