Bug Off This Spring, Naturally

Fleas and ticks love the warm weather just as much as we do and now is the time to get a head start to prevent  the problems they bring with them.

A three pronged approach is needed: keep them off you and your family, your pets, and keep them out of your home and garden.

Many of the mainstream products for flea and tick management contain pesticides and insecticides that may carry health risks. There is controversy over how well natural products work, but if a label carries extensive warnings about how it should be handled, you probably don't want it to be absorbed through your skin or your pet's.

"I believe  in good nutrition for your pet. Parasites won't live on a clean and healthy coat," said Dee of in Miller Place. "We use shampoos with yucca; it breaks down the shell of the flea. I spray my dogs' legs with a yucca spray and none of them brought fleas into the house."

Dee-Jo's has a variety of natural products, among them Earthbath, for hot spots and itch relief, and Four Paws, which contains brewers yeast and garlic.

Dee suggested starting your animals on a regimen of brewers yeast and garlic.  Start with a small dose and work your way up. It can cause gas until your animal's system adjusts.

Tina Roeckel at Feasts for Beasts in Mt. Sinai, seconds this. She said it makes dogs "less tasty to fleas."

"There is unfortunately not enough out there to combat fleas and ticks naturally," she said. "Our owner believes in a flea comb on a daily basis."

Ken Herr, the garden department manager at Agway in Mt. Sinai, said, "I can take care of the garden naturally. The best is St. Gabriel Organics. It's a repellent, it's organic, with a hose end application and contains all different oils, like garlic."

He also said you can get a deflea and bedding spray and use a liquid repellent on your pet. They carry products with no DEET and no pyrethroids.

You can also pick up some diatomaceous earth, a natural product made from ground up sea shells. It works by scratching the fleas and ticks as they crawl through it. Follow label instructions and do not breathe in the particles; they can be irritating to the lungs.

You can also look to a company like  O'Kula (certified organic landscaper)that uses rosemary oil which repels and also kills ticks and is organic and safe.

"When I go outdoors I use Pyrethrum, it's better than getting a tick borne disease, you're between a rock and a hard place when you choose to use a pesticide," said Eva Haughie, President of Empire State Lyme Disease Association. "I put it on my clothing not my skin, I limit exposure."

A preventive approach suggested by Empire State Lyme Disease Association  is  a "Don't Bite Me Patch" that is waterproof, safe for children and lasts up to 36 hours. The patch's active ingredient is Vitamin B1 which when metabolized by the body helps to reduce human odors and is purported to keep away mosquitoes, gnats, ticks and more.

When shopping for bath soaps, detergents, dryer sheets and personal care items like lotions and oils, think lavender; evidently ticks are repelled by it. You might even put lavender dryer sheets in your pockets or the cuffs of your pants before you enter the great outdoors.

Do tick checks on everyone, especially pets. Wash and dry clothes if you have been walking or hiking in areas known to be infested.

At home, make your vacuum your new best friend, throw a natural flea collar in the bag or a quarter cup of baking soda to kill any bugs or larvae you vacuum up.

When taking a natural approach you may have to be more diligent, but in the case of pesticides and insecticides it may be better safe than sorry.