ticks

[murdock]

dave

i have a problem which you might be able to help...my new house was infested with feas buy i used a yellow liquid from servi star which seems to have helped but now ticks are coming out of the building everywhere...i got a flame thrower and built as many as i could but everyday i go back there are just more and more...it sounds like a pop corn machine in the cracks as the ticks are poping.

i have been advised to get tick dip from the vet and to pour it everywhere...maybe you can give me the correct advice.

your company will be doing a borer test on my house shortly and i have requested that the attorney gets your inspector to check out the tick problems while inspecting.

[duncan drennan]

Have a look at this article on flea control. After a quick google it looks like diatomaceous earth is also effective against ticks. You can probably get DE at your local nursery.

[Dave A]

Wow Murdock. Ticks can be a challenge. A few questions:

How long has the house been empty?
How overgrown is the garden?
Have you got pets that will be moving in with you?
Just how soon are you moving in?

On second thoughts - when the booking is made, make sure my staff know to let me know. I'll follow through from there. There are quite a few factors to consider in finding the most cost effective solution for a particular situation - unless you've got a bottomless chequebook.

[murdock]

the house has been empty for 6 months
the garden has been maintained every week
your inspector (jeremy) will be doing the borer test tomorrow, melanie from patric landers attorney has contacted your company.

i was moving in at the end of july but i woke up this morning and decided to pack and move today...trust me it has been a long day but we should be finished by lunch time tomorrow...dogs...cat...pregnant wife and all.

the ticks seem to be in the court yard around the pipes and in the drains.

[murdock]

Have a look at this article on flea control. After a quick google it looks like diatomaceous earth is also effective against ticks. You can probably get DE at your local nursery.

thanks duncan i read the article...talking about poison...strangle thing yesterday morning when i got to the house to open up to air the nieghbours dog and the dog across the road were found dead in their driveways...they suspect the dogs were poisoned...aparently you can buy a small bottle off powder at the taxi rank you R5 which kills the dogs within a couple of minutes...well i have decided to fence the side of the house so that the dogs cant get near the fence during the night and put beams across the yard...its just money money money.

[Dave A]

its just money money money.

I'm afraid so. I've briefed Jeremy to be gentle

Not good news about the neighbours' dogs.

[murdock]

thanks Dave and Jeremy for the info.

[Dutch1962]

Would a 'flame thrower' be the same as a bug zapper? Do you have any links where I could see this?

In my neck of the woods we use Precor 2000 plus aerosol for interior service on ticks and it works well. Exterior is difficult at times but a thorough power spray and of course treating the animal usually cuts them down. A second treatment is sometimes needed though.

[Dave A]

Years ago I went to a convention with a presentation by someone from the SA Tick Research Institute. Obviously the main focus of their studies was tick control on cattle, but the information certainly gave some perspective on domestic tick control too.

What fascinated me is that they had clear evidence that a tick problem could be managed on the animal without treating the veld (open grazing grounds for non-SA folk). Regular dipping of the cattle not only provided relief for the cattle, but significantly reduced tick populations on the land too.

One key part was identifying times of the year when ticks tended to be on the animal - I seem to recall May as one of the more important months (again I remind you, SA study).

It was a long time ago and much of the detail has "leaked" from my mind. But what really stuck was that you could achieve tick control by focusing on the animal and without drastic environmental control measures.

In the household environment clients tend to expect near instant results. We're also looking at a high density living situation too. So treating the environment is probably a good idea. But I suspect that regular treatment of the animals holds the key to good results over the longer term.