Ticks and bug bites!

burekcrew86

Spring and warmer weather will be here before you know it. I’d like to do a more natural but effective tick and flea application for our dog as well as for us when hiking. Anyone willing to share their favorite tried-and-true recipes?

kbmbillups1

I bought socks from Bugbewear for the last 2 years b/c we have had ticks that seemed to mass produce. Each pair can be washed 70 times and repels ticks so well that my husband and I won't work in our yard without them. The people who ran the website retired and sold it to someone else. They don't have the cute ladies socks that the other folks sold but I'm sure the ones they sell work well. Check out the new owners website.

https://www.insectshield.com/Default.aspx

Jens the Beekeeper

Caraway is supposed to work well for dogs, cats and humans. You can add some of it in the feed for the dogs and food for you.

In addition essential oil applied topical boosts the effects.

Hassena

hey there,

@burekcrew86  we had a HUGE tick problem....it was so frustrating. With a dog, 4 cats, chickens and a daughter of 5years old. Anyways we all got through it :)

Heres' what I did.

I spray wintergreen in the house, apparently ticks/fleas don't like the stuff. I put a bandanna on the dog, and sprayed a little wintergreen on it. Maybe a 50% of wintergreen to water to a spray bottle.

I use ECOsmart granules around the outside of the house. I purchased predatory nemtodes (that eat ticks ) from here https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/nematode-selection-chart

Coat the dog once a week in DE, i prefer the food grade white DE, just easier to clean up and no additives.

The ticks were so bad at this one house....that I actually combed the yard and picked the ticks from the grass tops. Yep. It's called questing, when little baby ticks reach out their arms to catch their next meal walking by. They cluster in groups. So I watched the grass, if little tiny ticks were on top, I'd pick the grass and immediately put into a trash bag.

Continual applications of DE and essential oils seem to help the most. Rosemary and tea tree oil were also used around the home.

Best of luck. Looking forward to reading more suggestions :)

~Sena

bcabrobin

Bath the dog, cat (if your very brave) and you, the kids and hubby. This is safe for EVERYONE. Use Sauve Coconut shampoo. Has to be Sauve brand - other just don't seem to work, we have tried them. Use once a week, it will keep fleas, ticks and lice at bay. This even works on the rabbit fleas. Suds up, starting around the face and ears and work your way back, leave on as long as you can (if it's on 5 min, that a long time for our dog), then wash off. He has long hair - thick coat - he's an American Eskimo, so I do use the cream rinse also.

For the humans - use before you go into the woods - we also use as a body wash so they stay off you. But it also works after, if you find a tick on you put a small drop (that will work with any thick liquid) on it and they work their way out. Also putting a piece of tape, anything sticky on them will make them work their way out. Touching the back legs, they work their way out and are stuck to the tape. This works good for kids who don't sit still for you to remove them.

Leslie Carl

I add my vote in on using food grade DE on pets, tea tree essential oil diluted with coconut oil and rubbed on your skin or used in a spray, and nematodes to decrease the population. I've used all 3 and they work well. I understand that rosemary is good too, and I tried making a vinegar based spray with it and calendula. I gave it to our friend Rob to try on his dog and he says it appears to be working well. It not only repels the bugs, but also soothes itchy skin, removes odor, and shines and conditions their coat.

Here's where I found the recipe:

https://www.primallyinspired.com/acv-spray-dogs/

LaurieLovesLearning

What seems popular with some people here is rose geranium EO. I have not tried it yet.

I have heard that apple cider vinegar as a base spray for on animals works well (watch eyes & nose). We used plain vinegar on our milk cow for flies. We are thinking of trying ACV this coming summer to see if it might last longer.

LaurieLovesLearning

Bumping up this 2020 post on ticks to compliment the other tick & mosquito thread. I know some of you have been enjoying tick season for a while already, but ours is just starting in some areas in the province.

It's kind of late for us. We haven't seen any around our immediate place yet. Maybe they are scared of all the bug loving birds. 😆

Monek Marie

We can start getting ticks in April. So far I have not seen any. I do think ther ducks and chickens help keep away

LaurieLovesLearning

Yeah but @Denise Grant our birds are not free range! That is what I find so funny.

We hardly had any last year either, yet in some places not that far away, they had very many.

jowitt.europe

I myself eat a lot of garlic. I have read somewhere, do not remember where, that ticks do not like blood smelling of garlic 😊. Most probably it is true, as I do not use anything else when foraging, working in the garden, collecting herbs. Ticks go not like my blood.

i have read in Johann Kunzler’ “herbs and weeds” book, that fern in mattress drives away all the bugs. May be it is worth to sow in a small sack with fern into a dog’s or cat’s bed?

ltwickey

I use a combo of geranium EO and catnip EO mixed in a little water and spray the dogs and my pant legs before our hikes! About 10 drops of each in about 25 mL of water.

JodieDownUnder

@burekcrew86 I recently got this recipe from a friend who swears by it. I’ve not tried it yet but this September I will.

Tick and Flea Spray- 1/2 cup witch hazel, and 5 drops each of the following essential oils, lavender, citronella and lemongrass. They will smell nice!