We put cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls, stuffed with shredded natural fibers (I’m clumsy and ruin shirts), that have been doused with permethrin out in the areas where voles and mice are each autumn. The rodents use the bits of cloth for their winter nests and the permethrin kills the ticks they’re carrying without harming any of the other arthropods we want around. It’s an easy, inexpensive, and reuse-minded way to help mitigate tick levels. Before doing it, I’d pull off several dozen ticks before June but the past few years I’ve pulled maybe five or so. An ounce of prevention, and all that jazz
What is the collateral damage to other insect populations like?
By doing it at the beginning of the dormant season, the collateral damage is very low. Permethrin is toxic to bees, fish, amphibians, and others, so we don’t use this method during their active seasons. This way, we can minimize the chances of any unintended species interacting with the tubes during the 45 day period when the permethrin is active
