Bad year for ticks???

[Skippin' Sammi]

I treat the three outside/ inside cats with Frontline Plus and I still found ticks crawling on them and their beds!!AARRGGHHH!!! I guess it is going to be a bad year for them here since it got too hot too quick. I have never had a deer tick on me but I bet that changes this year. Any advice on what I could treat the edge of the woods with or the wood porch? I really hate to use insecticides. I was hoping the chickens would get them.......once I get chickens that is.

How do you all deal with ticks? We have lots of whitetail deer in the woods behind the house.

 

[Gonzo]

I'm beginning to think this too! We've already found a few on us, and my husband had one in bed with him too just last week! What part of Indiana are you from? We're south west.. We treated our yard a few times 2 years ago, and it made no difference... I think ours are coming from the big tree in our backyard. We have no grass in the back because our chickens ate it all... they are now fenced in, and we're planting grass on Monday.. I've heard Guneia fowl are excellent at eating ticks...

 

[CMV]

It IS going to be a bad year for ticks. We have found 6 on various household members so far and it's only April! I shudder to think of what it's going to be like in July. Guineas are tick eating machines, but their noise level can be a bit daunting. I try to keep the forest edges mowed down. Ticks like to live in the tall grassy areas. I don't ever use insecticides on my land (just on my animals and occasionally, accidentally on myself) so I can't really comment on those. I also try to discourage deer from coming too close to the house. The majority of your ticks are riding in on them. Those motion sensing hoses that shoot a spray of water when something trips the sensor are a great way of keeping deer in the forest and out of your yard.
Good luck and wish me luck, too. I may be mowing down half the countryside this summer in my quest for a tick-free environment.

 

[Skippin' Sammi]

Hi! I am in Greencastle, about an hour south and west of Indy. We have 1 acre that backs up to woods and hay fields. Lots of deer visit at night. So far the Frontline Plus seems to be working on the dog but can't figure out why the cats had these ticks moving around on them. ICK! I have heard that they have to be attached to you for 24-48 hrs before they can transmit disease. I am washing all of the bedding and cat beds today. Maybe the freeze that is coming will kill them?....We can always hope. :0)

gonzo&hispeeps :

I'm beginning to think this too! We've already found a few on us, and my husband had one in bed with him too just last week! What part of Indiana are you from? We're south west.. We treated our yard a few times 2 years ago, and it made no difference... I think ours are coming from the big tree in our backyard. We have no grass in the back because our chickens ate it all... they are now fenced in, and we're planting grass on Monday.. I've heard Guneia fowl are excellent at eating ticks...​

 

[Gonzo]

Probally won't... We had a mild winter a few years back, and we had an aweful year for ticks! We treated our yard, and treated our yard, nothing helped. I called a pro, and he told me, that if our neighbors had pets outside, and didn't treat their yards, that I would just be wasting my money. Looks like I'll be in that boat again this year!

 

[Camelot Farms]

Its started thick here in SW VA too. Of course as always DD got the 1st one. lol

Dogs and cats all treated with FrontLine and still found one on the dog....Grrr!

 

[Skippin' Sammi]

Quote:
Good luck!! Sounds like we are all going to need it. When they invent some quiet Guineas, I may have to get some.

I was hoping that there were some plants that I could grow along the back of the yard....but then again...it is shady from the woods. Guess we will just stay on high tick alert this year.

 

[vfem]

My husband has had several already just before we mowed. I am retreating my cat and dog today.... but dd and I never seem to get them. I think we've both had 1 each in the last 2-3 years!

 

[mamagardener]

I hate ticks! So far I have only seen one, but it was already attached to my nine year old. My oldest DS had lyme disease a few years ago, and my Mom has had it twice. My chickens free range about 3 hours a day, and hopefully that will help. We have old stone walls on our property and I think the ticks hang out in them when the weather is cool.

 

[Zahboo]

We must be lucky. Normally we'll find one of two already this year on our dogs (they like to run through the woods) but none this year. We made a habit of once a week doing a body check and the total remains at zero.