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What products do you use in your yard to control ticks, mosquitoes, pests, etc.?

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 1/17/2018 11:29 AM (GMT -5)
Was wondering what products people are using in their yards? I need something pet friendly.
Posted 1/17/2018 11:42 AM (GMT -5)
Bats, swallows and deer. Probably a lot of other critters too. I live in the forest, so I can't control it. I use personal protection. If I have to be outside in the high mosquito times (dawn and dusk) I have resorted to products with DEET. I do take a shower (cool) to wash off the DEET as soon as possible. Don't use hot water as it opens the pores and lets it get into the skin.

If I am out for just a little while, I use essential oils. I always do all the other personal preventative measures - light colored clothing, socks over the pant legs, long sleeved shirts.

If you live in a more contained area, you can make your own tick tubes. Look on DIY or Pinterest.
Posted 1/17/2018 12:11 PM (GMT -5)
Daisies great article. I did not know that ticks cannot live in garlic field. thanks!
Posted 1/17/2018 12:46 PM (GMT -5)
i haven't used anything in my yard yet.

Still deciding if we will this spring...and if so, what.


I've only seen one tick in our back yard ever ...on my hair. sad
Posted 1/17/2018 2:26 PM (GMT -5)
Like I said in another post, we use a natural tick repellent called ecosmart- but there are a lot of different natural tick sprays out there. Home Depot sells one, I think. It's doctor something-er other brand, I forgot.

I think I even heard that even some commercial pest control companies have a natural option-I think they use cedar oil. Cedar oil is supposed to be very good at repelling ticks just by itself. Getting something pre-prepared in a bottle at the store was definitely easier, but maybe someone sells cedar oil on the internet.

All the natural ones say not to let your pet walk on it right after you put it on, but I think once the smell goes away a little it's okay-my cats never had any ill effects.
Posted 1/17/2018 4:28 PM (GMT -5)
My yard here in the northeast and the woods all around it are infested with them, which explains why I pull 25-30 of the little devils off of me every season. Before we built on the land we're at now we used to maintain a 20ft barrier of wood chips (pine) on the back of our old property. We never had a problem with the ticks crossing over it into the yard. I chipped it for other reasons, but had read it was effective and in our case it proved to be.

We don't have chickens but I've heard they do a good job keeping ticks and other insects out of the yard. Permethrin spray for clothing works better than deet containing repellents in my experience, but of course that's only keeping them off you and not out of your lawn.

I've heard about natural oils, too that are supposed to work well without all the risks of chemicals. A little research may come up with something that would create an effective barrier, which I'd think better than having to treat the entire yard.
Posted 1/17/2018 5:06 PM (GMT -5)
I've found this to be most effective, but it sure leaves a mess:

bit.ly/2FNaAEx

p.s. It's not exactly pet-friendly.
Posted 1/17/2018 5:26 PM (GMT -5)
While I'd rather not use chemicals, avoiding reinfection (again!!!) is my top priority. I live in the middle of the Ozarks, where we have to cut small trees down yearly in order to keep a yard at all, not to mention al the other 'greenery'. I can't move, so I have to do what I can to stay here. I use Bug-Be-Gone from Ortho. I prefer to use the granules, as I spread them out 2 times a year(3 if we are having a REAL problem with them, like the last 3 years), just before a rain. Once the granules have dissolved, it's safe for pets and kids. I was told by Ortho that the spray, while is faster at being "pet and kid" friendly (as soon as it's dried), it also 'washes' away faster, meaning I'd have to treat more often.

The ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes and other biting insects have been so bad the last few years, that even with treating with chemicals, I still get 10 - 15 ticks attack every year - and many I pick up from businesses, not even my own yard!!!
Posted 1/17/2018 5:28 PM (GMT -5)

The Dude Abides said...
I've found this to be most effective, but it sure leaves a mess:

bit.ly/2FNaAEx

p.s. It's not exactly pet-friendly.

LOL!!! Or people friendly!!!!
Posted 1/17/2018 6:01 PM (GMT -5)
Cedar oil spray. And spreading a lot of cedar mulch each year (then refreshing it with the cedar oil). Ticks hate it. Also, keeping the grass short. I personally can't and wouldn't use chems. Also planted pennyroyal and beautyberry to repel them, but can't really say how much these help (and you shouldn't plant pennyroyal if ever wanting to get pregnant).
Posted 1/17/2018 6:28 PM (GMT -5)
I've used cedar oil. But it does get washed away when it rains. I never thought about cedar mulch. There are red cedar granules on Amazon. Maybe the granules would last longer.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Posted 1/17/2018 6:54 PM (GMT -5)
A variety of genetically modified enemy insects. The advantages are that its not regulated. What could possibly go wrong ?!
Posted 1/18/2018 1:20 PM (GMT -5)
Usually with the cedar oil here we try and apply it after it rains, and then once a week, but you're right rain can wash it away. Between that and the mulch it really can help though, and there is likely a local place that can just dump a truckload of cedar mulch each year for a set price so it's not that expensive. Another strategy is to create paver paths (i.e. of concrete pavers or a gravel and sand base, no grass growing between) or do other strategic landscaping over time to create more buffered areas that are gravel, pavers, etc. I get this sounds like a lot of work, but it can be a gradual thing and DIY if so inclined. Rubber mulch is also kind of awesome if you can keep it contained. Not a tick repellent per se, but they'd have no reason to be on it and there are recycled versions.

At my house, I've put in heavily mulched areas around the deck where I refresh the cedar mulch (and deck itself is just gravel underneath), and paths leading off of it so I'm just less likely to be all over the grass all the time, and then continue to do other measures like keep grass clipped, plant "beneficial plants" like the ones I mentioned that repel ticks, and of course do tick checks. It took a long time, but I also live in a *really* tick-heavy area, so worth it for me to do anything that helps for prevention that doesn't require chems.

Guinea hens and some kinds of chickens apparently eat tons of ticks too, so another idea if you get like a movable coop is to keep some kind of birds that can be tick-eaters. Not really my thing, but I've heard it's pretty effective.
Posted 1/18/2018 4:11 PM (GMT -5)

The Dude Abides said...
I've found this to be most effective, but it sure leaves a mess:

bit.ly/2FNaAEx

p.s. It's not exactly pet-friendly.

They would survive. So would mosquitos lol

Laying dormant for millennia until food sources re-emerge
Posted 1/18/2018 4:52 PM (GMT -5)

mudshark said...

The Dude Abides said...
I've found this to be most effective, but it sure leaves a mess:

bit.ly/2FNaAEx

p.s. It's not exactly pet-friendly.

They would survive. So would mosquitos lol

Laying dormant for millennia until food sources re-emerge

You're probably right! They're like cockroaches!
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