Ticks in the garden and around your home can be a problem not just for pets, but for the whole family. Ticks carry numerous serious blood diseases, such as Lyme disease and others that can kill animals. This guide will tell you how to get rid of ticks that hang around the house.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Inside the House
Step 1. Clean and tidy the house
Although most ticks live outdoors, infestations of canine ticks inside the home are not all that rare. This type of parasite feeds on the blood of dogs and other animals and prefers a warm, dry habitat.
The first thing to do to get rid of this species of tick is to tidy up the house, since they can be hidden almost anywhere. Collect items on the floor, do not leave dirty laundry lying around. "Take advantage" of the infestation as an excuse to do the spring cleaning
Step 2. Wash dirty clothes in very hot water
Ticks often lurk in bedding and dirty clothes. Wash everything you suspect is infested with the hottest water possible for the specific type of fabric.
Do not leave dirty laundry on the floor and if you suspect that there are ticks on the fabric, do not put it in the laundry basket to be washed, to avoid the risk of contamination. Put it directly in the washing machine
Step 3. Clean the house from top to bottom
The next step is to clean the whole house as thoroughly as possible. Wash the shelves, the forgotten corners full of dust and sweep, wash and vacuum all the floors.
- In fact, the vacuum cleaner is your best ally in the process of removing ticks because it sucks them from the whole house. From the animal's kennel, to the cracks in the floor and walls, from the skirting boards to the ceiling frames, from under the furniture, the vacuum cleaner reaches everywhere.
- But remember to throw the vacuum cleaner bag in the trash.
Step 4. Treat the house with a pesticide
Now that the house is clean, tidy and you have physically removed most of the ticks, it is time to use a pesticide to kill the adult parasites and their eggs that have escaped the vacuum cleaner.
- To kill the eggs and larvae, you need to sprinkle the house with a boric acid-based pesticide and plant extracts. Place a little more near your pet's bed and where he usually lies down to rest.
- To kill adult parasites, you need to use a specific spray product for canine ticks based on pyrethrin. It is safe for humans and animals, and acts fast.
- Spray the pesticide all over the house, don't forget closets and curtains, under tables, chairs and sofas. Read the label and follow the instructions exactly.
Step 5. Treat pets living in the house
Dogs in particular are the main cause of tick infestations. Upon entering the house, they transfer parasites they have contracted from other stray or neighborhood animals.
- First you must physically remove the ticks from their body, then you must treat the animals with a topical product that contains active ingredients such as permethrin, amitraz or fipronil. Ask your vet.
- You can also consider buying a repellent collar for your cat or dog. This keeps ticks away from the animal's body for about three months. If you can't find it in pet stores, ask your vet for advice and do some research online.
Step 6. Call a pest control company
Very severe infestations need professional treatment. Specialized companies use specific equipment and pesticides that kill ticks on contact. In addition, qualified personnel are perfectly familiar with the behavior and habitat of parasites and can identify them quickly.
If despite all your best efforts, ticks are still a problem, consider this solution
Part 2 of 3: Outside
Step 1. Identify the tick's preferred habitat
Outside, you can find them in grassy areas and with bushes often in the shade of trees. Ticks like high humidity.
- You can find them in the same places frequented by their favorite guests: deer. So every time you mow the grass and go hiking in the woods, remember that you are in "enemy territory".
- The first thing to do to discourage ticks from settling on your property is to target any areas that are potentially hospitable for the parasites.
Step 2. Cut the vegetation
Start with all the "tick-friendly" foliage. To do this, regularly remove dead, overgrown or overgrown vegetation.
- Prevent the grass from growing too high, remove climbing plants and all those that tend to create bushes or dense areas of foliage.
- Also, since ticks are like vampires and drink blood, they hate the sun! Remember this and remove any plants that do not allow the sun to pervade your garden.
Step 3. Mow your lawn frequently
In this way, the ticks will not be protected by tall grass and will be exposed to the sun, which not only kills them, but also evaporates the morning dew quickly, depriving the parasites of water.
Cut all tall weeds that surround the house and garden. Use a brush cutter to create a barren area where ticks won't venture to access your garden. They will prefer to latch onto a passing wild animal and leave your garden hopefully
Step 4. Clean the yard of shrubs and dry leaves
If ticks cannot live in the grass, they will find shade somewhere else. The damp and dark bushes and dead leaves (especially the latter) are a tick's paradise. Don't let greenery build up anywhere in your garden.
Step 5. Use a pesticide
Choose one that is approved and recognized as safe. Spray it in late spring and early summer to prevent a proliferation of ticks in the lawn. A single treatment in late May-early June can eliminate up to 50% of the tick population.
- Make sure you are using approved pesticides and strictly follow the instructions on the package.
- Some valid products are those that contain lamba-cyhalothrin and esfenvalerate.
Part 3 of 3: Prevention
Step 1. Fence the garden
This prevents larger animals, such as deer and stray dogs, from entering your property. Ticks move around thanks to their hosts (mammals), so preventing them from entering your garden helps you control the tick population. Also, deer would graze on your lawn and stray dogs could kill your cat. Both are not pleasant.
Step 2. Keep your fireplace wood tidy and in a dry place Just like dead bushes and leaves, wood can become a damp, dark house for ticks
If you stack it neatly and store it in a dry place, you prevent parasites from lurking in it and you will have excellent firewood for next winter!
Step 3. Do not let children play in infested areas
Make sure they and their toys stay away from tall grass and trees. If tall weeds begin to grow around the swing structure, cut it immediately!
Step 4. Thoroughly clean the bird feeders
Ticks nest undisturbed under these structures, but if you clean them regularly you will get rid of them.
Step 5. Stay in control
Whenever you are outdoors to play or for a hike, check your body, that of your children and your pets.
- Look for ticks in your hair, armpits, and legs, anywhere. Remove them with a pair of tweezers.
- Be careful not to crush the body of a tick attached to the skin, otherwise it could regurgitate inside the wound and spread diseases such as Lyme.
Step 6. Make a natural repellent
You can make a non-toxic one to protect your home and family. Get a half-liter spray bottle and start spraying!
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Citrus based repellent.
Ticks hate citrus fruits and therefore are an effective weapon. Boil 420 ml of water and add two cut lemons, lime, oranges or grapefruits, use these fruits individually or together. Boil for about a minute, then lower the heat and simmer the "potion" for an hour. Strain the liquid, let it cool and pour it into the spray bottle. Spray yourself, your children, your pet and your garden wherever ticks may go.
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Natural repellents based on essential oil of geraniums, lavender or mint.
These liquids are not safe for cats, do not use them on them.
Advice
- Ticks tend to thrive in humid and wooded areas, while they hate dry, light-filled places. Remember this when you work in the garden.
- Try this home remedy: Mix half a cup of lemon dish soap with half a cup of garlic juice. Mix them in an 80-liter container and fill it with water. Spray the solution with a garden hose every two weeks.
- Ticks and mites shun sulfur dust. If you have to move into potentially infested areas, put this powder on your shoes and pants. You can also rub it on the dog's coat. The powder is also good for the doghouse and under the bushes.
