How Ticks Get On You & Where They Lurk & How To Prevent Ticks

The ticks are very bad this year in many parts of the US. I will show you how they operate, how to avoid them getting on you and how to prevent them in your yard.

There are a lot of myths about ticks that I first want to clear up. I have often heard of people talking of ticks jumping onto people or falling out of trees onto your head.

Ticks do not jump. They are actually very slow creatures. Ticks will hang out on a tall grass or weed leaf and wait for something to pass by. When an animal gets close, it spreads its legs open wide and grabs onto the host.

If the host does not pass right by close enough to grab but stand still for a while then the tick will start its slow process of crawling down the plant to the ground and then work its way over to the animal.

Ticks do not fall out of trees onto your head. It may on a very rare occasion occur that a tick will wait on a branch but it is doubtful.

Ticks can sense what you have touched or brushed up against. They will wait for days for your return. They will sit on a plant or object that you touched and wait for a free ride.

So it may be possible that you brush up against a tree branch and a tick could wait for you there. But I have never yet seen a tick in a tree.

Again ticks prefer to wait on the tallest grass or weed leaf.

The way ticks attach to you is to just grab you as you pass by. Thats it. If you touch the plant they are on then they can attack to you.

This makes avoiding ticks relatively easy. When walking on paths or roads simply avoid the tall weeds and grass on the side. They will hardly ever be found on the road because they cannot hang out and wait for a meal there.

I have never picked up a tick while walking on a path or road.

But the other day walking with my wife Melanie I stepped off the road into the grass with one foot and immediately had three ticks on me. It happens that fast. If you brush up against them then they are on you.

If you must walk through the grass then keep it cut short if possible. Ticks again will wait on the tallest plants at the border of a yard.

But if you are walking through the woods with no trails then you will certainly encounter ticks. In this case it is best to avoid animal trails. Ticks will concentrate on the animal trails and wait for a meal.

If you must walk in the woods then you can also use some sort of tick repellent. These work somewhat but I have found that you have to bathe in the stuff in order to cover every part of your body.

Even then there is no guaranty if a tick is desperate enough.

You can prevent ticks in your yard to some point by keeping the lawn cut short and trimming all grass on the borders.

Put mulch under shrubs and trees and keep all weeds and grass down.

Put down gravel or mulch on your pathways and stick to them. Again the ticks will hide in the grass and weeds so avoiding their domain is the best way to prevent ticks.

Ticks over winter in leaves so keeping the leaves raked up removes their winter beds.

I always had ticks in my garden waiting on my vegetables. So I put chickens around the perimeter of the garden and never had a tick again. Ticks are attracted to animals. Chickens eat ticks. Its a win-win situation for you.

You can let chickens free range in your yard or put a boarder around the yard and let chickens run around eating ticks and bugs.

Guinea hens love ticks and gobble them up.

Possums are much hated by people but they love ticks. A possum can eat many ticks in a day. If you have possums then you have an ally in the war against ticks.

Check yourself often when walking in tick infested areas. Lift up your pant legs and check front and back. Occasionally strip down and check yourself thoroughly.

After a day of hiking or walking in tick infested areas take a shower with lots of soap. Soapy water kills ticks. Plain water will not.

If you follow all of these guidelines then you will reduce your chance of a tick bite drastically.

Oh, and dont panic if you see a tick and slap it off. It can get back on you or someone else. Remember they are slow. Take your time and kill it so it cannot harm anyone else.

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Troy
http://www.thedoityourselfworld.com
http://www.theoffgridproject.com

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Off Grid Homesteading With Melanie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFRwlShDuXP5WXdtXV15rAQ

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TR Tech Tactical & Survival: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChPdsvwahC2wh8lvWs6ud4g

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