When we lived in Georgia, we used sulfur around the socks and rubber-banded that bottom of the pants legs when walking in brush and weeds. I don't think it helped fleas at all, but it helped keep the ticks and chiggers at bay. No ticks (unless they come up on migrating ducks), no fleas, no snakes, no raccoons, no possums. We have dark and cold, and ground that freezes down to ten feet though.
I dread going out back because multiple deer sleep and lounge out there. Not only do we have the Deer Tick with Lyme disease, we have the Lone Star Tick with Alpha-Gal Syndrome and now they’ve discovered the Heartland Virus is also showing up in the Lone Star Tick. https://gizmodo.com/heartland-virus-death-maryland-virginia-ticks-1850157087
In Riverdale Georgia outskirt of Atlanta my first cousins little 3 yr old daughter got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tic in the grass in subdivision, the little darling passed from it. Bebe couldn't have more children so that was her only child. That was 1974.
Anyone here ever use Adams spray? It kills everything fast that I've sprayed with it. Our vet was seeing our dogs one day and I told we just bathed these dogs they have no fleas at all. He reached over and pulled one off and said here's one right here and sprayed it with Adams spray; killed it instantly. So I bought a couple bottles and they still lasting; when I shoot just a little on fire ants; they die instantly, the rest just leave and don't come back. Just thinking maybe shoot a little on bottom of pants and shoes before going into woods, might work? I don't know if it's harmful to humands; but my vet, shot it right on his hand to kill that flea, and he's still alive, that was 20 yrs ago.
You mean like the cousin to the coach roach...................water bug? They look just like a coach roach and boy can they run! A new resident moved into the apartment complex we lived in in Jacksonville and I could hear her telling her mom "I can't believe I rented an apartment with coach roaches!" IOW, she was pretty disgusted.
I remember when we lived on the Southside of Jacksonville, Florida. I always had a tendency to walk thru the grass to go to our garage. Well, one time, both of my legs started scratching like mad. It was chiggers! Itch, itch, itch! Took a shower, scrubbed both legs and both felt better. From then on, I used the driveway to get to the garage.
Do you mean "cockroach?" I've never heard of a "coach roach," though you can get indigestion at a "roach coach."
Permethrin will keep the ticks off (you apply it to clothing), but you don't want prolonged skin contact. It's strong enough to survive a number of trips through the washing machine. I've had tick problems here, especially when I am at the boundary of the yard/woods (this is where they hang out.) I have a place there where I clean out paint brushes, spackle knives, etc., and when I squat near the ground to wash them off, the little buggers got on me. I solved the problem by buying a used double sink from the Habitat Store and putting it in that spot. The ground slopes away there, and I put a 10' stick of pvc on the drain to carry the water downhill. It's obviously a more convenient workplace, and I am no longer squatting in the grass. Regarding the topic in general (I know I've mentioned this in a different thread)...when I pull a tick off of me, I get a piece of scotch tape, stick the tick to an index card, and write the date & time by it. Then if I have issues I think might have been caused by the tick, I can show the doctor the actual tick for identification purposes (different species carry different diseases) along with the specific date I got infected. Most of us are aware of the classic bullseye rash that indicates a Lyme disease bite. While this rash is often an indication of Lyme disease, the bullseye appears in less than half the cases. The CDC website shows pics of Lyme disease rashes and of rashes that might be confused as being Lyme disease.
That is very ingenious, @John Brunner. It is said that Guineas are the best defense against ticks, as ticks are their favorite food.
I was gonna get some guineas when I moved here primarily as guard birds, but they are noisy little buggers. Since moving here, I discovered that most guineas are Jehovah Witnesses: Can't a guy celebrate Christmas in peace?