Tick Tubes
Ticks are a huge problem in the area where I live. I was reading an article the other day that my county had more cases of Lyme disease reported from 2000-2015 than any other county! Ugh. I hate them. I am constantly looking for ways to keep them at bay. Especially since everything I am reading says this year is going to be horrible because of the mild winter. We are surrounded by woods on all three sides of our house so it’s hard to keep the little critters and the deer that bring them into the yard out. While doing some research I found an interesting way to help kill the ticks but not the critters- create tick tubes! Apparently, mice can carry over 100 ticks on them at one time! Tick tubes help eliminate the ticks but are safe for the critters. Basically, how they work is the critters will take the lint out of the tubes to make their nest. The lint that was sprayed with the Permethrin will kill the ticks but keep the critters safe.
How to make Tick Tubes:
I recently showed how to make these tubes on Facebook Live so if you’d like you can watch the video below:
Steps: (Affiliate links, please see full disclosure here.)
Save your empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls for the “tube”
Save your dryer lint, if you don’t have dryer lint you can also use cotton balls.
Outside, lay out the lint/cotton balls and spray Permethrin on one side. Use gloves!
Let dry for two hours and then flip it over and spray the other side.
Let dry for another two hours.
Take the lint and stuff it into the tubes leaving about an inch on each side.
Place the tubes around the perimeter of your property.
***Please follow the directions on the bottle carefully and wear gloves. This is not something you use on skin, but you can use it on clothing and outside gear to repeal insects. – Spray clothing when not wearing it and let dry two hours before handling. ***
You can get Permethrin here with my affiliate link.