Author Tests 2 Tick-Control Tactics With Permethrin Sheet and Wood-Chip Barriers

1 articles · Updated · Martha's Vineyard Times · Aug 20

A permethrin-soaked flannel sheet and piles of wood chips are the author’s latest experiments to cut tick numbers around a home without harming beneficial insects.
The sheet adapts BiodiversityWorks’ tick-collection method: it is dragged along frequently used paths and then left hanging outside, with the aim of trapping and killing ticks rather than counting them.
The trial sits alongside broader prevention steps, including permethrin-treated clothing and socks, DEET sprays, sticky tick tape, and a doxycycline prescription to be taken within 72 hours of a deer tick bite.
The report also stresses routine tick checks, careful removal with tools such as a tick kit, and local treatment options including Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s Tick Clinic and Tick Free MV.

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