Tick Season
- Thread starter Army Girl
- Start date
housemouse
Membership Revoked
Best tick control is to do a good body check daily. If you are creative, it might be "fun", if you get my drift?
Or are you asking about animals? Now, being the Red Skelton "perfessor" (dates me, I know).... are we animals?
Or are you asking about animals? Now, being the Red Skelton "perfessor" (dates me, I know).... are we animals?
Jackpine Savage
Veteran Member
Chickens and Guineas do a pretty good job on them.
MaxTheKnife
Membership Revoked
This is a really, REAAAAALLLLY bad tick year. I guess because of the mild winter we had. I don't know of anything to do about them besides learn to live with them. And do frequent looksees at your legs while out in the woods or puttering around in the yard. Keeping grass around the house cut short will help. Spreading cedar chips or sawdust around the house will help too. Or if you have them as bad as we do, a Remington 870 pump 12 guage with extended mag loaded with #9 shot works well. And as a last resort, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. 
I
IAMADAM
Guest
I have to thank Max for teaching me the ultimate tick avoidance technique when I was up at his place a few weeks ago.
You see, the trick is to take Max with you wherever you go. Four days in the woods and I couldn't claim a single tick as my own. They all went to him!
--adam
You see, the trick is to take Max with you wherever you go. Four days in the woods and I couldn't claim a single tick as my own. They all went to him!
--adam
MaxTheKnife
Membership Revoked
That's because they all know me by name and have my number Adam. They're shy with new folks. Heeeeeeee haaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!!
But seriously, Adam is telling the gospel truth about his tickless time spent here. I was amazed but tried not to show it. But I have a theory about the whole thing. See, Adam eats hot peppers like they're candy. I believe he'd eat them with every meal if they were available. I used to eat lots of hot peppers but now my gut won't tolerate them very well. I still love them but they don't love me. There may be more to that than we know. Hot peppers as a natural tick repellant. Hmmm..... What do you think Adam?
But seriously, Adam is telling the gospel truth about his tickless time spent here. I was amazed but tried not to show it. But I have a theory about the whole thing. See, Adam eats hot peppers like they're candy. I believe he'd eat them with every meal if they were available. I used to eat lots of hot peppers but now my gut won't tolerate them very well. I still love them but they don't love me. There may be more to that than we know. Hot peppers as a natural tick repellant. Hmmm..... What do you think Adam?
I
IAMADAM
Guest
You know... you may just have something there.
I'll have to test this hypothesis. About this time of year out on our farm you can practically hear the ticks falling out of the trees if you sit quietly enough. As difficult as it might be, I will eliminate the heat from my diet for a full week or so and then go roll around by the pond. I've been itching to pull a few catfish outta there anyways. The next week I will put myself through the ringer. I just harvested about a half gallon of nice bright red Thai chiles. My serranos and habaneros should be ripe by then too. A quick trip back to the farm, pull a few bass out of the creek, drink a few beers, maybe check up on my river cane grove (aka atlatl dart farm). We'll see what happens.
--adam
I'll have to test this hypothesis. About this time of year out on our farm you can practically hear the ticks falling out of the trees if you sit quietly enough. As difficult as it might be, I will eliminate the heat from my diet for a full week or so and then go roll around by the pond. I've been itching to pull a few catfish outta there anyways. The next week I will put myself through the ringer. I just harvested about a half gallon of nice bright red Thai chiles. My serranos and habaneros should be ripe by then too. A quick trip back to the farm, pull a few bass out of the creek, drink a few beers, maybe check up on my river cane grove (aka atlatl dart farm). We'll see what happens.
--adam
The tick problem here has been absolutely horrendous the past few years. Last year I was taking them off using packing tape because there were so many at a time on us. This year we've bought guineas. Just got them a couple of days ago, so don't know how much help they'll be yet, but I've heard they will take care of the problem.
Just got them a couple of days ago, so don't know how much help they'll be yet, but I've heard they will take care of the problem.
pkchicken
resident chicken
It's a bad tick year here too!
We had guinees but they ate the strawberries and were working their way thru the garden so we gave them away.
The chickens are penned up because of our neighbors request so we let them out for an hour right before dusk since they always go back to the coop at dusk, then I just close their door. Since it's only an hour they don't wander very far so the neighbor can't complain.
We keep the grass/weeds mowed short and spray deet on the cuffs of our pants. I know it's too hot for long pants but with all the mosquitos and ticks and bugs and then with kneeling down in the garden, well pants just make sense.
I've still had ticks though, like I said ...they're bad this year.
pk
We had guinees but they ate the strawberries and were working their way thru the garden so we gave them away.
The chickens are penned up because of our neighbors request so we let them out for an hour right before dusk since they always go back to the coop at dusk, then I just close their door. Since it's only an hour they don't wander very far so the neighbor can't complain.
We keep the grass/weeds mowed short and spray deet on the cuffs of our pants. I know it's too hot for long pants but with all the mosquitos and ticks and bugs and then with kneeling down in the garden, well pants just make sense.
I've still had ticks though, like I said ...they're bad this year.
pk
pkchicken said:
Oh no!! We chose guineas because the stuff I read said they wouldn't eat anything in the garden except the pests. Guess I shouldn't believe everything I read.......
I have to agree about chickens or guineas for tick control. Ducks work as well. We have had chickens since we first got here. The first summer we were covered and have not had any to speak of since. The chicks free range from the house, barn, pasture and garden area and are well fed. I still use the Frontline on the dogs just in case, because they wander into the woods but we don't have problems in the areas where the chicks go. Even if they ate liberally from the garden it would be worth it.