If you want to stay away from the annoying ticks that live on your property, you certainly aren't the only one. These tiny arachnids survive by attaching themselves to animals and sucking their blood. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep them away from you and your garden. Avoid their bites by wearing clothing that covers the whole body and applying repellent to the skin before going out. Keep ticks away from your home by taking care of the garden and growing repellent plants.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Keep Ticks Away From Your Body
Step 1. Wear clothing that covers your entire body
If you plan to walk in the woods or spend some time in the garden, wear long pants, high socks, a long-sleeved shirt and boots. This creates a barrier between ticks and your skin, reducing the likelihood of them sticking to your body.
You can also follow this advice in summer when it is hot outside; you just need to wear breathable fabrics like a mix of linen and cotton
Step 2. Buy a repellent spray
Purchase a specific anti-tick product. Spray it all over your body before you go outside to keep these parasites away.
Step 3. Create a repellent spray with essential oils
Pour 1 cup of vinegar into a spray bottle, add 10-15 drops of tick-repellent essential oil, such as cedar, geranium, or lavender, then shake the bottle. Spray the solution on exposed skin and clothing before going outside.
As an alternative, pour a few drops of repellent essential oil, such as eucalyptus, on a lint brush and take it outside. Brush your clothes every hour or so to catch and immobilize ticks crawling on you
Step 4. Check your body and clothes after being outdoors
Once back inside, take a close look at your skin. If you find ticks on your clothes, wash them in hot water and dry them at a high temperature to get rid of all parasites. Pay particular attention to the armpits, ears, hair, navel and back of the knees, as ticks often attach themselves to these parts of the body.
Step 5. Bathe immediately after being outdoors
Wash yourself within two hours of returning home to wash away any ticks that have stuck to you. This also reduces the likelihood of getting Lyme disease.
Method 2 of 2: Keep Ticks Out of Your Garden
Step 1. Mow your lawn regularly
Ticks live mainly in shady areas and tall grass. Mow the grass at least once every 2-3 weeks during the summer so these pests don't get attracted to your garden.
Step 2. Keep the firewood in neat piles exposed to the sun
Ticks often dwell in untidy woodpiles kept in the shade. To prevent them from invading your property and wood as well, store and stack it accurately. Also make sure it is well lit by the sun, as ticks prefer damp, dark areas.
Step 3. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on your lawn
This substance is a natural product that contains fossilized residues of diatoms, tiny aquatic organisms, and is capable of drying ticks and other insects. Sprinkle some in the garden to eliminate the specimens close to home.
- You must re-apply diatomaceous earth after rain for it to maintain its effect.
- Don't spread diatomaceous earth on windy days as it can kill bees and other insects that pollinate plants in your area.
Step 4. Grow tick repellent plants
If you have a garden or vegetable garden, try planting some species, such as garlic or mint, that keep these pests away. Other plants are also disliked by ticks, such as:
- Rosemary.
- Sage.
- Pulicaria.
- Lemongrass.
- Lavender.
Step 5. Grow plants that keep roe away
Ticks often reach your garden carried by these animals. Plant plant species that roe deer don't like to repel both. Consider:
- Thyme.
- Fern.
- Catnip.
- Star.
Step 6. Create a gravel or wood chip barrier
Ticks often do not cross the surfaces of these materials. To keep them away, create a barrier around the garden and wooded areas near your property.
Step 7. Spray the plants with organic pesticides
You can create a natural pesticide at home and spray it on all the plants in the garden that are not normally tick repellent.
- Chop four cloves of garlic and mix them with a tablespoon of mineral oil.
- Filter the garlic and mix the remaining liquid with a teaspoon of liquid soap and 500 ml of water.
- To apply the product on plants, fill a spray bottle with 500 ml of water and two tablespoons of solution.
Step 8. Hire a pest control company
If you live in an area where ticks are very abundant or if you prefer someone else to take care of the problem, call a professional. An exterminator can spray a pesticide in your garden, outside your home and even on the trees on your property to keep the tick population in check.
Step 9. Raise poultry
Free-range guinea fowls, chickens and ducks will eat all the ticks they see. If you have the ability to keep these animals in your garden, they will help limit the tick population around your home.
