Why Tick Cylinders?
Tick cylinders have been found significantly to reduce tick populations in infested environments. The tick cylinder is based on a simple concept:
The main culprit in spreading the ticks that infect people is the white-footed mouse (not the deer population, as originally thought).
A study of comparable areas (one treated, the other untreated with tick cylinders) reported up to 90 percent reduction in the risk of exposure to Lyme ticks. That study is located here.
Tick cylinders are a more sustainable alternative to traditional tick mitigation, which is broad spraying of pesticides over vegetative areas. Such practice kills bees and other pollen-gathering insects. Tick cylinders confine the pesticides to places that are frequented by white-footed mice, the primary carrier of fledgling ticks (not deer as commonly believed). Confining the pesticide to the nesting habits of the mice, keeps the low-toxicity bee killing pesticide out of range of pollen gatherers. The cylinders work by providing larvae-killing nesting material that kills the tick larvae in the mice nests. That nesting material is impregnated with Permethrin, which does not harm the white-footed mice. Permethrin is a mild pesticide used in agricultural applications, some food production, and on livestock. It does not penetrate the skin as readily as some other toxins. More on Permethrin below. Suffice it to say, you should wear gloves when handling.
A note before getting started
The objective behind creating this page was to demonstrate a way of making one's own tick cylinders, not to own this particular concept for controlling ticks. Tick tubes have been around for years, and more recently, a company called EcoHealth has been producing them commercially. However, people like me, who must protect large areas from ticks, need to produce quantities in the hundreds, and that can be very expensive. Hence, I've offered the instructions to others who need similar volumes. I still buy some of my Damminix brand tick cylinders from EcoHealth. So, if you want tick tubes and you can afford the quantities you need. Or, if you don't want to invest the time and messiness of creating your own, please don't hesitate to contact EcoHealth, Inc. at 56 Hawes Street, Brookline, MA 02446, 800.234.8425, http://www.ticktubes.com/index.html. You can also order them from Amazon, Agway, and many other retail outlets. It is a good, reliable product.
This page was set up a few years ago, and garnered four to six unique page views per week for most of that time. In March 2017, the site went to 50,000 unique pages views in three days. So, I'm doing my best to keep up with the questions and comments, but most of the success data and hazardous material information resides at EcoHealth, which has done substantial testing and research in this area.
Here's how to get started
Over the course of the year, begin by collecting tubes from paper towels and toilet paper rolls. Tubes from other rolled goods, like shelf paper also work well. Longer tubes can be cut into the length of toilet paper tubes or shorter. I've found that paper towel rolls tend to be a bit more substantial than toilet paper rolls. As you'll see in the comments section, coating them with lacquer isn't necessary. Some folks have suggested using mineral oil. in any case, the tubes only need to last through at least one mouse-nesting season. Note: Do not do this inside the house. I do the assembly in my garage, which is sheltered from the wind On even a calm day, a breeze can blow the stuff back on to you or your clothing. If you don't have a garage, do the assembly outside.
A word about cats. Several people have asserted that permethrin is especially toxic to cats. Since we don't know what concentration they are referring to, we can't document the claim, so I'm simply passing it along. We are, however, cat owners and cat lovers. We also are aware that the lifespan of a cat that goes outdoors is significantly shorter than a cat that stays indoors (dogs, automobiles, wildlife predators, and environmental toxins being among the many hazards), and that some local animal shelters will not permit adoptions unless adopters sign a pledge not to allow the cat to go outside. Some bird enthusiasts have also lobbied against cats going outside, due to the feline's predatory relationship with songbirds. So, we do not allow our cats to go outside. (In the wooded area where we live, fishers, coyotes, and hawks are a few of the added perils to the lifespan of our cats.)
Dilution: Make sure you use no more than a ten percent Permethrin solution. (I dilute the 10 percent Permethrin solution further by adding the equivalent of 20 per cent water to bring the concentration to the 7-to-8 percent range found in commercial tick tubes.
Hover cursor over pictures below to see captions
Tick cylinders have been found significantly to reduce tick populations in infested environments. The tick cylinder is based on a simple concept:
The main culprit in spreading the ticks that infect people is the white-footed mouse (not the deer population, as originally thought).
A study of comparable areas (one treated, the other untreated with tick cylinders) reported up to 90 percent reduction in the risk of exposure to Lyme ticks. That study is located here.
