Living with Ticks

With concerns over tick-borne illnesses more prevalent than ever, many of us have become hesitant to spend time in nature. The East End of Long Island has become known for its high concentrations of ticks, as well as its beautiful beaches and summer-time fun. Before we cover ourselves and our properties in pesticides and ditch the walks in the woods, it is crucial to understand why this explosion of ticks has occurred and how to prevent tick bites in a way that is gentler on our bodies, our homes, and our shared environment.

Tick populations have been on the rise across the United States due to climate change, and Long Island is no exception. In previous years Long Island winters were cold enough to keep tick populations at bay. Colder winter temperatures would cause a deep freeze causing the soil to freeze a few inches below ground level, sometimes for the entirety of the winter season. This deep freeze can make areas inhospitable for ticks. These deep freezes would kill off large numbers of ticks thus, limiting their population. An additional reason for the boom in tick populations may be an increase in the number of host species available to them. Common tick hosts are white-tailed deer, white-footed mice, and turkeys. Many of these species prefer to live in edge habitat. Edge is a type of habitat where the forest meets the grass or the transition area between two types of habitat. While they are still present in interior forests, ticks and their hosts are most concentrated in edge habitats. As Long Island becomes increasingly developed, the amount of edge habitat has increased, allowing ticks and their hosts to proliferate. 

Types of Ticks

Find these ticks below and other types on the CDC’s website here.

For more information on these ticks and the diseases they carry, consult the Suffolk County webpage on ticks. They have a great database of information that is specific to Suffolk County and the ticks present here. 

Before You Panic - Here are some good things to know:
Many tick-borne illnesses can be prevented or be less damaging through tick bite prevention, speedy and proper tick removal, and early recognition and treatment. 

Ticks must be attached for at least 36 to 48 hours to transmit Lyme Disease (CDC). Most humans get infected from the bites of immature ticks called nymphs. Nymphs are tiny (less than 2 mm) and difficult to see; they feed during the spring and summer months.

Deer ticks (Black-legged ticks) are the only species that presently can transmit Lyme Disease. 

Many people (but not all) experience a bulls-eye rash around a tick bite if they have contracted Lyme Disease. Keep an eye out for any odd redness surrounding a tick bite. This early symptom can help medical professionals provide early treatment and prevent chronic Lyme Disease or symptoms altogether. 

Doctors can test ticks for particular diseases. If you are bitten and can save the tick in a small container, you can bring this to your doctor to help determine if you may have contracted any illnesses.

Ticks do not fall out of the sky; they typically inhabit grassy or shrubby regions and can be contracted by brushing against plants.

Most ticks do not bite immediately; instead, they will crawl on you for a while to try and find an appropriate spot – this gives you time to get them off of you before they have bitten.  

Prevention 

  1. Wear light-colored clothing for outdoor activities. Ticks are dark in color and easier to see against light colors. 

  2. Be sure to tuck your pant legs into your socks, your shirt into your pants, and change your clothes immediately after spending time outdoors. You can even use tape to seal your socks to your pants, keeping ticks from making it through your clothing and onto you.

  3. Changing your clothes after being outside can keep ticks from ever making it past your clothing and prevent them from having a chance to bite you.

  4. Place clothing in the dryer at high heat for at least 15 minutes to kill off any ticks left on your clothes after returning from an outing. Ticks can survive indoors for up to 6 months!

  5. Use a lint roller on clothes upon exiting a natural area or BEFORE entering your home. Lint rollers or any sticky tape can trap nymphs (use this method on the skin if you walk through a tick nest to remove larval ticks. You can also use an exfoliating scrub to scrub off and remove larval ticks).

  6. Tick-check your pets. Along with other methods of protecting your furry friends, they can still bring ticks into your home and onto you. Performing regular checks when returning from walks or outdoor time can help keep ticks outside where they belong. 

  7. Stick to well-marked trails when walking outside, do not go off marked trails! Try to avoid any grasses or brush on the trail edges as this is the primary tick habitat. Staying on trails keeps you safer and protects sensitive habitats.

  8. If you find a tick biting you, be sure to look up steps for proper tick removal before you remove the tick. Improper tick removal can cause parts of the tick to be left behind in your skin, potentially leading to disease.  

