My son is an entomology student at Univ. of Mo. When he goes on collecting trips during certain times of the year, he has a terrible time with small ticks attaching themselves all over his body. What is the best organic method to use to avoid getting them in the first place and how should he remove them once he DOES get them? I am trying to help him find effective substitutes for the typical chemical responses most scientists seem to use. He needs effective organic methods for poison ivy and chiggers too. Thanks. I am an organic gardener who lives in Coppell.

Hello Pam; You may get a better answer if you post this question in the Pests part of the forum. The company "Kiss my Face" produces a product they refer to as a natural tick repellant. It contains the following ingredients:

Isopropyl Palmitate (from coconut oil), Cyclomethicone {silica derived}, Essential Oil Blend of Citronella, Bay Cedarwood, Lavender, Vetivert, Patchouli, Juniper, Tea Tree, Lemon Peel, Tansy, and Goldenseal; Dimethicone (silica derived), Propylparaben.

I am not sure about the silica derived ingredients, but someone else here will be able to chime in on those.

Probably the best defense against ticks is to dress properly. Not the most comfortable on hot, muggy summer days, but effective.

For removing ticks, there is a neat little tool called a "tick nipper". It is cheap and seems to work really well.

If you do a search of this site for "poison ivy" you will find lots of good information.

Here is a link to a thread about chiggars that also contains information on ticks.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/forum/viewtop ... t=chiggars

I hope this all helps.

John