Balsam Fir Needles Kill Ticks

We don’t have any ticks at our field school in northern Maine. Traditionally, we’ve been quite a bit north of the tick line, below which they live. However, a few hours south, the Maine coast is overrun with ticks. The bad news is that they are slowly moving north. The good news is that our predominant tree species is Balsam Fir, and Balsam Fir kills ticks.

According to an article in Nature, the needles and essential oils in Balsam Fir kill overwintering ticks at cold temperatures. Ticks burrow into the leaf litter on the ground as a way to survive a long, cold winter. According to the article, where that leaf litter is composed of fir needles, the ticks have a much lower survival rate. They tested it a bunch of different ways, but their conclusion was that “Balsam Fir needles kill overwintering ticks under both field and lab conditions”.

This is just another reason to love Balsam Fir trees. The picture below was taken at altitude above the field school, and just look at all those beautiful Balsam Fir trees! But don’t take my word for it, go read the article (see link below). And for more information on Balsam Fir, the state of Maine has a great book called Forest Trees Of Maine that is free online. Here’s a link to the section on Balsam Fir (pdf) - https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/publications/handbooks_guides/forest_trees/pdf/MiscConifers.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15164-z – “Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) needles and their essential oil kill overwintering ticks (Ixodes scapularis) at cold temperatures”

God bless the balsam fir, amazing medicinal benefits in a lovely tree. Thank you, my only Maine camping trips involved kayak ventures near Deer Isle and Isle de Haute, what a glorious coast.  

I try to respect all living things, but I struggle,  can't actually feel benevolent towards ticks.  I have form with them, not at all pleasant.  More than one outdoorsman I know have life changing problems from tick borne diseases.  Could I buy essential oils from this tree?

T. Smith wrote:We don’t have any ticks at our field school in northern Maine. Traditionally, we’ve been quite a bit north of the tick line, below which they live. However, a few hours south, the Maine coast is overrun with ticks. The bad news is that they are slowly moving north. The good news is that our predominant tree species is Balsam Fir, and Balsam Fir kills ticks.

According to an article in Nature, the needles and essential oils in Balsam Fir kill overwintering ticks at cold temperatures. Ticks burrow into the leaf litter on the ground as a way to survive a long, cold winter. According to the article, where that leaf litter is composed of fir needles, the ticks have a much lower survival rate. They tested it a bunch of different ways, but their conclusion was that “Balsam Fir needles kill overwintering ticks under both field and lab conditions”.

This is just another reason to love Balsam Fir trees. The picture below was taken at altitude above the field school, and just look at all those beautiful Balsam Fir trees! But don’t take my word for it, go read the article (see link below). And for more information on Balsam Fir, the state of Maine has a great book called Forest Trees Of Maine that is free online. Here’s a link to the section on Balsam Fir (pdf) - https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/publications/handbooks_guides/forest_trees/pdf/MiscConifers.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15164-z – “Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) needles and their essential oil kill overwintering ticks (Ixodes scapularis) at cold temperatures”

I think the key point is, it kills ticks at cold temperatures.

I live just south of you on an island in Maine and the ticks are here, but so are plenty of Balsam Fir. That tee, along with the spruce, is why this area is the wreath making capital of the world. But our temps here are not as severe as they are for our Northern neighbors.

Being located on the end of a 12 mile peninsula, and then crossing a bridge to an island, then a causeway to a second island, we are tempered by the ocean. From the mainland to our house, a distance of only 1.5 miles I have seen a temperature difference of 10 degrees. We also get very little snow here for that same reason. While just a few miles inland they are plowing roads, here it is just rain.

But the forest here is 90% spruce and fir.  Very little hardwoods...