That said, several misconceptions still exist about deer ticks, the creepy crawlers responsible for transmitting an estimated 300,000 cases of Lyme disease annually, in addition to other serious diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis. and Powassan virus.
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With the rising incidence of tick-borne illnesses, it’s becoming important to get smart about protection from tick bites.
That said, several misconceptions still exist about deer ticks, the creepy crawlers responsible for transmitting an estimated 300,000 cases of Lyme disease annually, in addition to other serious diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis. and Powassan virus. But the bottom line is, the more you know about the threats posed, the better you can protect yourself, your family and your pets from an infection.
“When it comes to ticks, ignorance is the opposite of bliss,” writes Maria Masters on Health.com. “Start reading up on what ticks look like, where they camp out and what to do if one latches onto you. Developing an action plan now can potentially save you from a lot of suffering in the future.”
With that in mind, here are key facts about deer ticks that most people don't realize.
We all want our kids to have the freedom to run, swim and play in the great outdoors without worry. That’s why it’s our job as parents to actively protect them from common injuries and environmental hazards that occur this time of year.
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This time of year, parents and kids both look forward to heading outside to (finally) enjoy the sun, balmy breezes and greenery of the season.
We all want our kids to have the freedom to run, swim and play in the great outdoors without worry. That’s why it’s our job as parents to actively protect them from common injuries and environmental hazards that occur this time of year.
“Summer can be a particularly dangerous time of year for children, who spend more time outside, and often with less supervision,” notes Allison Van Dusen in Forbes. “(But) by thinking about the worst-case scenarios and taking a few precautions, most of these types of injuries could be avoided easily.”
Here are some easy steps parents can take to keep kids safe while they play close to home this season.
The bad news: Reports show that threat is growing as the tick population expands geographically. Last fall a congressional advisory committee called Lyme disease and other emerging tick-related illnesses "a serious and growing threat to public health,” pointing to at least 20 known medical conditions that can result from tick bites.
]]>Source: Tick Management Handbook, Connecticut Experiment Station
By now, most Americans are aware of the health threat posed by tiny ticks that live and breed in our outdoor environments.
The bad news: Reports show that threat is growing as the tick population expands geographically. Last fall a congressional advisory committee called Lyme disease and other emerging tick-related illnesses "a serious and growing threat to public health,” pointing to at least 20 known medical conditions that can result from tick bites.
The good news? As summer approaches, there are a number of effective tick protection methods that can help us ward off these dangerous pests as we go about our daily lives. Here are five suggestions you may not have considered for keeping them away from your family.
Yes, ticks can be creepy crawly as well as dangerous. But taking practical precautions during tick season can go a long way toward reducing your chances of encountering them.
Thermacell Tick Control Tubes are an easy-to-use no-spray solution to kill backyard ticks that may carry Lyme disease. Call us at 866-753-3837 to learn more.
Unfortunately, kids are at real risk. The CDC reports that kids 5 to 9 years of age are most at risk of Lyme disease. Overall, some 75,000 youth are diagnosed with the illness each year, and that doesn’t account for other tick-borne illnesses or the cases of Lyme that go undiagnosed.
]]>Source: Web MD
Most of us are disgusted by the idea of ticks. And if you’re a parent, the thought of these tiny arachnids embedding themselves into our children’s skin is 10 times worse.
Unfortunately, kids are at real risk. The CDC reports that kids 5 to 9 years of age are most at risk of Lyme disease. Overall, some 75,000 youth are diagnosed with the illness each year, and that doesn’t account for other tick-borne illnesses or the cases of Lyme that go undiagnosed.
Naturally, no one wants to rob their children of the joy of playing outdoors during the warm, wonderful days of spring and summer. That’s why experts recommend parents take steps to protect kids from ticks so they can enjoy the outdoors. A few tips for staying proactive:
Tick borne diseases are on the rise in the US. According to a recent study published by the CDC, cases of Lyme disease have quadrupled since the 1990s, making Lyme disease the most common tick or mosquito borne disease in the US (1). Experts recommend taking steps to kill ticks in your backyard to reduce the chance of contracting dangerous tick-borne diseases.
