Five All-natural Alternatives for Flea and Tick Prevention
So, I’ve talked about flea and tick prevention options in your yard, home, and on your animals. Now, some of our clients are looking for a more holistic (or “all-natural”) route to pest prevention.
Reasons for all-natural alternatives:
There are a number of reasons you or someone might need all-natural options:
- They or their pet are sensitive to the chemicals used
- They don’t want the chemicals around their families for whatever reason
- The medicines can get expensive
- They just feel it is a healthier alternative
Whatever the reason someone chooses not to use chemicals for pest prevention, hopefully these alternatives will be helpful and useful!
Related: Fleas and Ticks – Get Prepared Now!
All-Natural Alternatives for flea and tick prevention:
I “Googled” for natural ways to prevent fleas and ticks, and here is a list of some common ways you can have pest prevention without the chemicals:
- Citrus; Apparently, fleas and ticks are repelled by the scent. So, rub your pet’s fur with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon or orange and enjoy a nice-smelling coat, too! There’s also no harm done if your pet licks it off.
- Water; That’s right – drown the suckers (literally!) Fleas don’t hold on to the shaft of the fur, so if your dog already has fleas, let water do it’s job. You can use a gentle shampoo, or even a little dish detergent (remember – citrus for repelling!) to help get the fleas off.
- Nematodes; Haven’t heard of them? That’s OK ;-P These are actually find them at garden stores – but be sure to ask for “beneficial” nematodes. They feed on flea larvae. Just put ’em in your spreader and spread them on your yard 😀
- Earth, diatomaceous earth, that is; This is an abrading agent you can spread on your lawn. It dries out the bodies of fleas, therefore killing them. When you go to your pet or garden store, ask for a natural grade; and it works best in dry conditions.
- Food for thought; Many pets benefit from adding garlic and brewer’s yeast to their diets – it gives an odor (and taste) to the dog’s skin that fleas don’t like. One to three fresh garlic cloves can be pulverized and mixed with your dog’s food daily; One mg of thiamine (aka Vitamin B) per 5 pounds of your dog’s body weight per day is recommended. Thiamine is the flea-fighting ingredient in brewer’s yeast. Vitamin B can also be used like a powder and put externally on your dogs coat. Chelated zinc is one more supplement that can help fight fleas: 10 mg daily for small dogs, 20 mg daily for large dogs. Of course, always check with your vet on dosage amounts and if these will interact with any other medications your dog might be on before starting one of these regimes, and be aware it can take up to a month to start taking affect.
I also found this website that tells you step-by-step how to make your own flea collars, etc.
Related: What’s In Your Dog’s Pest Control?
It’s nice to know there are some alternatives to all those chemicals if you want them for your flea and tick prevention 🙂
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