Home Grown Botanical Acaricides: A One Health Strategy to Prevent Tick-Borne Diseases

Abstract

The prevalence of tick-borne zoonotic disease in Ontario, Canada, has steadily increased over the years. Global climate change has exacerbated the geographical spread, activity level, and population abundance of disease-causing ticks, resulting in the increased circulation of tick-borne disease and significant adverse health impacts on humans, non-human animals, and the environment. Given that existing initiatives demonstrate subpar efficacy and longevity, low accessibility and feasibility, or pose threats to non-human animal and environmental health, it is evident a One Health approach is needed to address this issue. This paper proposes a cost-effective home gardening guide that could be utilized to create botanical acaricides that have been proven to deter ticks. The solution, which employs the process of steam distillation to create essential oils from plants, uses Kingston, Ontario, Canada, as an example and places emphasis on the health and well-being of the environment, wild and domesticated non-human animals, and humans simultaneously.