[mattwdelong]

I bought property in 2021 with significant tick pressure. I’ve pulled dozens of ticks off me in the first couple years. The past two years I’ve been spraying Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and have seen significant improvement in that time. I have a tractor with a boom sprayer, which helps with large coverage. Obviously this is not a variable you can control in the wild, but for me, it has been super helpful on private land.

[test1235]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterorhabditis_bacteriophora

"Heterorhabditis bacteriophora is a species of entomopathogenic nematode known commonly as beneficial nematodes. They are microscopic and are used in gardening as a form of biological pest control."

That's fascinating. Have you noticed any knock-on effects? E.g. fall in the number of other wildlife which might normally feed on those insects?

[mattwdelong]

Nothing of note. I still see plenty of turkeys, frogs and possums. I spray the beneficials so that it does not harm other beneficial insects and I assume if there is a healthy population of insects in general, there is still enough food source for wildlife. I can’t think of anything that prefers ticks as their main diet.

[uticus]

> I can’t think of anything that prefers ticks as their main diet.

not 'main diet,' but can confirm free range guineas, chickens, etc help with the tick pressure.