How to Treat a Brown Tick Infestation

If you have been finding brown ticks crawling up your wall or have seen "dust" moving around under your bed, you have an infestation. Roll up your sleeves, and get ready for a battle. Brown ticks are particularly hardy and prolific. Unlike other tick species, brown ticks can thrive completely indoors. Females can lay up to 5,000 eggs, and both males and females can survive for several months patiently waiting on a host.

Things You'll Need

  • Tweezers (pointed nose)
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Small cup
  • Flea and tick preventative
  • Trash bags
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Washer and dryer
  • Lawn mower
  • Weed whacker
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      De-tick pets. Run your fingertips through your pet's coat along its skin to feel for any bumps. When you feel a bump, part the hair to see if it is a tick. Remove ticks with tweezers and kill by placing in a cup of alcohol. Check daily. Start pets, especially dogs, on a flea and tick preventative (or try a different brand if the current one is not doing the job).

    • 2

      Prepare to vacuum. Pick up everything from the floor. Discard what is not important and salvage important items. Sprinkle flea and tick carpet powder into vacuum bags to kill the ticks as you vacuum them into the bag.

    • 3

      Vacuum the floors paying attention to corners, cracks and crevices. Don't forget to look up -- check the upper wall where it meets the ceiling as brown ticks tend to seek higher ground at certain points during their life cycle. Vacuum in between and under couch cushions, check behind art or mirrors on the wall. Dispose of used vacuum bags quickly; do not leave them in your house.

    • 4

      Inspect clothes and shoes. If you routinely have a pile of clothes waiting to be folded, look through the pile for ticks and/or eggs. Wash and dry them again. The temperature of the water does not matter; the hot air from the dryer will kill any remaining ticks. Inspect the shoes in your closet for eggs.

    • 5

      Trim vegetation around your house and property; mow tall grasses, weed-whack fence lines, prune unruly shrubs. This will reduce the habitat in which brown ticks live.

    • 6

      Repeat ritually until you see no more ticks at all.