The Tick Conspiracy: New Diseases & Government's Research

Why has the tick population increased so much lately?

And what does it have to do with diseases like Alpha-gal syndrome?

I keep getting messages asking what I do about ticks on my homestead, and the more I look into this topic, the stranger it gets. Farmers say tick pressure is worse than they've ever seen. Hunters are pulling shocking numbers off of deer. Families find them on their kids after a few minutes outside.

Let's dive into why this feels different now, and why I don't think we're getting the full story.

In this episode, I cover the Cold War-era research on ticks and other insects as vectors, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the 2019 Congressional amendment asking the Pentagon to investigate biological weapons used between 1950 and 1975, and the Gates Foundation funding cattle tick research.

Then I share the practical side. Chickens, guinea fowl, land management, a simple essential oil deterrent spray recipe, and the daily habits that keep my homestead in balance without DEET.

You’ll Learn:

[0:00] Introduction

[3:27] Why farmers, hunters, and families are all saying this tick year feels different

[4:58] What Alpha-gal syndrome actually does to the body after a single tick bite

[7:03] Cold War insect research and why the government studied ticks as vectors

[9:19] The Plum Island connection and the 2019 Pentagon bioweapons amendment

[12:12] Why Bill Gates funding cattle tick research while pushing fake meat doesn't add up

[13:48] How disturbed ecosystems and modern toxic load created the perfect tick storm

[18:31] Why chickens, guinea fowl, and land management beat any store-bought solution

[20:50] The homemade essential oil spray that replaces toxic DEET repellents

[27:18] Why two people bitten by the same tick can have completely different outcomes

Hello, and welcome back to the Gubba Homestead Podcast. I’m Gubba, a first-time homesteader following in the footsteps of my homesteading forebears. I discuss everything from homesteading to prepping and everything in between.

Today’s episode is one of those topics that sounds simple at first, but the second you really start looking at it, you realize it opens the door to much bigger questions. We are talking about ticks, why they seem to be exploding right now, why so many people feel like something about this does not add up, and why this conversation has gotten so much deeper than just annoying bugs in the grass.

Because this is not only about more ticks on your property. This is not only about pulling them off your dogs, your kids, your livestock, or yourself after being outside for a short amount of time.

This is also about the rise of alpha gal syndrome, a condition that has made this whole conversation even stranger and more unsettling for people.

A tick bite is one thing. A tick bite that can suddenly leave someone reacting to red meat, dairy, gelatin, and other mammal products is something else entirely. That is where this stops feeling like a seasonal nuisance and starts feeling like a much bigger warning sign.

Before we get into today’s episode, I want to thank the sponsor of this podcast, which is my small skincare business, Arvoti. One of my favorite products from my shop is the Homestead

Balm, a rich, nourishing tallow balm made for people who are tired of harsh, questionable ingredients and want something simple that actually supports their skin. It has thousands of reviews from real people who have shared how much it has helped their skin feel softer, calmer, and more supported, which is still the coolest thing to me. If you have been wanting a cleaner, more grounded skincare product to keep on hand, you can check out my Homestead Balm at Arvoti.com.

Let’s dive in.

One of the reasons this topic has caught so much attention is because people from completely different walks of life are all saying the same thing. Farmers are saying tick pressure feels worse than they have ever seen.

Hunters are pulling shocking numbers of ticks off deer. Families are finding them on kids after being outside for just a few minutes. People who have lived on the same piece of land for decades are saying this does not feel normal.

That is what gets people talking. Not one dramatic headline, but the fact that so many ordinary people are independently noticing the same pattern. Something feels off. And when enough people start noticing the same thing at the same time, curiosity naturally turns into questions.

Why are tick populations rising like this. Why now. Why does it feel like every year someone says it is the worst tick year yet. And why, right alongside this increase, are more people suddenly learning about alpha gal syndrome.

That part is what really grabs people.

