What's the trick for the tick?

What's the trick for the tick? I learned after my first excursion sawing oriental bittersweet vines, got four ticks on me and the bites still itch... Next time I tucked my pants into my boots so they couldn't crawl under my pants (which did work). But really, anybody got a tried and true natural repellent? I don't even want them on my pants. People are afraid of snakes, of bears, of spiders. Not me, I know those others aren't after my blood; they just wanna be left alone. I dun't wanna use the poisons from Bayer! I trust ticks more than them... Any ideas?

Sincerely,


Raining ticks in Oxford, NC

sorry don't have a solution to your problem, but reading your post has given me the itches.....THANKS!!

Regular consumption of garlic is supposed to repel ticks.  I must not eat enough as ticks love me.  I've been told that one clove a day for an extended period will do it.  I've got to start stepping it up...my Italian ancestors would be horrified!

I eat lots of garlic. Ticks don't care. I did a minute of research on swisscows. I'm going to try an apple cider vinegar/lye soap spray on my clothes next time I head to the woods. ACV seems to work for everything else, so why not ticks.

In a nutshell - 'vigilance' is my best tip. Having grown-up in the woods and working as a land surveyor, I'm acutely aware of those little buggers. I don't use chemical repellants - I fear the DEET more than I do the ticks. Here are some of my habits/tricks I developed over the years:

Be extra alert in these sitiuations:
- know their habitat: (typically) tall grass, low brush
- know their season: (typically) spring & fall, sometimes winter if the temp is in the 40s-ish, summer is usually not too bad, at least around here

Don't let your guard down! Perioidically check your clothing throughout the day for those little rapscallions. They move fairly slowly (at least the deer ticks do, wood ticks are a different matter). Keep a lighter on you and burn any you find.

When you are done with your work, check yourself before getting into your car/truck/house, especially back of legs. When you get home - strip down & immediately put your clothes in a hamper or do laundry and then take a shower. DO NOT go to bed without taking a shower. After the shower, check yourself again (preferably with a mirror) & pay particular attention to your waist, back, under arms and upper/inner thighs - they tend to seek out soft skin and 90% of my tick bites occur in these areas.

These habits seem to prevent most of my tick encounters. I've also developed a hyper-awareness and can feel them crawling on me (being hairy helps here). I can attribute most of my tick bites to not following my own rules. The one caveat is indoor/outdoor pets. If you have a dog and/or cat, this is a HUGE vector for bringing ticks into your home. Using Frontline or Seresto seems to compound the problem, as the ticks tend to jump off the animals once in the house and then go hunting for new prey (you!). Most of my tick bites can probably be attributed to this, as my guard is down and I'm not looking for them. Best advice here is to check the animals as best as you can before letting them in the house (better yet, do not allow them in the house!) & vacuum EVERY day during tick season. Avoid carpeting your house - hardwood or tile floors are best. Above all - DO NOT let your pets into your bedroom!

Hope this helps.

Good suggestions above regarding ticks.  I'm a tick specialist (Entomologist), and one thing that may help if you don't mind smelling of flowers, is to spritz some 1:2 lavender essential oil on your clothing.  If you're putting it on your skin, please do it lightly, or even dilute a bit more.  Strong essential oils can cause damage.  This is potent stuff, but does not come with the deadly hazards that DEET etc. brings.  The best advice is to be vigilant, try to do your outdoor work while cool if possible.  I know that where you live that may be a challenge.  Ticks will move much more slowly the cooler the temps.  You could encourage a bear to wander through your work area before you need to work... they are great tick magnets, haha.  Good luck!  

beauty berry leaves work well for ticks and mosquito's....until fall when the leaves all drop offl.
Then we use Lye soap (octagon) when bathing. not 100% but they don't like that soap.
 I use skin so soft and some mint oil in the dogs bathwater. It works well for a couple of weeks.