Dog Ticks! We have zillions! Any suggestions to eliminate them - praying mantis, poultry?

Question

We live on a ranch in SD - the only thing I hate about it is the unbelievable amount of dog ticks every spring and summer. GROSS! I can remove a tick a minute (or faster!) from our animals but I'll never get used to them. We do use a rub-on gel (Advantix I think?) and tick collars for the animals and I guess they help... We keep the ground cover near the house very short. I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck with a particular type of poultry (2 geese didn't seem to make a dent in our tick population!) or maybe someone has tried praying mantis? Which wild birds would help the most - maybe I could encourage them through plantings and feeding? We have robins & sparrows around now. I would like to be more prepared this spring, if I can. Thank you for any help or suggestions!! ps I'm one of the only two people I know who tics never attach to - they must know how much I hate them! LOL

Answer 1

Guineas or guinea fowl, rather ugly birds and not very bright, but they are quite expert at getting rid of ticks, any small bugs. Plus they are easy to care for and make good watchdogs. Not sure about your climate though, check online to see if you can pen them up in the winter, I have only seen them free-ranging.

Answer 2

As you are probably aware, ticks are the vector for Lyme disease, as well as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Not a good thing. Ticks can be carried by many animals (and birds), but are often spread by field mice. If you can trap or kill enough mice, you should see a reduction in ticks.

Permethrin spray (an insecticide) would be good, but if you have farm animals, that's not an option. What you could do is treat tufts of cotton with permethrin, and stuff them into cardboard tubes. Put the tubes in places that mice are likely to find them...along wall baseboards in barns, under shrubs, etc. The mice will steal the cotton to make nests, and the insecticide will kill the ticks.

Guineafowl are said to have a taste for ticks (list of hatcheries in link below). Animals that hunt mice might help: hawks, owls, large snakes. There is a wasp, Ixodiphagus hookeri, that has a taste for ticks, but I have no idea how to encourage them.

Answer 3

Get a flock of chickens and you´ll get rid of the ticks, chiggers, and fleas. But make sure they have the run of the place and that they have lots of room to run in. Chickens eat anything and everything. They will strip the grass to the bare ground and they will eat all low leaves. But, with enough room to run in, they will get rid of the pests, including mice, and won´t cause the damage I´m describing. I´m a chicken raiser and have had the experience you´re going through. Good luck.

Answer 4

Guinea fowl are good at eating ticks, I know of several folks who have them on their farms for that purpose.

Answer 5

Guinea hens will wipe them out! Chickens too, but if you have dogs, be careful they don't wipe out the chickens. Use "Front-Line" on your animals or call in an exterminator. We used to see them when I was in the Army, they are really gross!

Answer 6

login or register for personalized local info.
Ortho > Product Guide > Ortho® Bug-B-Gon® MAX® Insect Killer For Lawns

Ortho product guide

available sizes:
10 lb. Bag
20 lb. Bag
25 lb. Bag
Ortho® Bug-B-Gon® MAX® Lawn & Garden Insect Killer Concentrate Ready-to-Spray
Ortho® Bug-B-Gon® MAX® Insect Killer For Lawns

One application provides season long control
Kills over 50 types of insects on contact
Can be used on lawns, ornamentals, shrubs, vegetables and around the home foundation
usage
How to Use
On Lawns Using a spreader designed for application of granular materials, uniformly apply 1 to 2 lbs over 1,000 sq ft.
For mole cricket control, apply 2 to 4 lbs over 1,000 sq ft area
For Season Long control, apply 4 lbs of product for every 1,000 sq ft. A 10 lb bag will treat up to 10,000 sq ft. of lawn.

On Ornamentals & Flowers Apply 0.5 to 1 lb evenly over each 500 sq ft. area. Repeat if there are signs of renewed insect activity.
Product can be applied just before planting or after plants emerge.

Vegetable Gardens A single application may be applied just prior to the planting or after plants emerge and worked into the top 4 to 6 inches of soil.
Use 1 lb of product for a 500 sq ft. area.

Home Foundation Evenly apply a 2 foot wide band next to the home foundation. Use 0.5 to 1.0 lb for each 500 sq ft.



When to Apply
Apply early in the spring or summer to prevent infestations. Otherwise, apply at the first sign of insect activity or damage.

Where to Use
Apply to lawn using broadcast spreader

Where Not to Use
For outdoor use only. Do not apply directly to water. Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment washwaters.

In New York state, this product may NOT be applied to any grass or turf area within 100 feet of a water body (lake, pond, river, stream, wetland or drainage ditch).

What It Controls
Ants (including Carpenter, Red Harvester, Pavement, Odorous, Pyramid, Argentine, Pharoah, Fire Ants and Foraging Fire Ants), Armyworms, Billbugs, Centipedes, Chinch Bugs, Crickets, Cutworms, Earwigs, European Crane Fly, Fleas, Grasshoppers, Leaf Hoppers, Mealybugs, Millipedes, Mole Crickets, Sod Webworms (Lawn Moth), Spiders, Ticks (including ticks that may transmit Lyme Disease), and Weevils (including Hyperodes)

Cautions
For outdoor use only. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Wash thorougly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum or using tobacco. Remove and wash contaminated clothing before reuse.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer 7

use 7 dust.

Answer 8

challenging step. try searching at yahoo and bing. it may help!