3 ms·
Look into "tick tubes", which you scatter around your yard. Tick tubes have permethrin impregnated cotton inside them, which mice collect and use as bedding. Mi
by op00to 3y ago
Look into "tick tubes", which you scatter around your yard. Tick tubes have permethrin impregnated cotton inside them, which mice collect and use as bedding. Mice are a critical part of the tick life cycle. The permethrin kills ticks that feed on the mice, and over a season or two you can seriously eliminate infestations of ticks without indiscriminate pesticide spraying.
The good thing is, we're just approaching the best time to apply tick tubes, early spring to summer.
- pavel_lishin 3y agoI've used this in the suburbs, and anecdotally it doesn't seem like any small critters are picking up the cotton at all. I guess I should be happy that I don't have any mice or rats in the area?
- op00to 3y agoI don’t think rats will touch the tubes, and it’s totally possible there are no mice around. I had the same experience the first season I tried. I moved the location around the second season and noticed they were empty after a few months. I hide some near a wood pile, along fences underneath plants. I just ordered more. It makes me feel better even if it’s just placebo.
- pavel_lishin 3y agoTrue enough - they're cheap enough that I'm not worried about wasting money.
- daemonologist 3y agoInteresting, especially since it seems this product could be DIYed for _very_ cheap. I do wonder if we're going to end up with permethrin-resistant super ticks though.
- eindiran 3y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockdown_resistance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockdown_resistance I don't know if this has appeared in ticks but it has appeared in mosquitos.