Tick Drag

 

Brief Overview

 

Tick dragging is a method of collecting ticks used by researchers to study tick population. It can also be used by anyone to temporarily reduce tick population in an area. The basic idea is that a piece of thick white cloth is slowly dragged over the surface of grass and brush in likely tick hangout areas. The ticks grab on, thinking the fabric is a possible host. From there, you either pick ticks off the fabric with tweezers and drop them into a jar of soapy water or rubbing alcohol, or plunge the whole piece of fabric into soapy water.

 

How to make a Tick Drag

 

Materials:

White material (Flannel; dimensions: 4x6 feet)

A plastic pipe or wood (about 5ft)

6 ft lengths of rope

Ties, or velcro 

Sewing machine and thread

 

Methods: 

Using ties, or velcro, attach a piece of light-colored flannel about 4x6 feet to a piece of wood or plastic piping about 5ft long. You can also sew a loop across the material big enough to fit the piping and then pass the pipe in through the loop. Once the piping is attached, use 6 ft lengths of rope tied at each end of the stick to pull the drag. Your tick drag is now ready to use!

 

Precautions:

The person using the drag is very susceptible to ticks themselves, so they should take precautions – pants tucked into socks, repellent applied to clothing, and a thorough tick inspection afterwards – to ensure they are not bitten.