Katherine from Fort Wayne, In writes
We have app. 1/3-1/2 acre of lawn surrounded by tall weeds. We've created a mulch barrier around our mowed lawn, treated first with Cedarcide PCO and then with various big box store insecticides. All our attempts haven't been very successful. We are still finding ticks on us, the outside of house, our deck, our garden, our shed, our well-spiget, etc. What would be the best bang for our buck, AND be the most effective to get rid of these disgusting things!!! We've bought some DE, but it clogged our tow behind sprayer, so until we can figure the best way to apply the DE to our large lawn, that's on hold. Please help!!!
Talstar P mixed with an Insect Growth regulator such as Nyguard IGR would be a good choice for tick control. Talstar P would work to kill ticks that come into contact with treated surfaces while the Nyguard would work to help stop juvenile ticks from reaching sexual maturity. You should remember that ticks may be hidden in tall or dense brush so higher treatment volumes may be needed to treat the entire plant, not just the top side of the plant where it is easiest to spray. You should try to get the application on the underside of leaves and all the way to the bottom of the plant. We recommend treating the entire infested area (no spot treating). When you are dealing with an area that has a high tick population you may be required to treat once a month from spring through to the first frost, no matter what product you use. Be sure all pets are treated with a product labeled for tick control. The problem on your property may be that ticks are being reintroduced into the area on a consistent basis by wildlife such as deer, raccoons or birds. You will be required to use non-chemical means to reduce the tick population in addition to insecticides. As with most pests you can modify the environment on your property to make it less favorable to ticks. Keeping grass and weeds cut short in tick infested areas increases tick death during hot weather, discourages wildlife and will reduce the amount of vegetation which may need a pesticide application to kill ticks. Clear away yard debris such as old firewood or leaf piles. Remove old or abandoned bird nests and rodent nests. Patch fences where wildlife may be gaining access to your property. It may also be helpful to have the ticks identified. By identifying the type of ticks you can better understand what type of animals may be bringing them to your property and you can modify the environment to make it less favorable for that host animal. You can contact your local cooperative extension office to request an insect identification.
Answer last updated on: 07/25/2012
