Prevention of Ticks

When I first heard about using Tick Tubes as a way to reduce ticks in my yard, I imagined half-burying little tubes in the ground with poison inside. The unsuspecting ticks would wander along and (BAM!) fall into a trap. Turns out, I was re-imagining what happened to Winnie the Pooh when he tried to catch a Heffalump, and was way off about tick tubes. 

I just watched a great conversation between two wise Lyme-minds, Alexis Chesney and Thomas Moorehouse. They are two experienced Lyme-literate docs with a lot to share. And Dr. Chesney has a book called “Preventing Lyme and Other Tick Borne Diseases…” that’s worth checking out. One thing they talked about was tick tubes.Tick tubes are easy to set up (or buy) and they reduce the tick population in your yard by 93% or more.

How to make them?

• Spray cotton ball or scrunched up dryer lint with permethrin;
• Stuff cotton/lint into paper towel or toilet paper tubes;
• Set around property near known mouse activity. 

The mice grab the lint or cotton to build nests. The permethrin doesn’t harm the mice but kills the tick larvae that live on mice. And the reproductive cycle of ticks around your home is severely disrupted and your property becomes much safer.The interview had many other great pearls of wisdom that I will highlight in future blogs. These include:

• Effective skin sprays to prevent tick bites
• What to do if you’re bitten by a tick
• Do herbs work to prevent Lyme?