The basis of folk remedies for ticks
Most often, the basis of a folk remedy for ticks for people and pets is one of the following elements:
- Birch tar – has a pungent odor that repels ticks.
- Vanillin – a harmless natural preparation against blood-sucking parasites. Its smell is almost unnoticeable to humans, but it effectively fights attacks by blood-sucking insects.
- Essential oils – have a strong odor and are used in deterrents. The essential oils of eucalyptus, geranium, palmarosa, lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, basil, and tea tree have a pronounced scent.
- Garlic – insects and ticks, and some people cannot stand its smell. Mixtures with added garlic will protect your body. But you should not use it for rubbing in its pure form, this can lead to burns.
Additional tips and tricks
To achieve maximum effect and increase the safety of the prepared products, you need to pay attention to some details, namely:
- Places where spray or ointment is applied. Parts of the body that ticks especially love require special treatment. Such areas are the armpits and popliteal fossa. Also, additional pollination may be required if there is heavy sweating, since folk remedies quickly erode.
- Walking area. Fields with tall grass and damp areas should be avoided as they harbor large numbers of ticks and other pests. A coniferous forest or a clean park will be much more favorable areas for a walk. If it is possible to plant flowers on the territory, then you should choose those that repel insects with their smell: these could be marigolds, sage, lavender, pink geranium or Persian chamomile.
- Choice of clothes. The material must be dense, otherwise the tick will be able to bite through it. Wearing a skirt or shorts is strictly not recommended. It is better to choose blouses and shirts with long sleeves. The presence of a headdress also reduces the likelihood of ticks being sucked on (once they are on the hair, they try to get to the top of the head). Open shoes are not allowed.
It is important to understand that none of the traditional methods will be useful if you do not follow safety rules. Such folk remedies for ticks are extremely easily washed off the skin with water or by rubbing against any objects.
Folk remedies for ticks for animals
Pets are less at risk of infection from ticks, but some diseases can be dangerous for them too. In addition, it is difficult to notice insects in thick fur, and they can move onto a person.
Almost all methods used to protect people are also suitable for the safety of animals. It is not advisable to use preparations with vinegar, since animals lick their fur, and vinegar is harmful to their body.
Infusion with vanilla
Components:
- 2 g. vanillin;
- 100 ml vodka.
Preparation and use:
- Leave the mixture of vodka and vanillin for 7 days.
- Rub the animal's withers, belly and paws before walking outside.
Vanillin is also used in its pure form to repel ticks from pets. Cover your pet completely with vanilla powder and thoroughly rub it into the fur and skin - this method will protect the animal until the next bath.
scented collar
You will need 15-20 drops of any essential oil (effective against ticks). Usage:
- Lubricate the animal's collar with essential oil.
- Use the scented collar only for outdoor walks.
- It is necessary to monitor the animal’s reaction to the essential oil.
The remedy with wormwood is also very effective.
"Perfume" with wormwood
Ingredients:
- 20 g of dry wormwood leaves or 50 g of fresh leaves of the plant;
- 400 ml water.
Production and use:
- Pour dried or finely chopped fresh leaves with water and boil.
- Cool and pour into a spray bottle.
- Spray the animal's fur if necessary.
It is important to know! Natural preparations against tick attacks quickly disappear and are washed off with water when swimming. During long walks, apply protection every 2-3 hours.
Mode of application
In fact, the application technique completely depends on the composition of the product: the liquid is usually rubbed into the skin or sprayed, and it is more rational to treat the wool with powder. Particular attention is paid to the withers, paws and belly. Do not worry that your pet is trying to lick the treated areas; the product will not cause harm, since the composition does not contain harmful components.
Despite the fact that the tincture has only a temporary effect, it has clear advantages over similar formulations. There are several advantages to note:
- safety for the animal, since the composition contains only natural ingredients;
- ease of preparation and minimum ingredients;
- rapid evaporation of the alcohol base, which does not leave behind a persistent alcoholic odor.
Many dog breeders are afraid to use chemical compounds, believing that they can harm the pet, especially if it is an older animal. And the use of vanillin against ticks is absolutely safe.
Essential oils
Ticks cannot tolerate the odors of many aromatic plants that produce essential oils. The most common deterrents have long been considered:
- carnation;
- geranium;
- lavender;
- chamomile;
- tea tree;
- eucalyptus;
- rosemary;
- thyme.
A spray is prepared based on one or more essential oils. Alcohol is used to more effectively dissolve the oil in water, as well as vinegar to enhance the aroma.
Carnation
Cloves can be used as an essential oil to make a spray. A decoction is also effective. It is safe even for children. You need to take 1 tsp. whole buds and a glass of water. Bring to a boil, then leave for 8 hours. Spray on clothing or apply with a cotton pad to exposed areas of the body.
Lavender
You can prepare the spray according to this recipe:
- 10-15 drops of lavender oil;
- 2 tbsp. l. water;
- 2 tbsp. l. vinegar.