Because Lyme disease is one thing. Most people have at least heard of that. But alpha gal syndrome sounds almost unreal the first time someone hears about it. A person gets bitten by a tick and later begins reacting to red meat. Sometimes dairy. Sometimes gelatin. Sometimes other products tied to mammals.

People describe hives, stomach issues, inflammation, heart palpitations, exhaustion, and allergic-type reactions that seem to come out of nowhere. What makes it even stranger is that the reaction often does not happen immediately after eating, so for some people it takes a while to connect the dots. They just know their body is suddenly reacting differently to foods they used to tolerate without a problem.

For people in homesteading, ranching, and farming communities, that hits even harder. Meat is not some abstract topic. Dairy is not some abstract topic. These are foundational foods. These are foods tied to tradition, nourishment, self-reliance, and the way humans have lived for generations.

So when people hear that a tick bite can suddenly alter someone’s ability to eat those foods, it does more than scare them. It disturbs them. It feels like one more sign that something about the relationship between human health and the natural world has shifted in a way that does not make sense.

And that is where the deeper questions begin.

Because if tick populations were simply up a little, maybe people would just grumble and move on. But when tick populations are rising, strange illnesses are rising, and a condition like alpha gal is becoming part of the conversation, people start asking whether this is really just random ecological change or whether there is more to the story.

Then they start looking into the history of tick research, and that is where the conversation gets even more interesting.

One thing that is absolutely true is that governments studied ticks and other insects during the Cold War era. Not as a casual side note, but because insects were understood as vectors. Ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes were all looked at through the lens of disease transmission. Once people learn that, they stop seeing ticks as just a backyard nuisance and start seeing them as something that has been researched much more deeply than most people ever realized.

Then names like Plum Island Animal Disease Center start coming up, especially because of its location near Lyme, Connecticut. You can see why people connect dots when Lyme disease becomes heavily associated with the same general area where a facility tied to animal disease research operated for years. That alone is enough to make people uncomfortable.

Then they find out Congress approved an amendment in 2019 asking the Pentagon to investigate whether ticks and other insects had been experimented with as biological weapons between 1950 and 1975.

Again, whether someone thinks anything escaped, whether someone thinks the public got the full story, whether someone thinks this is all coincidence, that kind of history changes how people hear the word tick. It adds a layer that was not there before.

And then the modern layer gets added on top of that.

Organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have funded research involving cattle ticks and methods of controlling them. That is one of those details that instantly catches people’s attention because it reinforces the bigger feeling that insects, vectors, and ecosystems are constantly being studied, manipulated, and managed by powerful institutions.

For some people, that is enough to confirm all their worst suspicions. For others, it is simply one more reason to stay skeptical and ask better questions.

Personally, I think one reason this whole topic catches fire so fast is because people no longer trust that large institutions fully understand the consequences of their interference. We have watched humans spray chemicals everywhere, alter landscapes, fragment forests, remove predators, industrialize farming, and then act surprised when the environment starts behaving differently.

We have watched health problems rise while people are told to ignore the pattern. So when ticks explode, and alpha gal cases rise, and old government research comes back into public conversation, people are not just reacting to one fact. They are reacting to a pattern of distrust that has been building for years.

At the same time, I do think there is a very real environmental side to this that matters. Ticks thrive in imbalance. They do well where ecosystems are disturbed. Overgrown land, warm winters, fragmented forests, exploding rodent populations, heavy deer traffic, reduced predator pressure, and poor land management all create ideal conditions for them. That is not nothing.

That is a huge part of the story.

And honestly, this is where alpha gal becomes even more important to understand in the bigger picture, because it is one thing to have more ticks around and another thing entirely for those ticks to be associated with immune reactions that can alter the way people eat and live. That is why people do not just shrug this off.

Alpha gal changes the emotional weight of the topic. It takes a growing pest problem and turns it into a conversation about the immune system, food tolerance, inflammation, and whether people’s bodies are becoming more fragile in a world that already feels overloaded.