  9. Other less toxic options such as essential oils have become available but there is limited academic research to determine their effectiveness. There is, however, some anecdotal evidence that these products have potential as more environmentally friendly forms of tick repellent. Use your own judgement or speak to your doctor about methods of tick prevention.

Tick Prevention in the Yard
It is important to remember that many of the things that make us love the East End, such as our extensive open space, ticks love too. Drastic actions such as broadcast spraying of chemicals or clear-cutting your property will negatively affect the larger region. Spraying pesticides not only kills ticks and countless other insects, many of which our bird species are dependent on for food, they also kill bees and other pollinators, who we depend on for our local farms, wineries, and food. Pesticides can also have harmful effects on our groundwater and surface water, such as the Peconic Bay and Long Island Sound. Our local amphibians and reptiles - such as the beloved box turtle and spring peepers - are hyper-sensitive to the damage caused by pesticides, many of which come from residential use. Our world is interconnected, and these practices may seem insignificant but they can add up and be harmful to the ecology of the East End and eventually destroy the reasons we love living here. So, before turning to chemicals and clear-cutting, here are some options you can consider first that are good for you and our local environment.

So, What Can You Do?

  1. Create an integrated pest management strategy. Integrated pest management or IPM, works in conjunction with personal prevention measures to create effective and eco-conscious solutions to pests such as ticks. IPM options are some of the least invasive while still being effective strategies for tick control. 

  2. When using integrated pest management, we recommend leaving as many natural habitat areas on your property as you can to support local wildlife while creating tick-safe zones. IPM allows you to make tick-safe areas where you spend most of your time while allowing you to leave low-traffic areas natural, providing a space for local flora and fauna. (Learn more about native plants in part 3). 

    • Tick safe areas should be sunny, dry, well-maintained areas such as a deck, patio, or playset with very few shrubs or plants surrounding it that would attract wildlife. Ticks need moisture to survive, so the heat from the sun and little shade act as a deterrent. Keeping wild animals away from these areas prevents them from leaving ticks in these areas as well. 

    • Create a border of wood chips between the natural or shrubby areas in the yard where you are spending more time. Building this border helps to deter ticks from leaving the damp, more hospitable habitat. Ticks that do venture beyond this border will likely desiccate due to lack of moisture and high temperatures.

    • Fence off your garden. While many of us on the East End know fencing has become necessary because the deer eat everything in sight; fencing your garden can help to keep wildlife out of an area where you will be spending a great deal of your time. Keeping wildlife out of this area prevents them from leaving behind ticks that could end up on you. (Learn more about preventing ticks in the link and image below!).

  3.  We do not encourage using pesticides, but we understand that it is a personal choice, and some people may choose to use them. IPM strategies encourage individuals using pesticides to use spot spraying tactics rather than broadcast spraying to try to reduce the harm caused by these chemicals. Keep in mind an organic pesticide is still a pesticide and can cause just as much damage to wildlife as other chemicals, so it is crucial to limit pesticide use or avoid using them altogether.

  4. Do not clear-cut your entire property as a means of tick prevention – this is not as effective as advertised, and you are removing beautiful habitat for many other creatures that make their home in your front yard. While deer ticks prefer cool and shady habitats often found in leaf litter, Lone Star Ticks are present in sunny, grassy habitats, so there is a good chance you will find them in the yard. This is not to say that you cannot create a tick-safe property, but remember that putting in a lawn is not a solution to the tick issue.

 Example of Integrated pest management – consult page 73 of the Tick Management Handbook recommended by the CDC. 

Sources: 

CDC. (2019, January 10). Tick ID. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/tickID.html

CDC. (2021, May 28). Lyme Disease. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html

Connecticut State Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Ticks. Retrieved from https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Epidemiology-and-Emerging-Infections/Ticks

Iii, K. C. (2016). Integrated tick management of the blacklegged tick to reduce the risk of Lyme disease. 2016 International Congress of Entomology. doi:10.1603/ice.2016.110420

Molaei, G., Little, E. A., Williams, S. C., & Stafford, K. C. (2019). Bracing for the Worst — Range Expansion of the Lone Star Tick in the Northeastern United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(23), 2189-2192. doi:10.1056/nejmp1911661

Suffolk County Public Health. (n.d.). Departments. Retrieved from https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Health-Services/Public-Health/Preventive-Services/Arthropod-borne-Diseases/Ticks#Ticks and the Diseases They Cause

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