Fighting deer and ticks: Plantskyyd and Talstar?

[JimR1998]

We live in a residential area and can't install a high deer fence, and our existing 4-ft post and rail isn't even a deterrent. The lawn is loaded with deer droppings which might make for a happy lawn but not a happy wife-- the kids can't play in the grass without getting a pile smeared on their clothes it seems.

Now this season, in just a few days of being out, ticks ticks and more ticks.

The lawn is in decent shape thanks to the advice here. I just put down a Milo app, we'll see how long that keeps the deer away.

Had anyone used Plantskydd before? It's basically pigs blood from what I understand. Not sure what it would do to the lawn or how long it will stick around. I don't want to trade off one smelly mess for another. I don't think Milo is bad at all smell wise, esp. after a day or so.

Also looking at Talstar for ticks. I hate chemicals but ticks are a huge health risk. I'd be spraying it on the perimeter of the lawn area on surrounding bushes and trees. Any experience with this or other recommendations?

[andy10917]

I hear you -- here in the Hudson Valley (one of the most intense Lyme Disease hotspots), I've already lost a Golden Retriever at 6 yrs old to Lyme, and my wife has Chronic Lyme Disease. With woods on three sides of our property, coming home after dark to an entire herd of deer isn't unusual at all, and they are adapted enough to not even stop grazing when we arrive. I have to limit my control to protecting my 600+ hostas.

I've tried everything to deter the deer. I've had two successes - "Liquid Fence" and a homebrew equivalent. The Liquid Fence works for 3-4 weeks, and longer if I add DMSO to have it penetrate the plant. It smells to hell until it dries. The homebrew equivalent is much cheaper, but deters humans even better than the deer. It's documented somewhere on the site if you're beyond brave. I stick with Liquid Fence now.

Talstar (Bifenthrin) works well as a perimeter guard for ticks, but is a restricted-use (pros only) pesticide in many states. It is also a real issue if you have pets in the backyard (especially cats). It is not really selective and does a number on beneficial insects and bees. Do your research before diving in head-first.

Milorganite is a pretty good deer deterent, if the deer pressure is light or moderate. This means they stay away if there are other alternate food sources nearby - if they are hungry enough without alternatives, nothing will work.

[Swamp_Fox]

I'm planning on trying Talstar this year. The ticks are awful in this part of the state, better yet a very aggressive form of Lyme's disease is in the area now. I got bitten by a deer tick last fall, I don't think it was on me for more than 12 hours but I already had an extremely pronounced bullseye on me from it. The doctor was amazed at how infected the bite size was relative to the size of the tick. I too hate to take such drastic measures but the number of deer ticks in the area and the new type of Lyme's disease has forced my hand on this issue. I can't wait for the new Lyme's vaccine to be available.