Got ticks on your mind? Your questions. Our answers: How common are tick-borne diseases — and who is at risk? Lyme disease is the second most common infectious disease in the entire U.S. But over 96% of all cases come from only 14 states. Now that’s scary, because New York and the Northeast are at…Continue Reading Tick Trickery
Tick and Mosquito Repellent Safety—for You and Yours
ou might have noticed that we’re having a bit of a crisis with ticks and mosquitoes. They bite, they suck, and they can transmit pathogens to us during their feeding. One of the many things that we can do to avoid ticks and mosquitoes is to use repellents. But there are two important ideas to…Continue Reading Tick and Mosquito Repellent Safety—for You and Yours
Minimize tick risk while minimizing pesticide risk
“I already found a tick on me!” – many people across NY Many New Yorkers still equate tick activity with summertime, but blacklegged ticks, the ones that carry Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and Borrelia miamyoti, are most active in the spring and fall. (They can actually be active year round if the temperature…Continue Reading Minimize tick risk while minimizing pesticide risk
The New Tick in Town (Part ll.)
Now for the science-y part of this post. (I suggest you re-read Part l. Can’t hurt. Might help.) If you’ve read our other posts on the blacklegged tick (aka the deer tick), you might guess—and rightly so—that it’s the tick that’s been on our radar the longest; the one we (still) give most of our…Continue Reading The New Tick in Town (Part ll.)
Ticks don’t care what month it is
Last month we discussed ticks and the freezing weather. I predicted that “as soon as the temperatures rise into the mid-30s (and we know you will be out enjoying the veritable heat wave), ticks will be questing”. February 21, 2018 was an actual heat wave with temperatures reaching the mid-70s in parts of upstate NY….Continue Reading Ticks don’t care what month it is
Pests and pupils don’t mix
Year in and out, outreach to schools has our community IPM staff going back to school. Literally. We work with maintenance staff, nurses, groundskeepers, teachers, and parents. We provide the insight and know-how it takes to keep kids safe from pests and pesticides both. But schools are tricky to manage because—well, think of them as…Continue Reading Pests and pupils don’t mix
We give awards: IPM, excellence, and Julie Suarez
True — this media release dates back to January 4. But that’s not so long ago, and for someone like Julie Suarez it bears repeating. In short: we presented Julie (whom you’ll meet in a minute) with an Excellence in IPM award for—well, we could name a host of reasons. But we’ll let this speak…Continue Reading We give awards: IPM, excellence, and Julie Suarez
Ticks and the freezing weather
“That is a bracing cold, an invigorating cold. Lord, is it cold!” – Sheldon Cooper It is inevitable that when the temperatures drop below zero we are asked “Will this extended period of extremely low temps kill off ticks?” First, the bad news. We do not expect the cold to directly affect blacklegged or dog…Continue Reading Ticks and the freezing weather
It’s (still) tick season — and will be evermore
Sorry to bring up a sore subject, but it’s still tick season. And will be all year round. What … during winter? Really? Yes. But for starters here’s your pop quiz: A tick’s lifespan is three months ten months twenty-four months (that is, about two years) The best way to remove a tick is to…Continue Reading It’s (still) tick season — and will be evermore
Steer Clear of Ticks and the Diseases They Carry — the IPM Way
These days if you live near anything green — a suburban development, however humble or high-class; a neighborhood park where shrubs and meadow flowers grow — best you’d read up on ticks, be they black-legged ticks (aka deer ticks) or lone-star ticks (so named for the silvery white dot on the female’s back). While you’re…Continue Reading Steer Clear of Ticks and the Diseases They Carry — the IPM Way