Tiffany Asher, [email protected]
WYOMING — With warmer weather begins the time when families hike, camp, and go outside to play, but it also brings insects and bugs out. Did you know that ticks can be as lethal as a venomous snake, or worse depending on the scenario? Ticks carry many diseases, but luckily there are many ways to repel them so your family and you can have a great time.
There are many simple homemade solutions for your pets and you.
A repellent for your pets: Add 1 cup of water to a spray bottle, followed by 2 cups of distilled white vinegar. Add two spoonfuls of vegetable or almond oil, which both contain sulfur (another natural tick repellent).
To make a repellent that will also deter fleas, mix in a few spoonfuls of lemon juice, citrus oil, or any other safe essence oil for that may also repel ticks and fleas while also creating a nicely scented repellent but not be toxic to your dog.
Spray onto the pet’s dry coat. Remember to stay away from sensitive areas, including eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals. When outdoors for an extended period, spray this solution two to three times per day.
Ticks hate the smell and taste of vinegar and will be easily repelled by this ingredient alone.
A repellent for your family: In a spray bottle, mix 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and 1 cup of water. So you don’t smell like vinegar all day, add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. There are many different smells that will deter ticks away. Those smells, as well as other ways to create repellents naturally, can be found on Farmer’s Almanac website.
Eucalyptus oil is a calm, soothing scent, but also known as an effective tick repeller and killer, while peppermint and citrus oils give off a strong crisp scent that also repels ticks. After mixing the solution, spray it onto clothing, skin, and hair before going outdoors. The Farmer’s Almanac also says that to make eucalyptus safe for dogs, ‘eucalyptus oil must be diluted with water before application on dogs’.
Reapply every four hours to keep ticks at bay, and examine your skin and hair when back inside to make sure no ticks are on the body.
According to the Wyoming Department of Health, “Diseases sometimes passed on by infected ticks in Wyoming include tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and Colorado tick fever (CTF). Lyme and Powasssan diseases can be a concern during travel to other states, but are not known to be spread by Wyoming ticks.”
