Cheap DIY Tick Tubes For Spring

Just a heads up for folks, but tick season is coming, and pre-made tick tubes are EXPENSIVE! I'm making lots right now, and it's super cheap and easy.

270 cardboard rolls: $25

8 ounces 10% permethrin (dilutes to 160 ounces): $13

1000 cotton balls: $15

The total cost on Amazon of the components is just $52 and yes it makes all 270 tubes. If you buy Thermacell tick tubes on Amazon they want $48 for a dozen, $4 EACH. If you DIY it, they cost less than 20 cents per tube, over a 95% savings!

Making them is simple:

First thing is to lay out your cotton balls in a single layer on some cardboard or other cleanish disposable surface like a trash bag, sheet of plastic, whatever. Spray them down thoroughly with diluted permethrin at 0.5% concentration. Flip them and spray them a couple of times so they're well treated. Let them dry for a day or two.

Once dry, wearing a dust mask and gloves*, tease them open a bit and shove them in the tubes. You're done.

Now put them under your shed, in the woodpile, in the hayloft, in brush piles etc. Since you're targeting mice specifically, it won't harm beneficial insects likes bees.

You're now officially in the tick murdering business, and since they're 100% biodegradable, and didn't cost as much as a dozen eggs, you don't have to be stingy with them. Get out there and start killing the little buggers! Since you've got 270 of them, give some to your neighbors too. Lone Star ticks are moving north now, and they carry Alpha Gal Syndrome. I don't know about you, but I don't want to end up with a fatal meat allergy. I like my 4th of July burgers too much.

Anyway hope this helps folks out, and have a tick-free summer.

*It'll take 3-4 cotton balls per tube. The tubes I got on came in 5 sizes (they telescope inside of each other for more efficient shipping that way) and I calculated that it's 34 cotton balls per 10 tubes, so 3.4 per tube. The dust mask is because when you're teasing the cotton open little pieces do come off, and got in my nose. I know dry permethrin is pretty safe, but I don't really want to snort it anyway. The gloves are also a safety precaution. Use you judgement, and be safe.