DIY Tick Tubes: How We Make Ours for About 10 Cents Each (You Can Too)
If you live anywhere in the Northeast — or most of the U.S., really — you’ve probably noticed that ticks are more than just a nuisance. They’re a genuine health hazard.
We live on over 4 acres in Connecticut, and ticks are an annual problem we take seriously. Between stone walls, old sheds, a gazebo, and a small pond next door, our property is full of places where rodents — and tick-carrying mice — thrive. On top of that, deer roam through our yard regularly. Years ago, we realized that if we wanted to enjoy our yard without worrying about Lyme disease, we needed a comprehensive, affordable tick control plan.
One of the key tools we use every year? Homemade tick tubes.
Tick tubes are an ingenious (and research-backed) way to drastically cut down the local tick population. Store-bought versions — like those from Thermacell — work well, but they’re pricey: over $3 per tube. We make ours for about $0.10 each, and they work just as well. Here’s exactly how we do it.
What Are Tick Tubes?
Tick tubes target the source of many tick problems: mice. Mice are one of the primary carriers of tick nymphs and larvae, which eventually transmit diseases like Lyme to humans and pets. Tick tubes offer mice nesting material treated with permethrin — a synthetic version of a compound found in chrysanthemum flowers that is lethal to ticks but safe for mammals when used correctly.
Mice collect the treated cotton and build their nests with it. When ticks hop onto the mice, the permethrin kills them before they can feed, mature, and reproduce.
Over time, this reduces the overall tick population around your home.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Cotton Balls — around $20 for a bulk bag of 2,000 balls
- Permethrin 13% Concentrate — around $30 for 32 oz
- Paper Towel or Toilet Paper Tubes — Free (start saving them!)
- A low tray or container — for treating cotton
- Gloves and a spray bottle — for safe application
Estimated cost: About $1.25 of permethrin and $20 worth of cotton for every 200 tubes. So, about 10 cents each!
Step-by-Step: How We Make Our Tick Tubes
1. Save cardboard tubes
Throughout the winter and spring, save all your paper towel and toilet paper rolls. You’ll be surprised how quickly they pile up. Cut the paper towel tubes in half so they’re similar in length to the toilet paper tubes.
2. Mix your permethrin solution
To dilute the 13.3% Permethrin to get down to .5% (the recommended solution), mix 4.8 ounces of permethrin with 123 ounces of water (that’s roughly a cup of permethrin to a gallon of water). Transfer some to fill a spray bottle and save the rest of the gallon for later. This makes an effective tick-killing solution for contact and residual sprays. (Pro tip: One 32 oz bottle of 13.3% permethrin makes over 6 gallons of solution — enough for a few years of applications!)
Here’s a clear table for common batch sizes:
| Final Volume | 13.3% Permethrin (oz) | Water (oz) |
|---|
| 1 cup (8 oz) | 0.30 oz | 7.70 oz |
| 1 pint (16 oz) | 0.60 oz | 15.40 oz |
| 1 quart (32 oz) | 1.21 oz | 30.79 oz |
| ½ gallon (64 oz) | 2.41 oz | 61.59 oz |
| 1 gallon (128 oz) | 4.81 oz | 123.19 oz |
3. Treat the cotton balls
In a low tray or container, spread out a layer of cotton balls. Wearing gloves, spray them generously with the diluted permethrin solution. This is the most time consuming part. You don’t want them soaking wet, just spray enough to coat the cotton while letting it retain most of its fluffiness. We usually do this in two steps over 2 days. First spray liberally, flip the balls over with gloves on, then spray again and let dry overnight. Repeat one more time the next day. It takes us a couple of days with our method. We use about a quart of solution per 2000 cotton balls. Let them dry completely before handling further.
4. Fill your tubes
Once the cotton balls are dry, stuff the cardboard tube about 1/3 full. Don’t pack them too tightly — mice need to be able to pull them out. The cotton should stay in and not fall out.
5. Distribute the tubes
Place the finished tubes around your property in areas where mice travel:
- Along stone walls
- Under sheds or porches
- Around brush piles
- Near or in woodpiles
- Under the edges of your gazebo or deck
For best results, in our large yard we aim for dozens of tubes scattered around the yard. We also attempt to keep them somewhat hidden from direct rain.
Does This Really Work?
Yes — and there’s science to back it up. Studies from Penn State and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station found that tick tube systems significantly reduce tick populations over time (especially after repeated annual use). It’s not instant — this method builds effectiveness over 1–2 years. But we’ve seen a real difference.
Penn State study on tick tube efficacy
Journal of Medical Entomology study (2024)
On a personal note, we know mice take the cotton. My neighbor once found permethrin-treated cotton balls in her mailbox — the mice thought it was the perfect nesting spot! We’ve also spotted emptied tubes that we had tucked into stone walls and under our gazebo.
How We Supercharge Our Tick Reduction Strategy
While tick tubes are our backbone, we combine them with a few other tactics:
✅ Cedar chips (Cedarcide) — Ticks hate cedar oil.
✅ Keep grass mowed short — Ticks prefer humid environments.
✅ Rake up leaf piles — Less shelter for ticks and rodents.
✅ Liquid Fence — Keeps deer away from our hydrangeas and rhododendrons (it works!).
✅ Decoy owls — To deter squirrels, chipmunks, and other small rodents.
Fast Tick Facts
- Deer ticks aren’t the only risk — Lone Star and Dog ticks also spread disease
- 26 species of ticks live along the U.S. East Coast (Cornell University)
- Ticks require a blood meal at each life stage to reproduce
Final Thoughts
Ticks are relentless, but with a smart, layered approach — and DIY tick tubes — you can reclaim your yard safely and affordably.
For us, homemade tick tubes cost about $0.10 each and are a core part of our strategy to protect our family, pets, and property year after year.
Got questions about making your own? Drop them in the comments — we’re happy to share what’s worked for us.
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