Lyme disease is carried by deer ticks. Immature larval deer ticks emerge from eggs in July. These tiny ticks will turn into next year’s dangerous nymphal ticks that carry Lyme and other diseases. The best defense is to kill these larval ticks now, making August and September critical months for treatment. The good news is that there are easy ways to get rid of these ticks before they can harm you or your family.
These newly hatched larval ticks are often called seed ticks because they resemble tiny poppy seeds that easily go unnoticed. At this stage in their life cycle they typically feed on mice. Tick expert, Tom Mather, director of the TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island, explains that “larval ticks hatch from eggs of a female adult tick, and since tick eggs are laid in batches of 1,500-5,000 eggs or more, you’re not likely to encounter just one or even just a few larvae at a time. It’s more likely to be hundreds.”
Unfortunately, there are reports every year from people who encounter larval tick nests. This this was the case for Beka Setzer’s 3-year old daughter who stumbled into a nest of larval ticks while playing in her Ohio backyard. Her mother uploaded pictures to Facebook to warn others of the impending danger. (2)
Beka Setzer’s daughter was covered with little black dots all over her legs, abdomen, arms, and armpit area, which turned out to be larval seed ticks. The little girl developed complications the following day including a low-grade fever, spots on her skin, and swollen lymph nodes. Fortunately, she didn’t test positive for Lyme and recovered completely after an extensive course of antibiotics. For many children and adults, this scenario does not have such a happy ending.
To help control larval ticks, homeowners should treat the tick’s favorite source for a meal as close to July as possible. According to Theodore Andreadis, director of The Connecticut Experiment Station, “The white-footed mouse serves as the primary host for the larval stage of deer ticks.” (3) By strategically placing Thermacell Tick Control Tubes in the yard, you can turn mice from tick hosts into tick killers and help protect your family from ticks and the diseases they carry.
Developed by Harvard University researchers, Thermacell Tick Control Tubes contain cotton specially treated with permethrin, an EPA approved ingredient that kills ticks. Mice collect this ideal nesting material and use it to line their nests. When larval ticks latch onto the mouse for a meal and feed, the tick dies. According to tick expert Tom Mather, the hot days of July provide a prime opportunity to kill the larval ticks before they get the chance to continue the vicious cycle. “Putting out Tick Control Tubes in July kills larval ticks before they pick up diseases and emerge as dangerous nymphal ticks next spring.” (4) Thermacell Tick Control Tubes provide an easy, no spray way to kill larval ticks without harming kids, pets, or the environment.
It is critical to apply Tick Control Tubes in July, even if you treated your yard in the spring, because mice breed rapidly. The first application in April treats mice to kill nymphal ticks that emerge in the spring. The second application in July treats mice to kill larval ticks hatching in July. By this point in the summer, there is a new group of mice to treat because white footed mice breed from March to October and produce a new litter in as fast as 60 days. For this reason, application in both April and again in July is recommended to kill ticks at both the larval (July) and nymphal (April) stages.
A tick’s preferred habitat includes the following elements: high grass, shade, brush, and dead leaves. Thermacell recommends placing the Tick Control Tubes no more than 10 yards apart twice a year during the spring and late summer. Place the tubes strategically to target the mice in flowerbeds, bushes, woodpiles, stonewalls, sheds, and any other place on your property mice frequent. Thanks to Thermacell Tick Control Tubes, you can enjoy your backyard again knowing you are taking the right steps to protect your family from ticks.
