# Ticks in the rural Southern yard **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925 "2006-04-24T02:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/1 "2006-04-24T02:15:41Z")
How do you control them? I’ve never put anything out for them. They’ve never been this bad. Walk out the door and you’ve got a dozen. With the flu and the dog bite, I hadn’t cut the grass untill today, so that’s part pf the problem. No outside cats now, but I do wonder if putting out poison would hurt the rabbits, possums or wash into my fish pools. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/2 "2006-04-24T03:00:24Z")
Sevin Dust, at least that’s what my father always sprinkled on our dogs, yard, etc. For a while you couldn’t find it, but I think one of the big name brands bought the name. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/3 "2006-04-24T03:55:38Z")
Wear one of [these](http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441776048&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302033681&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1145850812698&itemNo=17&Nao=12&In=Cat&N=2033681&Ne=2) as an anklet? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/4 "2006-04-24T05:03:31Z")
Whatever you do, don’t let the ticks converse. The tick talk will keep you up all night. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/5 "2006-04-24T12:43:18Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > The tick talk will keep you up all night. It’s not the conversation, it’s their damn singing that’s maddening. I can’t stand it, I tell you, I can’t stand it! ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/6 "2006-04-24T18:29:26Z")
You could always let some [Guinea Hens](http://www.wingwatchers.com/images1/ghen1.jpg) loose in your yard. Until my dog finally caught ours, my yard was quite tick free. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/7 "2006-04-24T18:35:27Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > You could always let some [Guinea Hens](http://www.wingwatchers.com/images1/ghen1.jpg) loose in your yard. Until my dog finally caught ours, my yard was quite tick free. Frankly, I’d rather have the ticks. Guineas are loud, poop **everywhere** and have a knack for getting hit by cars. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/8 "2006-04-24T20:13:36Z")
I’m sure, for a few bucks, [this guy](http://www.flamethrowers.com.au/images/photos/180sx-flaming-4.jpg) would be happy to make a few passes thru your yard! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/9 "2006-04-24T21:28:16Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Whatever you do, don’t let the ticks converse. The tick talk will keep you up all night. giggle giggle giggle … smack Dude, I can’t handle ticks. They’re just spiders with a +3 to cause heebie jeebies, and I save at a -4 vs arachnids anyway. eeeech…no tickses for Inigo! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/10 "2006-04-24T21:39:01Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > They’re just spiders with a +3 to cause heebie jeebies, I doan dink you know what dat means. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/11 "2006-04-25T00:04:40Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > You could always let some [Guinea Hens](http://www.wingwatchers.com/images1/ghen1.jpg) loose in your yard. Until my dog finally caught ours, my yard was quite tick free. I’ve considered them. My worries are: Bird Flu, West Nile Virus, Stray Dogs (see my Dog Bite Thread 🙂 ) and whether they would tear up my Sarracenia (carnivorous plants) to eat the trapped bugs. How many did you have per acre or square foot? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticks-in-the-rural-southern-yard/353925/12 "2006-04-25T00:31:23Z")
You’ll need to keep your yard short and use Sevin dust. It helps if you can burn the yard, but this isn’t such a hot idea for a number of reasons. Ideally, you’d start dusting in the late winter early spring and keep it up periodically throughout the year until the dead of winter. Then next spring when you statr dusting again, you’ll not have as bad of a problem. Just take comfort in the fact that ticks don’t like to live indoors.