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Tick Trouble

11/1/2022

Hey, Papa Bear,

I had huge amounts of ticks on my head recently. Should I be worried? I ask because I hear ticks can kill via Lyme Disease/Meningitis and other ailments. I think I might have an infestation, which means I need Zyklon B to fumigate my house. Who should I call to put that chemical into my house, fumigator wise?

Sergie

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Hi, Sergie,

Well, well, this is not the type of question Papabear usually gets, but I'll tackle it! Thanks for giving me something different to discuss.

First of all, not all tick species carry diseases such as Lyme Disease. Also, ticks tend to stay outdoors (preferring to hang out in underbrush in humid areas waiting for an animal to pass by they can jump on). So, it is likely you got them outside and brought some in the house after they pounced you.

If you haven't yet, get them off of you. Since they are on your scalp, you likely could use some help. Have someone get tweezers and slowly pull the ticks off one by one. Do not twist or break the ticks but pull them in a straight line out of your skin. Once pulled out, flush them down the toilet (ticks are tough and hard to kill by crushing or stomping them, so use the plumbing).

Ticks, surprisingly, do not live long indoors. They typically can't stand the low humidity levels and die within a few hours. So, you don't need to fumigate your home. Instead, go around the house and vacuum and thoroughly clean EVERYthing. You can do this with nontoxic treatments. Sprinkle table salt or boric acid in places you find ticks; spray areas (and ticks) with dish detergent, rubbing alcohol, or bleach (obviously, don't spray bleach on fabrics). You can also use a solution of eucalyptus oil and water (four ounces of water with 20 drops of oil) to spray inside the house. Finally, if you want, you can try Wondercide flea and tick spray, which is supposedly nontoxic. Keep spraying until you are free of ticks.

Next, you should fumigate outside near your house. Wondercide also makes a product for outside use that is supposed to be safe for gardens and yards. You can also hire an exterminator, of course. A more organic solution is to first remove undergrowth, tall grass, shrubs etc. from near your home and then treat the area with sprays.

There are several organic sprays that are good for outdoor use. Eucalyptus oil (as mentioned above), cedar oil, and neem oil (neem is a type of tree that has a natural pesticide property--Nature is so cool). Because ticks like warm, moist soil and shrubby areas, you can use something called diatomaceous soil to kill them. This is a powder made of dried diatoms (tiny plant organisms) that are so dry that when a pest like a tick encounters this stuff it basically sucks all the moisture out of them and turns them into tick jerky. Very effective.

Do not fumigate your home unnecessarily. Especially with some toxic chemicals. Try these natural approaches first.

Hugs,
Papabear

Tick Trouble

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