Do not take a tick problem lightly. Besides giving most folks the willies, ticks carry some very nasty diseases like Lyme Disease. I hate to sound like a broken DVD but we are back to controlling our environment. Ticks just don’t show up in an area. The urban wildlife (rabbits, rats, squirrels, raccoons, etc.) that visit us are bringing in the ticks. Yes, I know how cute they are, but they are bringing friends. If you feed the birds, stop for about a month or so. Do not leave pet food outside. Keep the grass short, flowerbeds maintained and any brush picked up. This includes the stacks of firewood.

There are both all-natural and synthetic insecticides that will kill ticks. Before I go any further, I try to be as all-natural as I can. But with ticks and chiggers, I will use any product short of fire to solve the problem. In the all-natural world, the Cedar Cide products take top honors. Yardsafe is a high concentrate of cedar oil that repels and kills ticks as well as other insects. As the name implies it is to be used outside. For personal protection, the Cedar Cide Original is a good choice. It’s about this time when folks ask themselves “why didn’t he mention sulfur?” Granulated sulfur works as an insect repellent when the insect is on the ground. Some ticks will be in the grass but a lot of them will be in shrubs, trees, woodpiles, etc. that puts them outside the reach of sulfur. I have had fantastic success using powder sulfur on myself against chiggers. Marginal success (at best) against ticks.

On the synthetic side is Cyonara and 38Plus. Both are killers and should be applied outside only. For better or worst the best personal use products containing Deet. Our Repel Max insect repellent contains 40% Deet. As always read and follow the label directions. The following link will help.

If you take appropriate preventive measures, you and your family can safely enjoy Texas outdoors this summer.  Click here for more tips to keep your family and pets tick-free all summer.