| No one enjoys being bitten by these little critters, | | | | Wal-Mart or most garden centres. Sprinkle the |
| especially since we know the diseases associated | | | | granules outside before it rains as the rain |
| with them. If we have animals in our yards it is | | | | activates the granules, this works for fleas and |
| inevitable that we will have ticks and fleas too | | | | other bugs too. Just one application in spring is |
| since they come from far and wide in search of | | | | usually enough unless you have a bad infestation |
| warm blood. When you have long grass or thick | | | | or you had a warm winter, in which case you |
| brush in your garden it makes it that much easier | | | | might have to re-apply in summer too. Another |
| for the ticks to hang around comfortably waiting | | | | insecticide called Permethrin is quite popular to |
| for anyone with warm blood to brush past. When | | | | treat for fleas but as with any insecticide use it |
| this happens the ticks attach themselves and | | | | with caution, even though it is supposedly |
| start feeding immediately. | | | | non-toxic to mammals. It is put on cotton wool |
| One of the first things one can do is keep grass | | | | and inserted into cardboard tubes which are |
| short, ticks tend to sit on the tips of grass blades | | | | scattered around the yard and carried away by |
| waiting to attach themselves to anything that | | | | mice to be used to build nests. The ticks on the |
| brushes past. Also keep tree limbs cut high and | | | | mice are then exposed to the insecticide and die. |
| underbrush raked and burnt. The most important | | | | Food grade diatomaceous earth is also used by |
| thing to do is treat your pets and animals with | | | | sprinkling all over, even on pets and inside the |
| something like Advantage or Frontline. Your first | | | | house. |
| line of defense is protecting your pets, this will | | | | Some natural solutions include Cedarwood Borders |
| prevent the ticks coming onto your property in | | | | in the garden about 10 inches wide, it is said that |
| the first place. An option that a lot of people | | | | ticks will not cross this border. Catnip is also |
| choose is keeping Guinea Fowl as they can eat | | | | effective as it produces the oil "Neem" which is |
| large amounts of ticks and this way keep your | | | | used in many insecticides. Lavendar, Lemon Grass |
| property free of ticks on an ongoing basis. | | | | and Lemon Basil planted in your garden are also |
| There are a few other options, one of them | | | | said to help keep ticks away and work at keeping |
| being tick granules which can be purchased at | | | | mosquitoes away too. |