Tick Hotels

Tick Hotels

Along with the beautiful warm days come creepy and dangerous ticks. Our yard seems to have an abundance of them. What do you do when you find a tick crawling on your arm or leg? Grab it and throw it down so it can jump on another family member or pet? No, you want to make sure that tick is not going to live to bother another person.

It's not always convenient to smash the tick with a rock. They are really quite indestructible. I have flushed the little devils, but, they're so ridiculously hardy, I envision them navigating our septic system and resurfacing in the yard. One solution is to make containers we call tick hotels.

These tick hotels are small cosmetic jars and vitamin bottles with lotion in the bottom. We have them labeled and placed strategically in the kitchen, garage, deck, and greenhouse. Once a tick is discovered, it can be dispatched to the nearest tick hotel.The lotion in the bottom of the container slows them down and kills them. Also, it is easier to identify the type of tick with a white background.

Prevention

I'll list some general guidelines that I use to prevent tick bites. There's a lot of specific information available on the topic from experts. If needed, please consult those sources for additional information.

Protect yourself from ticks by spraying insect repellent on your shoes and clothing. Even for a quick walk to the garden, I'll spray my shoes.

For extended stays in long grass, in wooded areas, or other known tick areas wear long pants and liberally spray the lower pant legs and shoes to create a tick barrier.

If possible, remove tick-exposed clothing in a garage or utility room to avoid introducing ticks into the house. Bag the clothing and wash immediately.

Be alert to itchiness or tickling on your skin. These are signs of tick movement. Inspect the itchy area closely. Small ticks resemble freckles. If a tick is found, drop it in the nearest tick hotel.