I think that is one reason alpha gal scares people so much. It feels symbolic of a larger unraveling. Humans have been eating mammal foods for thousands of years. Red meat, broth, organs, dairy, butter, tallow, all of these things are part of a long human story.

Then suddenly a tiny parasite has the potential to interfere with that relationship. Whether someone sees that as an isolated medical condition or as part of a larger pattern, it hits a nerve because it touches food, and food is deeply personal.

It also raises a question many people do not want to say out loud. Are human beings becoming less resilient. Are our ecosystems becoming less resilient. Are our bodies, our land, and our animals all showing signs of the same deeper imbalance.

That is where I think homesteading matters so much in this conversation, because the closer you get to land, the harder it is to ignore the fact that everything is connected. Soil health affects plant health. Plant health affects animal health. Animal health affects food quality. Food quality affects human health. And when ecosystems drift out of balance, the signs show up everywhere.

One of the most practical responses to rising tick pressure is to stop thinking in terms of single solutions and start thinking in systems. Older generations did not have one magic answer for pests, and honestly, that is part of what made their methods more resilient. They layered strategies. They used animals. They used land management. They used herbs. They used routines.

They paid close attention to patterns on their property and adjusted as needed. That mindset matters because ticks are not usually solved by one product or one trick. They are reduced by making your land, your animals, and your daily habits less welcoming to them overall.

Chickens are one example. Anyone who keeps free range chickens knows they are constantly scratching, pecking, and hunting insects. Guinea fowl are even more aggressive and are famous for patrolling properties looking for bugs. Wild birds help too, and I think that is something people often overlook.

Encouraging more natural predators and foragers onto land makes sense because healthy ecosystems rely on those relationships. The more diversity you bring back to a property, the less chance parasites have to completely dominate unchecked.

Land management matters just as much. Ticks love moisture, brush, leaf litter, dense edges, and neglected areas where they can thrive undisturbed. When sunlight reaches the ground, when airflow improves, when grass is managed, when fence lines are kept cleaner, and when rodent habitat is reduced, the environment becomes less friendly to them.

Rotational grazing can help too because healthier land tends to support more balance overall. Even creating a little more distance between wooded edges and the areas you use every day can make a difference. If ticks are coming in from wild overgrowth, brushy fence lines, stacked wood piles, or damp shaded corners, then part of the solution is making those areas less comfortable for them.

Then there are the plant-based approaches people have used for generations. Strong aromatic herbs and oils are not some magic shield, but they can absolutely be part of a layered strategy. Cedarwood, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme, citronella, and geranium are all commonly used around tick prevention. People spray boots, socks, pant legs, hats, and gear before going out into thicker grass or brush.

A simple homemade spray for hiking gear can be made in a four-ounce spray bottle using about three ounces of witch hazel, one ounce of distilled water, ten drops of cedarwood essential oil, ten drops of geranium, and five drops of rosemary. Shake it well before each use and lightly mist your boots, socks, lower pant legs, backpack straps, and hat brim about ten or fifteen minutes before heading out. It is one more layer, not something I would rely on by itself in heavy tick country, but it is a practical natural step people can take.

Around the home, people also plant strong-smelling herbs near porches, pathways, garden edges, and frequently used areas to help make the environment less appealing overall. Lavender, rosemary, mint, sage, wormwood, garlic, and lemongrass are some of the plants people often mention. Even if these things do not eliminate ticks completely, they can still become part of a larger system that makes your property less inviting to pests in general.

There are also a lot of simple physical strategies people forget about because they are not flashy. Light-colored clothing helps because you can spot ticks much faster before they attach. Tall boots and tall socks matter because ticks usually climb upward from grass and brush.
Tucking pants into socks may not look glamorous, but it works. It also helps to have a routine for outdoor clothes so you are not dragging whatever was in the pasture or the brush straight into your home. Some people keep a basket or bench by the door for boots and chore clothes so they can strip those off before going inside.

