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Hi!
We are looking into organic tick treatment options for Westchester county. Who do you use, how much does it cost, and do you find it actually reduces the number of ticks?
This is our first summer here and we are scared of our toddler getting bitten.
Thank you for any leads!
Keren
Hi!
We are looking into organic tick treatment options for Westchester county. Who do you use, how much does it cost, and do you find it actually reduces the number of ticks?
This is our first summer here and we are scared of our toddler getting bitten.
Thank you for any leads!
Keren
I've tried a couple of the organic services and they just don't work great here in northern Westchester. My dog kept getting ticks no matter how often they came (and if he was getting ticks, I was worried that my kids could get them). Cedar oil, tea tree oil, diatomaceous earth- no luck. Even permethrin, which is a synthetic based on a chrysanthemum plant, isn't great because it's deactivated by UV light. Whatever they used, the ticks kept coming.
Then I had one treatment of the chemical bifenthrin and the ticks were gone. Another nice perk- bifenthrin only needs to be applied 2-3 times per year, whereas the organic stuff needs to be applied very often, 12+ times per year. Trugreen is the only company locally that I could find willing to apply synthetic. Westchester has lots of paperwork requirements for companies who apply synthetic products so most companies don't like to use them; they are also less profitable for the companies because they require fewer treatments.
In my opinion, whatever perceived problems are created by synthetic chemicals are less scary to me than lyme disease, so I choose the synthetic product. But everyone is entitled to their opinion
We fenced in our yard. Keep ticks from coming into your yard by restricting animals that carry ticks, such as deer. Keep your grass short too.
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“Move the play structure into direct sunlight at least 10 feet away from the edge of the woods or brush.” Deer ticks can’t survive the heat so they are rarely found in the middle of the lawn.
Will a wrought metal or wood picket fence suffice?
I have a black aluminum fence. I made sure the bottom bar of the fence is less than an inch about soil level My fence installer wanted to have the bottom a couple of inches above ground. It defeats the purpose of the fence in stopping my dogs from leaving and wildlife from coming in.
The back of my house is 40 feet, so the fence makes 40 X 40 foot square. I found it gave a structure to develop a garden around.
Wooden fences need to be stained and replaced more quickly than aluminum.
FYI- the two biggest carriers of ticks are mice and birds, so the fence won't do anything to stop those. Chipmunks, squirrels, and other small creatures all get ticks just like everyone else.
And while it's true that ticks are less likely to be in the middle of a mowed lawn, it's just random luck whether a tick finishes its bloodmeal while a small animal is traversing your lawn in the middle of the night. Sadly, chemicals are the only sure way to keep these things out of your yard (or dead once in your yard).
I spray at least twice each summer. I have it done by a pro twice, in early and mid summer. But I use over the counter sprays before any large gatherings and a couple extra times per year. I have found ticks on me and the kids a couple of times. Its part of country living, but its easy enough to deal with. I won't say it causes me no stress, but not too much. People have been living up here for a few hundred years now. We just try to be vigilant in checking. We also spray with Off or other bug sprays when we are in the yard. I find every little bit of prevention helps. Like anything, the more frequently you are exposed, the more frequently you will have to deal with them.
I will say that the major concern from Ticks is lymes and the most common tick in this area does not carry it. Only the the black legged tick carries lymes, and fortunately for us, its the rarest of the ticks in our area. Plus, its rare for black legged ticks to have lymes. So even if you get bit by one of these, teh vast majority do not have it. It is still here of course, so we should all be careful. When I pulled ticks off our kids their pediatrician gave them a course of antibiotics. I think its best to have the yard sprayed and make sure you spray the kiddies and yourselves with a spray with 20% deet. Do check when you and the kids come inside. All should be well. While we do not do it for regular activities, but when we go camping we use permethrin on clothing and outdoor gear. I have friends who use it on everyday outdoor clothes, but I do not. Best to everyone as we enter tick season. A little work should keep everyone safe. Good luck to you.
Last edited by dr.strangelove; 05-15-2020 at 08:30 AM..
The problem with chemicals is wildlife. There are opossums in my neighborhood. Birds also eat ticks. I have a few tick eating toads which breathe through their skin. Chemicals kill these animals.
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But opossums are a different story. Possums are, surprisingly, tick-killing experts. Scientists have discovered that possums groom themselves fastidiously, and while grooming, they lick and swallow every tick they find. This is no small thing. Possums pick up a lot of ticks in their travels, so in that sense, they too are carriers.
But the difference is that in the process of grooming themselves, upwards of 90 percent of the ticks that attach themselves to a possum wind up in their scat. In fact, possums are such efficient tick predators that in one season, they can kill around 5,000 ticks!
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A final quick word on another tick predator, frogs and toads. These amphibians, along with lizards, are also quite adept at finding and eating ticks.
People whine about climate change and forget about their backyards.
I spray at least twice each summer. I have it done by a pro twice, in early and mid summer. But I use over the counter sprays before any large gatherings and a couple extra times per year. I have found ticks on me and the kids a couple of times. Its part of country living, but its easy enough to deal with. I won't say it causes me no stress, but not too much. People have been living up here for a few hundred years now. We just try to be vigilant in checking. We also spray with Off or other bug sprays when we are in the yard. I find every little bit of prevention helps. Like anything, the more frequently you are exposed, the more frequently you will have to deal with them.
I will say that the major concern from Ticks is lymes and the most common tick in this area does not carry it. Only the the black legged tick carries lymes, and fortunately for us, its the rarest of the ticks in our area. Plus, its rare for black legged ticks to have lymes. So even if you get bit by one of these, teh vast majority do not have it. It is still here of course, so we should all be careful. When I pulled ticks off our kids their pediatrician gave them a course of antibiotics. I think its best to have the yard sprayed and make sure you spray the kiddies and yourselves with a spray with 20% deet. Do check when you and the kids come inside. All should be well. While we do not do it for regular activities, but when we go camping we use permethrin on clothing and outdoor gear. I have friends who use it on everyday outdoor clothes, but I do not. Best to everyone as we enter tick season. A little work should keep everyone safe. Good luck to you.
That's interesting, it's the first I've heard that the black-legged tick is the rarest in our area. When I'm pulling ticks off my dog, it's only ever the black-legged tick, and usually female from looking at the colors. In fact I haven't found any other sorts of ticks, but on googling I see that while the black-legged tick is the most common, the lone star ticks and dog ticks are present in NY state.
The good news is that I've had about 10 ticks test over the years and none have tested positive. I get them tested when we either find an engorged tick in the house and can't figure out who it bit (likely the dog), or when we pull a pretty fat one off of a person.
I'll also mention- my favorite tool for tick removal is the "tick twister". It's a million times easier than tweezers, and nearly always pulls them out intact.
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