Flea and Tick Control
(Page 4 of 6)
August/September 2002
By Lynn Keiley
If you find yourself compelled to venture into areas likely to be infested with ticks, cover up with lightcolored clothing so you can see ticks easily and pick them off before they find their way to your skin. Tuck long-sleeve shirts into long pants tucked into socks to eliminate entry points. Check for ticks regularly while outdoors.
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Once you're indoors, strip off your clothing and toss it into the washer. Shower, then inspect yourself thoroughly (or invite someone to do it for you), paying special attention to your back, underarms and areas covered by hair
You can identify heavily infested areas around your home by making a tick drag. Attach a couple of yards of white flannel to a long stick, then sweep the cloth along suspected areas of your yard. Those ticks that have been waiting so patiently with outstretched arms will ding to the cloth, where you'll be able to spot them easily. Drop the cloth into a pail of soapy water to drown the ticks you've snared.
Create the conditions ticks abhor by keeping vegetation around your home cut short, so summer sun and breezes can keep your yard dry. Studies have shown removing leaf litter under shrubs and trees can also significantly reduce tick populations. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth-the tiny sharp-edged skeletons of sea creatures called diatoms?onto your pet's bedding works well to kill any fleas or ticks that fall off. Diatomaceous earth, which is available at most garden centers, dries out the bodies and eggs of fleas and ticks, killing them.
A FOWL APPROACH
Free-range chickens, turkeys and guineas will feed on ticks and other pests, such as grasshoppers, Japanese beetles and mosquitoes. Guineas in particular are relentless insect-eaters. The Guinea Fowl Breeders Association ( www.gfba.org ) reports 65 percent of its members have noticed radical declines in tick populations after they began keeping guineas. (For information on raising guineas, read Gardening with Guineas, by Jeannette S. Ferguson ). Follow flea-elimination procedures to keep tick numbers under control: Vacuum floors and launder bedding frequently. Inspect pets regularly and remove any ticks you find. Flea combs will catch ticks as long as the critters haven't attached themselves to your pet's skin. If you find a tick that's already attached, remove it carefully using tweezers. (See "How to Remove a Tick.")
A New Generation of Flea and Tick Pesticides
In the past when fleas and ticks got seriously out of control, there was little choice but to flood your home with toxic pesticides. One of the most widely used flea controls, chlorpyrifos (used in Dursban and many other products) was on the market for more than 35 years before it was finally withdrawn from use in indoor foggers and pet shampoos. Other uses were restricted because the Environmental Protection Agency concluded chlorpyrifos was associated with chronic neurobehavioral effects and multiple-chemical sensitivity.
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