Responsible ways to keep ticks away
- Guest Blog Post from the Tick and Mosquito Project
Wisconsin is squarely in the range of the blacklegged tick, more commonly referred to as the deer tick. As you are probably aware, it is the tick that carries Lyme disease.
While Wisconsin’s incidence of Lyme disease is not quite at the level of the Northeastern states, it is definitely a top-10 state and has the highest incidence in the Midwest.
No county is safe. Lyme disease is found in every part of the state.
Controlling and repelling blacklegged ticks is essential to keeping Lyme disease at bay, but how do you do it in a way that, at the same time, won’t harm the environment?
Natural habitat modifications appear to be more effective than pesticide application.
While with mosquitoes, there is often a temptation of applying unsafe chemicals to broad swaths of land and wetland in return for mosquito control, it is not the case for ticks. Ticks really don’t respond to broad pesticide application, making the preferred control methods much more nature-friendly.
Because ticks thrive in long grass, shrubs, and brush piles, keeping areas near human living locations clean can reduce the ticks that will come in contact with people. Cutting yard grass, moving brush piles to areas away from homes appear to have outsized benefits in the fight against ticks.
A buffer strip -- dirt, sand, or gravel in between wild habitat and a yard -- can also be effective, as ticks and other critters don’t always like crossing exposed areas with little cover. This can also be an effective technique around play areas designed for children.
Repellents are effective, and can be applied sparingly to the person instead of broad areas.
Sometimes you will be headed into tick-heavy habitat like long grass or thick shrubs, whether it be for recreation, work, or other reasons. Using personal tick repellents (like these) is a proven way to keep ticks at bay -- as well as mosquitoes, black flies, and other facts of life in the Upper Midwest. When used sparingly and per directions, the impact on the surrounding environment should be minimal since it is being applied to the person and not to broad areas.
The most effective combination against, both anecdotally and according to CDC research, is DEET on the skin and permethrin on footwear and clothing. Permethrin is proven to be very effective against the ticks that carry Lyme disease, but it is also part of the pyrethroid family, which is bad for bees and other pollinators. That is why we never recommend a broad application of permethrin or any pyrethroid (such as around a campsite or patio). Just use it sparingly and strictly on footwear and clothing, and you will do a good job of repelling ticks with harming the surrounding area.
More natural tick repellents are emerging, but research is not yet conclusive on efficacy.
We are encouraged by the number of organic and natural tick repellents on the market, and soon to hit the market. In particular, we have our eye on a couple that we expect to be available for consumers in 2021 or 2022.
Essential oils such as clove extract, peppermint oil, lemongrass, and citronella are gaining interest in the fight against ticks. While there are some anecdotes that suggest they can help, we always caution people against placing all of their faith in something not yet fully-tested by the CDC or EPA. Lyme disease is too serious to take your chances with.
Bottom Line
The conclusion is that you can protect yourself against harmful ticks without harming the environment you live in. Taking reasonable measures near your yard and living area, using personal repellents, and keeping your eye on advancements in organic and natural solutions should provide promise against the dreaded deer tick and allow us all to enjoy our great outdoors.