# Ticks, Lime, and Bees



## Guletsi (Jun 24, 2015)

I have ignored a massive tick problem this year. Mainly because I can't figure out what to do that's safe for bees. I've started a flock of Guineas for the future. But for now..... I have three children we are pulling ticks off of. I am wondering about lime. I also have a chigger problem under an oak where the kids play. If I sprinkle my problem areas with a dust of lime, where there are no blooms, will this kill my bees? I can't find concrete info regarding. So wondering what ya'll know.


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## SteveStevenson (Feb 14, 2014)

Try dusting you & the kids ankles with powdered sulfur. Not sre about ticks but it will keep red bugs off so I bet it would work for ticks also. May be worth a try


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## deerslayer8153 (Mar 17, 2015)

Deep Woods Off works great. Is it harmful to humans? How harmful is West Nile and Lyme Disease?

Chiggers are a terrible thing for kids (anyone) to get.

I may die from deet, who knows.


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

Have not tried it but have read that ticks do not like citrus odors. Might try some lemon grass oil.


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

I doubt that lime will hurt bees that contact it, but I don't know that. In order for it to harm the bees (even if it can), the bees would have to contact it, but bees seldom land on the ground so there is little worry.

As for your children, consider permethrin treated clothes
http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/permethrin
I doubt that the recommended long sleeves and long pants tucked into socks will be an easy sell in Alabama in summer, but you might be able to convince your children to wear shoes and socks and the permethrin will provide a barrier the ticks won't cross.
Bill


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## Guletsi (Jun 24, 2015)

Yes, these are both helpful avenues for occasional visiting. We live in the country. On about 6 acres. We are running in and out all day every day and also have 5 dogs and 6 cats. I am really in need of treating a large area. We were interested extra heavily with ticks this year. Chigger bites are harmless, but more uncomfortable than poison ivy in my opinion. Does anyone know if lime will kill the bees, even if it's spread where they are not typically feeding... That I'm aware of. But close by for sure.


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## Guletsi (Jun 24, 2015)

They do land in our grass when the clover is blooming, but that's not the case right now, so maybe....


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

By lime do you mean the ordinary calcium carbonate that is used to adjust the pH of the soil? Or hydrated lime, aka quick lime?

If the first one, I don't think it will harm the bees as it is very commonly surface spread on ground here because our soil is very acid (low pH). So in order to grow good hay and corn you have to spread it, usually at least every other year. OTOH, despite needing to broadcast lime on any pretty much any ground you want to grow anything on, including established lawns, there's no evidence at all that it suppress ticks. Which here in upstate NY are huge problem because of the risk of getting Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases that our ticks carry. If it took simply liming to kill off, or even slightly reduce, the numbers of ticks we'd all be clamoring to have our land limed, every other day. 

Quick lime, however is not something that we use on the ground, so maybe we're talking about two different chemicals, that just have similar names, in different regions.

(I thought this thread was going to about the risk of catching Lyme disease from ticks while tending bees. Ticks just love the places under hive stands. I've already had almost fifty tick bites this season, and caught anaplasmosis for a second time in two years.)

I make people who come to my apiary wear long pants tucked into socks, not because I think the bees will misbehave around bare legs or ankles, but to keep my visitors from going home with ticks, and disease risks. People think the scary part of an apiary visit will be bees buzzing around - no it's the silent, sneaky, tiny, larval and nymph deer ticks that will harm them.
Enj.


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## Guletsi (Jun 24, 2015)

Around here we call it agricultural lime. And it is known for ph balance in soil. But also will repel insects and kill others. I've used it in the past to radicate fleas and chiggers, but that was pre-bees. I've found info that says for the garden and it won't kill bees, but never lists sources or actual information regarding why, and I've read articles that only report inconclusive. Lime put in an old sock and then beat on your shoes and ankles will prevent ticks from crawling up your legs while working on your bees. That I know for sure. I will say though, down here, I have more ticks when I have had more deer the season prior. The animals usually bring in the ticks. I would wander what animal is delivering ticks around your hives. I started a flock of Guineas to free range. Guineas love ticks. Maybe they could help out your apiary. If you aren't in the city.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I have had over 100 ticks on me this yr, and they were all crawling not a single one imbedded and it's been that way every since I started eating garlic on pretty much a daily basis.


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## nschomer (Mar 14, 2014)

Number one thing I've found that keeps the numbers down is being sure you get all the leaf litter up in the fall (and rake it back from the used part of your property if you border on unmanaged woods/scrub). Worst year we've had by far was when we had a surprise October snowstorm before I had a chance to fully clean up the yard, and leaves sat there under the snow, the following year was horrendous. Also if you can control the mouse population, this seems to be the dominant vector for lyme carrying ticks (deer mice particularly, the ones with the white underbellies).


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## nschomer (Mar 14, 2014)

Also, if you can do anything to lure opossums to your property, they will roam through your scrubbrush, picking up ticks and then cleaning themselves, eating the ticks in the process.


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

I have found that I can mow everything I need to spray for ticks.Then I will spray.After mowing there will be nothing flowering and the bees will get nothing.No bees killed! Be sure not to spray nothing flowering


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## AdamBeal (Aug 28, 2013)

Last year I had a terrible time with ticks on my 3 acres. Between my wife, son and I we probably pulled 60 embedded ticks and many more crawlers. I knew something had to be done and started planning it last fall. I got 6 guineas and 10 chickens. The guineas didn't work out and they were the biggest mistake I have made. The noise they made kept us up every night. 2 were eaten by predators, 1 was eaten by us, another I shot in the middle of the night in a blind rage with a shotgun during one of many noisy guinea call episodes (only animal I have ever killed purely out of anger). We still have one left his name is Winfred and he is a survivor. He doesn't make much noise by himself or he adapted after seeing the fate of his buddies I am not sure. The 10 chickens we started letting free range (during the day) with the 1 remaining guinea this spring and the effect of those 11 birds seems to have done the trick. We went from 60 ticks last year down to < 10 all year this year it was a huge remarkable difference. It could have been weather difference between this year and last had an impact also but all the chickens was the only thing I changed. I consider the tick problem we had pretty much solved by poultry in my case. The next thing I was going to try if the poultry hadn't worked out was a series of "tick tubes". Search for that on youtube you will be happy you did.


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## The General (Apr 22, 2014)

Chickens and guineas have cut down the tick/chigger population on my farm by leaps and bounds. The woods that they don't go in are still loaded and any journey into them will have you coming in after you are done and doing a tick check.

They are free range during the day and they can patrol all the yards/pastures they please, but at night they must be locked up due to predators and the like. As for the guineas and the noise, on the nights we forget to close the door to their pen, they let us know by squawking up a storm. But when the doors are closed and they are safe inside, they make virtually no noise at all during the night. Probably something to do with warning calls for predators and such. Our A-frame for them is 100 feet from the back porch.

The upside and downside of free range birds on your lawn is the free fertilizer that they drop everywhere. The problem is they drop it everywhere and it usually ends up on your shoes.

Also, ticks love tall grass that they can hide in and be protected by while they wait for targets to come by. Keeping the grass cut short around where your kids play will make a very noticeable difference.


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## theriverhawk (Jun 5, 2009)

I have a yard that is a true tick machine. I now spray my shoes and pants legs each time. Not a tick since starting the spray.


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