Well I went hiking to the new bush this week and came home to discover I was feeding a few ticks.We sent a guy over becaause we found out that there was a gas well on the property in 1941,and he came back with ticks too.Now,I am not afraid of much,bats ,snakes and spiders do not phase me but ticks well....It's not a pretty sight!I have decided maybe I will change the name from promised Land to Tick-L-Wood.I heard guinea hens are good tick control???What do I do with the horses and dogs and other stock?????HELP?!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

Answers

Hi Teri, I used frontline for the dogs and had good results. I have decided this year to try alternatives as I'm afraid the frontline is toxic. But if you are really infested you may not have any other choice. Right now I am trying an herbal flea/tick collar. And at least once a day I spray my dog with a mixture of citronella, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils diluted in water and rubbed into the coat. I recently read that extract of yarrow diluted in water is as efffective as DEET but much safer. I haven't tried that one yet. These approaches may be too expensive for the horses because of their size. But maybe you'll get some other suggestions on how to help them.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

Hi Teri, sorry you are encountering on your new land just what you didnt want! Isn't it interesting the way the Universe does that to us all the time? Maybe we're supposed to face our fears or something.

Anyway, I agree that guineas are the first line of defense. They really do make a difference, if you have a good size flock and they are free to run around the place. A few free-ranging chickens can't hurt either.

My favorite anti-bug herb is plain ol garlic. I buy garlic in bulk,and we use it on everything, besides in our cooking. I give it liberally to my dogs and cat every day (also an immune system booster) in their food. I really think we must smell icky to bug (hopefully only to bugs) cuz when we go out in the woods with other people they get ticks and we rarely do. Except for Bren, who always "forgets" to take hers. She gets attacked by everything. Bugs love her. You'd think she'd learn.

Otherwise, you probably know stuff like keep the grass short in the areas you're in the most, and when you go in the woods, wear light clothing so you can see the buggers and cuz they are attracted to dark clothing,and tuck your pants in your boots/shoes.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

Before going out, I wipe myself down with Skin-So-Soft. It really works to keep off the ticks and mosquitos. I also spray it on the horse to keep off ticks, nats and flys.

We sell alot of brewers yeast with garlic for dogs and cats as a flea and tick deterrant. One woman said that the litter mate ran the same feild as hers and she didn't have a problem but the mate did. I asked if she used brewers yeast and surprised, she said, yes, she did. Well...

As for Guinea Hens, I hated the noise they made. They were very loud. One year I got males only because it is the female that makes that buckwheat noise. Well, they were quieter but were also making my hens naked with all the mating they were doing. If you do go for the guineas, put chicks under a setting hen. When grown, they will follow chickens into hen house. If you get them older, they will roost in trees and be picked off by predators. Stupid birds.

One last thing. There is a product sold in pet stores called Ticked Off. It is plastic and looks like a measuring spoon with a V cut out of it. You slide it up the tick and they just pop right off, mouth and all. Works great.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

Thanks for the tip about the "ticked off" dohickey. Sounds neat.

Yep, guineas are noisy all right, but unlike Dee, I liked the sound they made, except in a small, enclosed area, when it can be deafening if you have a lot of em. They are good watch-birds with all their racket, lettin you know when someone's coming. But they are definitely for folks with enough property so as not to disturb neighbors who may not appreciate their music.

I really really miss my guineas, I found them fascinating to watch. Got some little statutes of em around my house even now: silent guineas.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

I'm down to 2 guineas of the 3 that were hatched and raised by a chicken. we have ticks here too. They are a fact of life in spring but are pretty much done by mid- July (real hot weather). I was really freaked out by them when we moved here..hysterical actually. Now I am pretty used to them and don't break down into hysterics at the sight of one. My husband works in the city so he doesn't get as much exposure and get very upset by the little buggers. The kids could care less if they have a tick on them. Like fleas with having dogs for pets, having ticks in the country is to be expected. After a few years you'll learn to roll with that icky seasonal punch. :o)

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2002