Learn about ticks and Lyme disease risk in your community
Did you know that ticks and Lyme disease are a greater danger in humid environments? The spring of 2018 was a wet one in New England, leading to especially high tick activity, and Lyme disease is so prevalent in Massachusetts that it is now considered a public health crisis! A recent article by UMass Amherst’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment explains why.
“Ticks are moisture-seekers and thus can stay out for longer periods of time hunting for dinner in damp or rainy weather. On the other hand, when it is dry, they bury deeper into leaf litter in search of moisture. A somewhat new revelation, supported by research data, is that the incidence of Lyme disease on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard is much higher than the incidence in the rest of the state… because humidity is higher on these islands since they are surrounded by water.”
Ticks and Lyme disease: Which ticks carry it?
We have three tick species in New England – the dog tick, the Lone Star tick, and the deer tick – but not all of them carry Lyme disease. Deer ticks (also called blacklegged ticks) are the only ones that can infect you with their bite.
Here are some tips for identifying deer ticks:
- Determine if it’s a tick. If you are observing the insect (i.e., in a jar or vial), it will crawl, but not jump or fly. If it’s a tick, it will have a flat, tear-shaped body with eight legs. An engorged tick will be rounded and slightly paler in color.
- Deer ticks are the smallest of the three tick species in New England. They range in size from that of a poppy seed at the nymph stage, to the size of a sesame seed at the adult stage.
- A “scutum” is a hard section behind the tick’s head. A deer tick’s scutum will be solid in color – not mottled brown or marked with white, like other ticks.
Arm yourself against ticks and Lyme disease with an effective, natural treatment for your property
So, how to protect yourself from ticks and Lyme disease this summer? You are probably already using bug spray – and if you share our concerns about the dangers of harsh synthetic pesticides for human and environmental health, you may tend to choose a natural variety over a synthetic one. But did you know there are even stronger protections against ticks and Lyme disease available, that are still safe and natural? At Kinder Spray, we specialize in essential-oil-based treatments for your lawn and property that effectively kill the ticks that are present, destroy their eggs, and deter new ticks from entering.
Explore our website to learn about the spray we use and all the Spray Packages we offer. Then contact us for a FREE consultation – so you can enjoy the outdoors this summer without fear of ticks and Lyme disease!
Sources for This Article:
How to Identify a Deer Tick – WikiHow
Tick Talk Time, 2018 – The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment – UMass Amherst
Photo By: Jachan DeVol