I had just filed these articles a few weeks ago, so here's more grist for
all your tick mills! Sharon
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Safe and Effective Tick Spray - Formula
Inspired by Better Basics for the Home, by Annie B. Bond (Three Rivers
Press, 1999).
Ticks are starting to become a real problem in many areas as the weather
gets warmer. All the recent rain in the Northeast has caused an especially
bad tick population boom. There are many kinds of ticks, but getting bit by
deer ticks is no joke: they carry Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases
including a red blood cell parasite. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is spread
by the American dog tick, the lone-star tick, and the wood tick. Best to
keep ticks far, far away from you and your companion animals and loved ones!
Simple Solution:
This herbal spray is based on herbalist knowledge, and it is a great find as
a healthy alternative to synthetic pesticides because it really works well
as a repellent. The spray calls for one ingredient, besides water--you can't
get much simpler than that! Find out the formula here: This spray is good to
use on pet bedding.
You will need:
2 teaspoons essential oil of rose geranium or palmerosa
2 cups water
1 spray bottle
1. Combine ingredients in the spray bottle and shake well to blend.
2. Spray areas where pets sleep. And here is some more information on using
rose geranium and palmerosa oils on your skin and on pet collars:
Tick Repellent
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/23
Tick Repellant More Pest Control Solutions
by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.com Producer, Green Living Channels
I dug deep in my herbal formula books for this recipe out of desperation,
given that I live in the epicenter of the tick-generated Lyme disease
epidemic. I tested the essential oil that is recommended for ticks, Rose
Geranium, by putting a few drops—no more!— on our dogs’ collars, to see if
it would repel ticks. Lo and behold, we went from 20 ticks a day on each
dog, to none. The second best essential oil for repelling ticks is American
Pennyroyal (also called tickweed).
2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil (almond oil contains sulfur, a repellent
in its own right)
10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend.
Makes: 2 tablespoons
Shelf Life: 6 months
Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing, making sure to avoid eyes.
Caution
Skip the Pennyroyal if there is anyone pregnant (including pets) in the
home, as it can induce miscarriage. And as always, use essential oils with
caution as they can burn the skin and harm eyes. Don't use these essential
oils around cats.
Helpful Hints:
Palmerosa is a sister essential oil to Rose Geranium, and also repels ticks.
It is cheaper, and sometimes easier to find than Rose Geranium.
Another good repellent that also worked on our dogs, is to eat garlic pills
(but don't give garlic to cats). A number of people have written me to say
that they have had good luck with their dogs and themselves, by keeping to
the garlic pill eating regimen every day.
The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) reported in
their winter of 1996 Journal of Pesticide Reform that nymphal ticks are
reduced from 72.7 to 100 percent when dead leaves are removed from the
forest areas surrounding residential areas.
Rose Geranium for Ticks
After digging deep in many old herbalist books I came across mention of Rose
Geranium as being an excellent tick repellent. Palmerosa, a cousin of Rose
Geranium, is also effective. I put just a drop or two--no more--of pure
essential oil of rose geranium on each dog's cloth collar every week, and it
really keeps the ticks away. Check with your vet before using essential oils
on cats.
I'd still check the pets daily for ticks. Deer ticks are the size of poppy
seeds and incredibly hard to spot at the nymph stage so common in the
spring. One essential oil company that offers pure Rose Geranium is Aura
Cacia from Frontier Natural Products. If you'd prefer a ready-made product,
Quantum Herbal products sells a tick and flea spray for pets with pure Rose
Geranium as its main active ingredient. Both products are available in
health food stores. Note: Pregnant women are advised to avoid essential
oils.
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/pets/165
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