Simple routines matter too. Showering after being outside, changing clothes quickly, doing tick checks, checking pets, keeping outdoor boots separate, and paying attention after time in brush or tall grass are all basic but effective.

A lot of people get in trouble not because they did not know what to do, but because they only do it once in a while. Preparedness is usually not about one dramatic action. It is about consistency.

For pets and livestock, it helps to think in terms of their environment too, not just the animal itself. Keep bedding dry and clean. Reduce damp corners and brushy areas around kennels, coops, barns, and loafing sheds. Keep grass shorter around places where animals rest or move through constantly. Check ears, neck folds, underbellies, tails, and legs often because ticks love hidden warm spots. I discuss in depth different flea and tick solutions on my podcast about natural solutions for pets.

For pet bedding, one of the easiest things you can do is use a removable washable cover, wash it often in hot water, dry it thoroughly, and keep the bedding away from damp corners, clutter, or brushy doorways where pests tend to gather. Some people also use cedar chips around outdoor animal areas or along certain borders because cedar has long been associated with repelling insects and making a space less inviting.

Some homesteaders also use food-grade diatomaceous earth carefully in dry areas as one more layer of protection. This is not something to dump everywhere carelessly, but it can be used lightly around dry pathways, shed thresholds, coop corners, kennel perimeters, or other dry spots where insects travel.

The key is to use a very thin layer, not piles of it, and to avoid creating clouds of dust. You do not want people or animals breathing it in, and you do not want to put it directly in places where it will keep getting kicked up into the air. It works best in dry protected areas, not as a blanket solution over everything.

Rodent control is another piece people underestimate. Mice and other small mammals are part of the tick cycle, so if a property is full of easy rodent habitat, ticks are going to have more opportunities to spread and thrive. Feed spills, junk piles, stacked debris, cluttered sheds, and low brush near buildings all create hiding places. Cleaning those areas up, storing feed more securely, and keeping the immediate surroundings of your home and animal areas less attractive to rodents can make a real difference over time.

I also think it matters to talk about strengthening the body, not because that makes someone invincible, but because modern life is hard on people. Poor sleep, processed food, constant stress, lack of sunlight, mineral depletion, sedentary living, and chronic inflammation all add up.

A body that is well nourished and supported is better equipped to handle stressors.

That matters in every area of life, and it matters here too. Real food matters. Minerals matter. Sunlight matters. Movement matters. Rest matters. When people are already run down, everything tends to hit harder.

When I step back from all of this, I do not think the answer is blind panic, and I do not think the answer is pretending nothing strange is happening. I think the answer is awareness paired with action. Learn the history. Ask questions. Notice patterns. Stay skeptical. But also take responsibility for your land, your habits, your animals, your health, and the way you move through the natural world.

Because whether someone believes every conspiracy angle, none of them, or somewhere in between, the practical reality is the same. Tick pressure is rising. Alpha gal has made this conversation much more serious for many people. And something about the relationship between humans, health, and nature feels increasingly out of balance.

Maybe the deeper lesson here is that modern society has spent so much time trying to control nature that it forgot how to listen to it. And now the signs of imbalance are getting harder to ignore.

Ticks are one sign. Alpha gal is another. The fear people feel is another. The craving people have to reconnect to land and real food and older ways of living is another.

Maybe that is why so many people are being drawn back toward homesteading, gardening, animal husbandry, herbalism, and preparedness. Deep down, people know they need something more grounded than the systems they have been told to depend on. They want to understand the world around them again. They want to feel capable. They want to build resilience instead of waiting for someone else to solve everything.

And honestly, I think that might be the most useful place to land with a topic like this. Not in paralysis. Not in blind trust. Not in mindless fear. But in careful observation, practical preparation, and a willingness to reconnect with the natural systems humans drifted away from in the first place.

Because once you start paying attention, you realize nature has been telling us for a long time when something is off.

Most people just stopped listening.