When a tick bites you, it inserts a feeding tube into your skin to withdraw blood.
Some tick-borne illnesses can be serious.
That raises the risk of atick biteand the diseases they can carry.
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Clothing and Other Barriers
What you wear can reduce the chance of a tick being able to bite you.
Keep the yard free of debris that can harbor ticks.
The research may also be insufficient to determine how effective they actually are.
However, it was only studied on textiles, not skin.
These include garlic oil, cedarwood, geraniol, rosemary, and peppermint oil.
Nootkatone
Nootkatone is a substance found in certain plants including grapefruit and cedar trees.
It is nontoxic to humans and was found to be as effective as chemical pesticides in managing tick populations.
How Are Natural Tick Repellents Made?
There are “recipes” for homemade tick repellents using botanical oils as the active ingredients.
The active ingredients in the repellents can include both synthetic chemicals and ingredients derived from natural sources.
Check the label to ensure you understand what is in a tick repellent.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About vector-borne diseases.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diseases spread by ticks.
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.Managing ticks on your property.
2021;10(11):1379. doi:10.3390/pathogens10111379
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Nootkatone.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187675
Tisserand Institute.Tick repellent formulation key.
Environmental Protection Agency.Skin-applied repellent ingredients.
2015;52(4):722-5. doi:10.1093/jme/tjv044
CBC News.How to repel ticks with plants and landscaping.
