) Studies show that 20-50% of the ticks on the East End of Long Island are infected with Lyme disease and 70% of all people who are diagnosed are bitten in their own yard. May brings warm weather and sunshine, but with warm weather comes the return of ticks. The month of May is dedicated to spreading awareness of the prevalent, yet preventable illness, Lyme disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States, but an estimated 300,000 people are diagnosed annually. Doctors also believe that COVID-19 could lead to an increase in tick-borne illness because we’ve been stuck indoors all winter and are dying to spend time outside. A doctor at NY-Presbyterian Queens health care expressed worry that people being stuck at home will explode into the outdoors. “I’m a little nervous that their guard may be down just a slight bit,” she said. “Cases of Lyme disease could go skyrocketing.” Richard Ostfeld a senior scientist at the Cary Institute.
The annual survey of acorns which is conducted by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY showed a huge fall 2020 crop. Acorns are used to estimate the size of given year’s tick population because they are food for mice, which ticks love to feed on. More acorns = more mice = more ticks. “Last fall was a huge acorn year, so we’d expect 2021 to be a really bad Lyme year,” said Richard Ostfled.
In a recent scientific 2,000 deer ticks were collected and nearly half were infected with Lyme disease. Something even scarier, 13% carried the pathogen which causes life threatening babesiosis, 9% Anaplasmosis, 2% Borrelia miyamotoi and 1% Powassan encephalitis which took the life of a New York State man two years ago.
With these facts and statistics in mind, Brian Kelly, local tick expert and owner of East End Tick & Mosquito Control shared a list of tips for East End residents to consider when venturing outdoors to limit the risk of contracting a tick-related illness during the warmer months.
1). Spray monthly between the months of April – November to control ticks on your property.
2). Keep your yard tick-free year round by signing up for our new granular winter tick-control treatment, Tick Shield. This clay-coated, encapsulated acaricide (tick-killing chemical) is applied monthly from December through March.
3). Ticks are everywhere! Always use a repellent when going outdoors and ALWAYS check yourself afterwards. Pro tip: Have someone else check your back and areas you can’t see!
4). Put a fence around your yard to help keep deer and other animals out of your yard.
5). Keep your pets confined to your landscaped lawn and never allow them to enter the woods and use a tick repellent such as frontline. If you travel with your pet, make sure you check them VERY carefully afterwards.
6). Teach your kids about the dangers of going into the woods and uncharted territory. Get them into the routine of checking themselves after being outdoors and ALWAYS check them yourselves.
7). Buy a tick removal kit and keep it handy at all times and learn how to properly remove a tick.
8). Keep your grass cut short and don’t over-water your plants and shrubs! Ticks are attracted to long grass and cool damp areas.
9). Ivy and other sorts of ground cover are tick hot spots, avoid them at all times.
10). As part of your spring yard clean-up, eliminate tick habitat by raking and removing leaves that have blown into your yard edges and under shady vegetation.
11). Perform tick checks twice a day, once at night and then again the following morning.
12). Tuck your pants into your socks and spray both your skin and clothing with repellent before going outdoors.
13). When coming in from the outdoors, put your clothes in the dryer and on a high heat for at least 15 minutes.
Brian Kelly always tells his customers that “prevention is better than a cure” and takes a proactive approach to tick safety. “The risk of contracting a tick borne illness, such as Lyme disease becomes increasingly worse year after year. Ticks are not practicing “social distancing” and we know people will be dying to get outdoors this summer after being locked up all winter due to COVID-19. While we can’t stop ticks from coming out, we can take steps to prevent tick-borne illnesses. Follow these steps and have your yard sprayed now to prevent ticks from entering your property.”
If you believe you were bitten by a tick, keep an eye out for early stages of Lyme disease. Early stages of Lyme disease can include a “bull’s eye” like rash for up to 60% of Lyme cases but the remainder show no rash at all! Other symptoms can include chills, fever, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and join pain. If left untreated, Lyme can lead to serious medical complications such as arthritis, heart and nervous disorders, Bell’s Palsy, miscarriages, stillborn births, meningitis, numbness, pain and neurological damage. If you experience any of these symptoms after finding a tick, contact a physician immediately.
