Plants to repel ticks

General Gardening
#1

After picking a half dozen ticks off my clothes from walking in grass, I started wondering if there were plants that would discourage their presence. Any suggestions?

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#2

I think pennyroyal has that reputation. If I’m not mistaken we used to tuck it into our socks in hopes that it would; that was in NW Arkansas, which had plenty of ticks and chiggers (and cottonmouths and copperheads and timber rattlers).

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#3

i think marigolds are insect repelling. any cedar rubbed on clothes repels as well and smells awesome! 2 falls ago i went hunting on my cousins property in M.O. after she warned me of the ticks i rubbed my hunting pants and jacket with red cedar. no ticks all week.

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#4

Around here, grass mowed down to dirt during a drought seems to repel ticks pretty well :slight_smile: Works wonders on grasshoppers too!

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#5

https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/beautyberry-natural-insect-repellent-zmaz09amzraw#:~:text=Researchers%20are%20finding%20evidence%20that,an%20effective%20natural%20insect%20repellent.&text=Not%20just%20pretty%3A%20chemical%20compounds,leaves%20are%20natural%20insect%20repellents.

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#6

Spicebush is sometimes noted as a natural insect repellant, but I suspect that ticks would be climbing around on that just like everything else.

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#7

You left off the mosquitooooooos!!!

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#8

I thought the skeeters were a potential cash crop. We always figured you could catch a dozen or so, roast them on a spit, and feed a family of four.

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#9

Pyrethrum Daisy ?

#10

umm them sum biguns

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#11

The best plants to repel ticks are guinea fowl.

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#12

Aren’t you glad you moved!

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#13

:kissing_heart: knew you’d giggle!

#14

So you think “Pennyrile Ale” (local brew by a Lexington brewery) would do any good where ticks are concerned? :slight_smile:

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#15

The only "plant " around here , that I think would defiantly repel ticks is…
The sprawling. Bayer crop science chemical "plant "
( used to be Monsanto . ( M. I . C. Unit ,-- like Bopal , etc.) )
In Intitute Wv. ( 30 miles down wind )
If I was a tick ( or anything else ) ,!
I would stay far from that plant !

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#16

lavender, probably.

scented geranium citronella

I would think mint. Possibly dill.

Yep, African daisy (pyrethrum daisy)

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#17

Apparently the increase in ticks this year has to do with the local mice population! The warm winter was very conducive to their survival, and with them come ticks.

Found an older article about it!

A friend recommended making something called tick tubes and putting those around in the wooded areas and underbrush.

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#18

I’ve heard about tick tubes - apparently worth following up on.

More mice = more food for prey = more hawks, more snakes, more fox, coyote … not a bad thing, but something to keep in mind.

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