Outdoors: Cistus Tea blocks ticks on humans and dogs

[PigButtons]

Cistus Tea has been in use to help prevent ticks from attaching to dogs and humans since Roman times. I drink about 12 oz, once per week and it really seems to work. I put about 1/2 teaspoon of honey in to make it more palatable. I have an 18 pound indoor outdoor dog and she gets the last oz or so from mine. Without the honey she won't drink it but with it she laps it right up. I do occasionally find a tick on her but they haven't been well attached so they are much easier to remove than in the past.

Until I found this stuff late last summer both she and I were tick magnets averaging about one per day for me and thee to ten a day for her. So far this year I've not had a bite and she's only had 4 or 5 spread over two months. I do wear "ElimiTick" clothing from Gamehide if I'm going to be outside in the woods for any length of time and that stuff is great. While on my tractor one day last year a tick dropped off of a tree onto my leg. I've never seen acrobatics like that tick did trying to get off of those pants, you would have thought his feet were on fire.

Was also posted over on RimfireCentral

 

[boltfluter]

Great tip about the tea! Very interesting.

Paul

 

[JEFFPPC]

Wife and I were pulling ticks every time we went to a local range or walking in the woods. I investigated Game Hide Tick Clothes including a conversation with one of the principles. Invested it it for us over 3 years ago....not 1 tick since. Great stuff. One of the things I learned, it will work until it disintegrates. I bought it for less ordering direct than I could at local dealers, they run specials.We got lightweight pants and hooded tops designed to wear over other clothing, works great.

 

[PatMiles]

Where do you buy this cistus tea?

Do an internet search.

 

[SmokinJoe]

I got mine on Amazon.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I spray my pants, boots with permethrin. Kills and repels ticks,mosquito,lice,other biting insects. Spray the outside of the dogs brush vest also, deer ticks can be thick during grouse season. Let it dry, avoid skin contact when wet. Elimatick is good also.

 

[TreyOh8]

+1 on the permethrin. I have used it for years. Now that warm weather is here its a must for night time trips to the hog trap. Mosquitoes leave me alone and I don't get ticks.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Was one of the first sales reps in the country for Permanone and Duranon. These were .05% Permethrin sprays by Coulston Labs. The company was shipping pallet loads to the forces in Somalia and we had initial issues supplying the US market. A little history....

I have used this product since the middle 80's because we began to get inundated with bear ticks in central WI. I would apply it to my Springer Spaniel (that lived to be 16YO) and to my hunting clothing. One application was good for 6 weeks and 2 machine washings. If a tick crawled onto the clothing, it was dead...and I mean DEAD.

Gave a couple of cans to a bear technician working northern WI. He said that he applied it and was working his bear traps. One day he felt what he thought were small corn flakes under his boots while driving his truck. Once he stopped and was able to get a good look at the floor, he saw more dead ticks than he could count. He was sold on permethrin.

 

[ericvgrath1]

Nice tips

 

[mudduck]

Watch out that permethrin will cause your baby’s to born naked

 

[philip brousseau]

Tag

 

[js2013]

I read the German army tested cistus tea on their dogs. One group was given the tea the other group no tea. The tea group had a reduction of ticks around 99%.

 

[PigButtons]

Not Permethrin bashing at all, I've used it in the past. Big caution if you have cats, while still a liquid, i.e. before it dries completely on the clothing or boots, it is toxic to cats.