Tick cylinders are a more sustainable alternative to traditional tick mitigation, which is broad spraying of pesticides over vegetative areas. Such practice kills bees and other pollen-gathering insects. Tick cylinders confine the pesticides to places that are frequented by white-footed mice, the primary carrier of fledgling ticks (not deer as commonly believed). Confining the pesticide to the nesting habits of the mice, keeps the low-toxicity bee killing pesticide out of range of pollen gatherers. The cylinders work by providing larvae-killing nesting material that kills the tick larvae in the mice nests. That nesting material is impregnated with Permethrin, which does not harm the white-footed mice. Permethrin is a mild pesticide used in agricultural applications, some food production, and on livestock. It does not penetrate the skin as readily as some other toxins. More on Permethrin below. Suffice it to say, you should wear gloves when handling.
A note before getting started
The objective behind creating this page was to demonstrate a way of making one's own tick cylinders, not to own this particular concept for controlling ticks. Tick tubes have been around for years, and more recently, a company called EcoHealth has been producing them commercially. However, people like me, who must protect large areas from ticks, need to produce quantities in the hundreds, and that can be very expensive. Hence, I've offered the instructions to others who need similar volumes. I still buy some of my Damminix brand tick cylinders from EcoHealth. So, if you want tick tubes and you can afford the quantities you need. Or, if you don't want to invest the time and messiness of creating your own, please don't hesitate to contact EcoHealth, Inc. at 56 Hawes Street, Brookline, MA 02446, 800.234.8425, http://www.ticktubes.com/index.html. You can also order them from Amazon, Agway, and many other retail outlets. It is a good, reliable product.
This page was set up a few years ago, and garnered four to six unique page views per week for most of that time. In March 2017, the site went to 50,000 unique pages views in three days. So, I'm doing my best to keep up with the questions and comments, but most of the success data and hazardous material information resides at EcoHealth, which has done substantial testing and research in this area.
Here's how to get started
Over the course of the year, begin by collecting tubes from paper towels and toilet paper rolls. Tubes from other rolled goods, like shelf paper also work well. Longer tubes can be cut into the length of toilet paper tubes or shorter. I've found that paper towel rolls tend to be a bit more substantial than toilet paper rolls. As you'll see in the comments section, coating them with lacquer isn't necessary. Some folks have suggested using mineral oil. in any case, the tubes only need to last through at least one mouse-nesting season. Note: Do not do this inside the house. I do the assembly in my garage, which is sheltered from the wind On even a calm day, a breeze can blow the stuff back on to you or your clothing. If you don't have a garage, do the assembly outside.
A word about cats. Several people have asserted that permethrin is especially toxic to cats. Since we don't know what concentration they are referring to, we can't document the claim, so I'm simply passing it along. We are, however, cat owners and cat lovers. We also are aware that the lifespan of a cat that goes outdoors is significantly shorter than a cat that stays indoors (dogs, automobiles, wildlife predators, and environmental toxins being among the many hazards), and that some local animal shelters will not permit adoptions unless adopters sign a pledge not to allow the cat to go outside. Some bird enthusiasts have also lobbied against cats going outside, due to the feline's predatory relationship with songbirds. So, we do not allow our cats to go outside. (In the wooded area where we live, fishers, coyotes, and hawks are a few of the added perils to the lifespan of our cats.)
Dilution: Make sure you use no more than a ten percent Permethrin solution. (I dilute the 10 percent Permethrin solution further by adding the equivalent of 20 per cent water to bring the concentration to the 7-to-8 percent range found in commercial tick tubes.
Hover cursor over pictures below to see captions
Try to space tubes no more than 30 ft. apart. At that rate, two dozen tubes should treat a half acre. Check the tubes regularly to see if the stuffing has been removed. If the tube appears to have been ignored after a week or two, try moving it to another location. Also check nesting spots, like woodpiles, or potted plants to see if the cotton and lint has been used to build nests. That, and a lack of bites are your most visible measures of success.
Evidence of effectiveness
Budget (to make 100 tubes):
Cotton Balls: 800, or four bags of 200 @ $1.50 each: $6.00
Permethrin:,one quart: $25.00
Black spray paint, 2 cans: $7.80
Cardboard tubes: $0.00
Dryer lint: five one-pint containers: $0.00
Twigs and sticks: $0.00
Upside-down horse sprayer: $3.80
Masking Tape: $2.30
Total: $44.90 (Commercial price for 100 tubes, in excess of $250)
Comment on how to improve the process of making tick cylinders is encouraged.
For more information click on one of these links:
Tick Cylinders Permethrin
Cotton Balls: 800, or four bags of 200 @ $1.50 each: $6.00
Permethrin:,one quart: $25.00
Black spray paint, 2 cans: $7.80
Cardboard tubes: $0.00
Dryer lint: five one-pint containers: $0.00
Twigs and sticks: $0.00
Upside-down horse sprayer: $3.80
Masking Tape: $2.30
Total: $44.90 (Commercial price for 100 tubes, in excess of $250)
Comment on how to improve the process of making tick cylinders is encouraged.
For more information click on one of these links:
Tick Cylinders Permethrin