Spring Time

Please consider using lots of prevention.  No more tick bites for you or your family.  With increasing numbers of potential coinfections it is imperative that we don't get any more tick bites.

 

If you are going to be outdoors:

Consider these things:

Use Permethrin sprayed on clothing - and read the directions on the labels - or you can buy clothing that has been treated but read the labels on the clothing, too. 

 

DEET but read the labels - some lower concentrations only give you one to two hours of protection.

 

They say AVON Skin So Soft works -

 

*Ticks do not like lavender - plant lavender and use it for washing clothes, in lotions, and in soaps, etc.*

 

Bath and Body Works makes an after shave product - that has rosemary and lavender oils in it and ticks hate both!  It is a scent that I think both men and women can wear. 

 

Put lavender dryer sheets in kids pockets. 

 

Do tick checks on everyone, including pets.

 

Pets - use the tick preventative products such as Frontline or Advantix

 

Spray Property - NIXTIX or O'Kula or a company that knows about ticks. 

 

O'Kula uses rosemary oil which repels and also kills ticks but is organic and safe. Or you can spray Permethrin onto cotton balls and place them into empty toilet paper rolls and place around your property.  O'Kula is in Suffolk County.  (This is not an endorsement of either company but for informational purposes only.)

 

A wood berm around the perimeter of your property is also said to help whereas rocks/stones are said to attract them. 

 

Yellow Cedar trees are said to repel ticks.

 

Tea Tree Oil is said to repel ticks and peppermint repels flies. 

 

So, there are many things that one can do - however, there are reports of tick bites even when preventative measures were taken.   

 

So another caution is to try to stay out of tick-infested areas!

 

Happy and Safe Springtime!

 

Eva Haughie
Pres. Empire State Lyme Disease Association

www.EmpireStateLymeDiseaseAssociation.org

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