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).” May 4, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6717e1.htm
(2) Setzer, Beka. Love What Matters, Facebook. July 6th, 2017. https://www.facebook.com/lovewhatreallymatters/posts/1581895061832886
(3) Skahill, Patrick. “As Tick Population Soars, State Warns: ‘Assume That you’re Going to Pick Them Up.’” NPR, May 3, 2017. http://wnpr.org/post/tick-population-soars-state-warns-assume-youre-going-pick-them
(4) Tick Encounter Resource Center, Facebook. August 13, 2017. https://www.facebook.com/TickEncounter/
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This year is expected to be one of the worst on record for ticks, and not just in the Northeast. At least one variety of disease-transmitting tick has been found in all of the lower 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And a lab at Cornell University has identified 26 species of ticks along the East Coast alone—far more than the deer ticks most of us associate with Lyme disease.
With a little bit of work, including cutting your grass more often, you can rid your yard of the pests.
“Tick control is mostly about wildlife,” says Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, coordinator of New York State’s Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell. “If you have an open yard where animals can enter, you’re almost certainly going to have ticks.
One way to know for sure? Perform what’s called a tick drag. Cut a 5-inch-square swatch of fabric and tie it to an 18-inch-long pole or stick. Holding the pole, drag the fabric along tall grass or weeds, particularly near a woodland edge of your lawn. Ticks will typically transfer themselves to the swatch.
If the trial confirms their presence, you'll need to deal with the problem now to safely enjoy your yard. If not, it could pay to be proactive. Follow these five steps to deal with them effectively.
“Black-legged ticks, the type that transmit Lyme disease, don’t like dry, hot environments,” Gangloff-Kaufmann says. Because taller blades of grass cast a shadow and create shade, leaving your lawn a little shaggy is a bad idea in tick-rich areas.
Gangloff-Kaufmann says you’re still okay to let your grass reach the 4 to 4 1/2 inches Consumer Reports recommends, but be vigilant about keeping up with mowing. (Letting grass grow that tall, then trimming it down to about 3 inches, promotes healthy growth—shearing your grass to an inch to 2 inches sends grass into a panic, and it grows too tall, too fast, with a weak root structure.)
If you miss a week and the grass gets tall, it’s a good idea to use the bagging attachment with your tractor or lawn mower because leaving those long lawn clippings behind can create the perfect environment for ticks.
First, it creates a physical barrier that’s dry and sometimes hot, something ticks can’t tolerate. Second, it serves as a visual reminder to anyone in your household to be especially careful once they step past the perimeter.
For the border, you want mulch made from broad, dry wood chips or bark—not the damp, shredded variety, which creates exactly the kind of cool, damp conditions ticks love.
By keeping grass and weeds at bay with a string trimmer, you’ll minimize those chances and make it more difficult for ticks to latch onto you or members of your family, or to travel around your property by hitching a ride on your dog.
CR has long advocated for mulching grass clippings when you mow. That's because these clippings break down and release nitrogen into the soil, feeding your yard and potentially reducing the amount of fertilizer you use by about 20 percent.
And in many instances, it’s okay or even preferable to leave behind fallen leaves to nourish the lawn for the same reason. But if you live in an area with a large tick population, it’s worth reconsidering.
By bagging grass and blowing leaves into piles for collection, you keep your yard clear and cut back on tick-friendly places. You’ll want to recycle leaves and grass clippings through your town if possible, or compost them in a pile far from the house.
Rather than rotting in a landfill, you can let your leaves and clippings break down naturally, and use the resulting compost to feed and fertilize plants around your yard.
Following the four steps above will make your yard less inviting to ticks, but if you want to make a serious dent in the number of ticks on your property, you’ll need to focus on methods that kill them.
Many people opt for spraying their entire yard with pesticide, an approach that CR’s experts say is both ineffective and potentially dangerous.
“Spraying your yard provides a false sense of security,” explains Michael Hansen, Ph.D., senior scientist at Consumer Reports. “Instead, consider products that treat the fur of mice or deer with small quantities of tick-killing agents.”
One example is a new product that consists of cardboard tubes stuffed with cotton treated with permethrin, a tick-killing chemical. Mice collect the cotton and take it back to their nests. The permethrin binds to oils on their fur, killing any ticks that try to attach without harming the mice.