You can make a gel from this essential oil. It is applied only to the skin, not suitable for clothing. May cause allergic reactions in children. To prepare the gel you will need:
- 300 ml vegetable oil, preferably corn or soybean oil;
- 150 ml of gel or cream with aloe juice;
- 40 drops of lavender oil.
Add oil last. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Shake before use.
Tea tree
An effective insect repellent spray can be made using tea tree oil. For a glass of water you will need 2 tablespoons of oil and alcohol. Mix the solution well and pour into a spray bottle. It can be stored for up to 6 months. Can be applied to the body and clothes. Does not cause allergic reactions, suitable for children.
What plants will repel ticks in your summer cottage?
To protect your summer cottage from tick invasion, you can plant plants that repel them. Then the flowerbed will not only please the eye, but also bring benefits.
Many plants with a strong odor are unpleasant for ticks:
- lavender;
- rosemary;
- sage;
- catnip and pennyroyal;
- marigold;
- calendula;
- pink geranium.
Photo gallery: plants that repel ticks
Lavender is valued for its beauty and pleasant smell, but ticks cannot tolerate it
Bog and catnip are very good at repelling ticks
If you plant rosemary shoots throughout the garden, ticks will not appear in its territory
The smell of rose geranium, which appears when the leaves are rubbed or broken, repels ticks
The strong aroma of marigolds is disgusting to ticks
In addition to ticks, calendula repels tomato worms
Sage is a well-known herb, but it can also repel ticks
Insectoacaricidal con
This remedy acts not only on ticks, but also on insects (mosquitoes, mosquitoes, bedbugs):
Take precautions - wear a protective suit, gloves, a protective mask and remove other family members and pets from the area. Dilute 50 ml of concentrate in 7 liters of water. Treat the soil and plants with the resulting preparation using a pump, sprinkler, sprayer or other device.
On a note! "Medilis Cyper" is an effective concentrate product for treating an area against ticks. This product is available in various forms: both for application to clothing and for treating the soil.
The site protection concentrate is used as follows:
To treat 1 hectare of land, you need to dilute 5 ml of the product in 1 liter of water. So, for a plot of 10 acres, you will need to dilute 50 ml of concentrate in 10 liters of water. Apply the product evenly to the area and plants using a garden sprayer. Pay special attention to irrigating the perimeter of the site and dark areas.
On a note! The land must be treated with this product twice a year - in mid-June and mid-August (just at the peak of parasite activity).
Gardex concentrate allows you to reliably protect the area from ticks. Gardex is one of the most common anti-tick products, and therefore can be found in pharmacies and specialized garden supply stores, as well as in hypermarkets and household chemical stores. The cost of the concentrate starts from 400 rubles.
Review: I didn’t even expect that if you spray the area near your dacha house with insecticide, you can completely safely run on the grass barefoot and even lie on it, without expecting any tick to crawl under your T-shirt! We bought Medilis last year, and now every year in the spring we do this treatment. The product is wonderful, there are no pests at all. Both our pets (a cat and two dogs) and our children can run freely. True, after spraying I had to not show up at the dacha for several days. The product is still toxic. I will recommend it to all my friends!
What does a tick look like and where does it live?
Ticks are active in the warm season - from April to October. From late autumn to early spring they hibernate. They begin to hunt on days when the average daily temperature reaches +3-5°C. Parasites living in the northern regions of the country open the hunting season in May and end it in August, while bloodsuckers in the southern regions attack people before November. In summer, you need to be fully prepared to protect yourself from ticks in nature as effectively as possible.
Ticks live in shady, damp areas and love thickets of grass, bushes and trees. They never climb higher than 1-1.5 m, so they do not fall from trees, but attack from the bottom up. They wait for prey on the ground or grass. To avoid picking up a tick in nature, try to walk in the center of the path, away from the grass. The ixodid tick, up to 4 mm in size, extends its front legs to capture the warmth and smell of the victim. When a person passes by, he grabs him, but does not bite him right away. The insect injects an anesthetic into the skin, so its bite is invisible. He also injects a substance with saliva that prevents blood clotting.
Going to the hospital
It's time to figure out what to do after a tick bite.
When the wound has been treated and the tick has been sent to the laboratory, you should go to a medical center and take a blood test.
There is no point in treating a tick-borne infection on your own; you can only make the situation worse. There have been cases when patients prescribed medications to themselves, following supposedly proven “recipes” from the Internet. An incorrectly disclosed diagnosis and incorrectly selected pills doomed people to the first group of disability.
Even before going to the doctor, you can understand whether an infection has occurred: if after a bite there is an elevated temperature (37.0 - 39.0 degrees), weakness in the body, rapid heartbeat and, in rare cases, an allergic rash, then the body is affected.
If the site of the tick bite is severely inflamed, there may be parts of the insect remaining in the wound - the proboscis or legs
Removing foreign substances from the blood can take from two weeks to a couple of months. It all depends on the victim’s immunity. Treatment is carried out inpatiently: it is impossible to endure the disease “on your feet”.
Having figured out what to do if a person is bitten by a tick, you can move on to the next question: what diseases does the parasite actually transmit?
