Does Ortho Home Defense really kill ticks?
Question:It says so on the back but it seems to not be doing that good a job. It says it last about 12 months but as soon as it drys it seems to stop working. My sisters house in infested by ticks. We kicked all the dogs out while we got rid of the issue indoors first. Well the dogs tend to lay right outside the doors and they crawl in through the cracks. I spray Ortho around the cracks and it kills them but as soon as it drys up more come in like nothing happen. Does it hit them eventually, is it suppose to repel too?? Help. i really hope I didnt spend $15 on this thing for nothing.
Answers:
The first answer had a lot of great tips, however he missed a few.
First, cut up any bushes, trees, and shrubs 1 to 2 feet off the ground. Make sure that the sun can get to the base of the plant. Ticks love dark, damp areas. Second clean up any yard clutter you may have. Leaves, branches, etc are wonderful breeding grounds for ticks. Next, caulk the baseboards in the house too. Even though you think you may have gotten all of the ticks, there still may be some in the baseboards! I have seen this more times than I can count. Finally, get those dogs on some flea and tick treatment from the vet. Frontline plus is very reasonable. You may only have to use it for one or two months, until everything is under control.
Ortho Home Defense isn't the best product on the market, but it isn't the worst. It actually isn't very effective while it is wet, like you think, because of how it works, when it is dry is when it is doing what it was designed to do. Trust me, spending $15 is nothing. The product I usually recommend, Demon WP usually runs up to $20 for a concentrate that mixes into a gallon. If you use it, or any product, follow the directions exactly, or it won't work as well as it should. Good luck to you.
Where the heck do you live?
I live in the country in PA and we treat our dogs with Sargent's Natural tick and flea killer every month.
Vacuum the house for as many ppl live there.
Cut all bushes and trees which touch, cover...the house.
Caulk all cracks on windows, doors...
Use a good pump based..make mixture(apply to entire lawn or use spray and hose type)...Ortho..for insects and keep all ppl and pets off the lawn for 2 days.
Then cut your grass at 2.75-3.0 inches. Too short is bad for grass BUT good for weeds and insects. 3.0 inches is perfect and many good insects such as Praying Mantis, Ladybugs will set up home.
Clean out sheds..have no garbage, tires, cars lying around the lawn which will attract skunks, raccoons, rats, groundhogs,deer and lots MORE ticks than if only cats, birds, squirrels frequent your lawn.
Also...there are good perimeter sprays which you apply from house to 24" out around the entire foundation and that will help kill most crawling type bugs including ticks.
**Be frugal on your usage of these pesticides. Ticks are pretty easy to get under control. Most house spiders enjoy a tick or two so don't kill those spiders.
Don't forget to clean the house good and wash all linens, bedsheets and maybe even "bomb" the house with a fogger.
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