Does Tea Tree Oil Repel And Kill Ticks?

Can tea tree oil repel and kill ticks? You’ll be finding out shortly as you read along.

Essential oils have become an important part of our lives. These are used for their health benefits (due to their anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties) as well as for pest control among others.

No matter how clean you keep your pets, ticks will more often than not find a way in. This situation requires frequent supervision and urgent treatment when noticed.

Dogs always spend time on couches, carpets as well as their beds. These areas must also be treated to avoid prolonging the problem.

Tea Tree Oil For Tick Control

The best part about essential oils is that they aren’t toxic and are environmentally friendly. This article seeks to find out if one of the essential oils; tea tree oil repels and kills ticks. Tick issues have become a growing concern for many households.

As organic solutions to tick problems grow, several essential oils are being considered.

Does Tea Tree Oil Repel Ticks?

In order not to take up much of your time, we’ll like to emphatically state that there’s no real proof of tea tree oil killing or repelling ticks.

This may sound a bit off for readers who have read other articles where claims have been made about the efficacy of tea tree oil for tick control.

However, the reality is that it doesn’t give any results. As a matter of fact, neither the FDA nor the Center for Disease Control list tea tree oil as an effective tick control remedy.

Are you saddened by this fact? You shouldn’t be.

Instead of being disappointed by this news, it should spring forth more questions. One such may include; if tea tree oil doesn’t repel and kill ticks, what does?

Being unable to use tea tree oil for tick control is only a minor setback as other alternatives exist.

Tea Tree Oil Alternatives for Tick Control

Although we’ve seen that tea tree oil doesn’t repel or kill ticks, the job still needs to be done.

Ticks still need to be gotten rid of. As such the best approach is to seek other natural remedies that work. This is in line with keeping with the natural approach for tick control.

DEET and oil of lemon eucalyptus are some effective replacements for tea tree oil. These are natural methods considered highly effective in repelling ticks. Let’s discuss each of these as follows;

i. DEET

DEET is one active ingredient that has found wide use in a variety of pest repellents including those used on ticks.

You’ll find DEET in a variety of forms such as in sprays, lotions, as well as being impregnated on household items such as roll-on and towelettes.

• How it Works

DEET works by distorting the ability of ticks to smell or locate their hosts.

Pesticides containing a higher volume or percentage of DEET tend to have a longer-lasting repelling effect on ticks.

You might want to be on the look for such products to use on these pests.

Using DEET Safely

When using insect repellents containing DEET, it’s important to stick to the use instructions. When used as directed, these should have no negative or harmful impact.

One of the ways to prevent eye or skin irritation when using this product includes reading and following safety precautions.

Never apply DEET on irritated skin, or over wounds and cuts. This product shouldn’t be applied to kids’ hands or near their eyes or mouths. What more?

Ensure you avoid over-application, wash treated clothing before putting them on, use just the right amount, and also keep out of the reach of children.

ii. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Another natural tick repellent product you might want to consider is the oil of lemon eucalyptus oil. This distilled essential oil is sourced from the lemon eucalyptus tree and provides relief for tick issues.

To achieve a sustained repelling effect, this essential oil will have to be applied as frequently as possible.

Ticks stand no chance of getting their fill of blood and are kept away. Purchasing this product isn’t difficult at all. Oil of lemon eucalyptus can be picked off the shelf in your nearest store.

Calling for Pest Control

When dealing with a tick problem, one of the options available to you includes calling for help. The professionals or pest control companies are always on hand to respond to all sorts of pest issues.

If you’re more interested in the use or deployment of natural tick control strategies, these companies have you covered. Reliable and experienced pest management services offer a wide range of solutions. These are applied based on customer preference as well as the nature of the infestation.

Calling the pros helps you achieve both repelling and exterminating effect. To begin, you may want to check out some reviews on the most reliable pest management services. Such reviews are very important and serve as a guide to pick only the best for the job.

Taking Preventive Action

There’s no better way of preventing tick bites and infestation than taking preventive action. Prevention saves you the stress of actually dealing with tick presence. Now, there are several ways to do this.

Tick exposure may occur all-year-round and will require taking adequate measures. These are categorized under going-out protective measures, and coming-home protective measures.

• Going-Out Protective Measures

Ticks are always brought home from the outdoors. So, before stepping out of your home, consider identifying likely areas you’ll encounter ticks. These include taking a walk, gardening, grasses, wooded or brush areas as well as when hunting.

Pre-treatment of clothing and gear requires the application of permethrin-containing products.

These are applied or sprayed on camping gear, boots, and clothing. Also, consider going for EPA approved repellents such as oil of lemon eucalyptus, and DEET-containing products among others.

More important is the need to avoid contact with ticks as much as you can. You may want to start by walking in the middle of trails in order not to pick up these pests.

Also, keep away from brush or wooded areas as well as those with lots of leaves and high grasses.

• Coming Home Protective Measures

Before stepping into your home, it’s important to first inspect your clothing for ticks. An effective strategy to consider involves tumble drying your clothes at high temperatures. This should be allowed to last about 10 to 15 minutes.

Also, examine pets and gear, check your body for any ticks, shower as soon as you can too. These actions should be helpful enough to keep ticks out of your home.

We’ve found that tea tree oil doesn’t repel or kill ticks. However, we’ve included effective alternatives for keeping these pests out. You may want to try out the strategies listed above.