Time to de-tick the yard? (Home Depot, buy, live)

[maestramommy]

The lyme thread reminded me that recently I saw a thread here on safer ways to get rid of ticks on your lawn. Someone posted a link to a site that talked about soaking cotton balls in some kind of chemical (starting with a P), then putting them in cardboard tubes, and laying the tubs in various places on your property. The assumption was that rodents would use the cotton as nesting material and it would stop ticks at the source. Does anyone remember this thread or site? Has anyone tried this strategy?

We really don't want to spread pesticide all over our lawn because we have toddlers that like to run around. Our grass is cut pretty short, but our yards are surrounded by woodsy portions.

[BF66389]

Permethrin perhaps? It's been shown to be very effective on repelling ticks and is considered largely non-toxic (though so is deet).

[bignhfamily]

I'd suggest you get a starter flock of chickens, not only will they eat tons of ticks but they'll supply you with farm fresh eggs.
Guinea hens the best for tick consumption and they're good eating too!

Good luck.

[maestramommy]

Originally Posted by BF66389

Permethrin perhaps? It's been shown to be very effective on repelling ticks and is considered largely non-toxic (though so is deet).

I think that was it, thanks!

[lisa g]

We just put the cardboard tubes containing cotton soaked in p-chemical. It will take a little while before the mice find them and in the meantime we will need to spray ourselves if we go out. Hopefully this will work. We still have plenty of turkeys wandering through - do they eat ticks like chickens? If so I will stop shooing them away.

[Positiveone]

So how far up North do you have to go in NH to escape the Tick problem. I lived most of my life on Long Island, played in plenty of grass & woods, we never really had a Tick problem. Now i'm in Las Vegas, no ticks.

[maestramommy]

Originally Posted by lisa g

We just put the cardboard tubes containing cotton soaked in p-chemical. It will take a little while before the mice find them and in the meantime we will need to spray ourselves if we go out. Hopefully this will work. We still have plenty of turkeys wandering through - do they eat ticks like chickens? If so I will stop shooing them away.

Ha ha! Good question! We have a flock of turkeys roaming our streets. I find them in our yards about once a week.

I just found out that Dh had bought bifenthrin granules and treated the perimeter of the house. Now he'll do the perimeter of the yard. Lisa G, where did you buy the tick tubes? Can you get them at the Lowes or Home Depot?

[GregW]

The tube that toilet paper and paper towles is rolled on would do quite nicely. Reuse beats recycle.

[lisa g]

A friend made them for us (using tp tubes) - sorry I can't tell you where they are sold. Good luck w/your bifenthrin!

[BF66389]

Do does getting mice/etc to take tick repellant back to their nests actually work?

If so that's a really cool way to reduce the tick population...