“Mice play an important role in the transmission cycle of Lyme disease,” explains Laura Goodman, senior research associate in Cornell’s Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (PDF) has found that such systems have resulted in statistically meaningful drops in tick levels after several years of use. And at about $4 per tube, they're cheaper than tick bait boxes.
When working in the yard, wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes. Use insect repellent—the best in our tests provide more than 8 hours of tick protection.
“And regardless of the time of year, perform a tick check as soon as you return indoors,” Goodman says.
If you do suffer a bite, Goodman advises properly removing the tick, sealing it in a container like a pill bottle, and sending it to a lab such as hers or one at a local cooperative extension service.
For a small fee, the office will analyze the tick and note whether it carries any tick-related diseases—information your physician can use if you need treatment.
For more information about ticks in your area, check your state health department’s website. Connecticut, home to the town of Old Lyme, where the disease was first documented, has a particularly comprehensive guide to ticks (PDF).
Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/outdoor-safety/tick-proof-your-yard-without-spraying/
Most people get Lyme disease within 100 yards of their house in areas with woods or tall grass. Protect you and your family from ticks in your yard. Here, we share five backyard areas where people commonly encounter ticks and what you can do to stay safe in these places.
1) The Play Structure
“People put the jungle gym near the woods so it’s in the shade and away from the lawn mower,” says Bob Maurais, owner of Mainely Ticks, a pest spray company located in southern Maine. But having it close to the woods means you are in tick habitat, warns Maurais. “Move the play structure into direct sunlight at least 10 feet away from the edge of the woods or brush.” Deer ticks can’t survive the heat so they are rarely found in the middle of the lawn. For backyard protection Maurais recommends using a professional to spray the yard and applying Thermacell Tick Control Tubes in areas where sprays can’t reach.
2) The Treehouse
A treehouse by definition is usually in a tree and often in the woods. Recognize that it may be in or near prime tick habitat. If your treehouse is on the edge of the woods, you could use a pest spray to control ticks in your yard. If the treehouse is in the woods, have your kids wear permethrin treated clothing from companies like Insect Shield before going to play. You can also spray their skin with repellent such as DEET, which won’t kill ticks, but will help repel them. (Photo credit: LLoyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)
3) The Dog Run
You don’t want your dog to get too hot, so you have his dog run in the shade. But if it’s in an area with woods and leaf litter, it’s in prime tick habitat. Move your dog out of this kind of environment and protect him with regular use of a topical or systemic tick prevention product.
Veterinarian Dr. Shawna Li of Norton Animal Hospital recommends the topical product K9 Advantix. She also suggests the Seresto collar because it is good for up to eight months or the monthly use of the oral product, Nextgard. “The key,” says Li, “is to use these products all year round. Even a small area of vegetation outside that reaches 45 degrees in the winter can see the emergence of ticks. There is no safe time to stop use of a preventative, especially in New England.”
4) The Driveway
The driveway isn’t tick habitat, but if your kids play basketball or other ball games there, pay attention to the environment that surrounds it. What happens when the ball goes out of the court? If it goes into the woods, resist the temptation to go get it in shorts and t-shirt. Use a rake to reclaim the ball or leave it there and come back later in long pants, a long-sleeve shirt and boots, preferably treated with permethrin. Sawyer sells a permethrin spray that allows you to treat your own clothing.
5) Spring Cleaning
Protecting yourself from ticks takes some planning and is an important part of spring yard prep, but it doesn’t have to be hard to do. If you are looking for some easy options, tick expert Tom Mather, director of the TickEncounter Resource Center, recommends “spraying your shoes with permethrin, wearing permethrin-treated clothing, keeping an effective quick-tick-knockdown preventer on your pet, and putting tick control tubes in your yard. These are easy to do, each can be done in minutes, and they don't require set-up or clean up."