Protecting Your Landscape, and Family, From Ticks

It is unfortunate but true: the climate is changing, and a warming world has myriad manifestations. On the East End of Long Island, the milder winters common in recent years mean greater odds of survival for a bane of our existence, the tick. And with summer fast approaching, the time to be proactive in protecting your property, your family, your pets and yourself from ticks and the numerous illnesses they can transmit is now.

Ticks are active when the temperature is above 40 degrees, so they can be found here throughout the year. “You can get bitten in winter,” said Rebecca Young, RN, of the Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. “We’ve had pictures of ticks crawling out of the snow when the temperature rises.”

“There are more ticks,” she said. “The lone star tick has just increased incredibly. There used to be more deer ticks out here, but now there are more lone star ticks. There are many more, all over the place, and they’re increasing in number.”

And while Lyme disease, transmitted by the deer (blacklegged) tick, remains the best-known tick-borne illness, ticks found in this region can transmit many other dangerous infections. The deer tick can also carry anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Borrelia miyamotoi disease. The lone star tick transmits ehrlichiosis, which is carried by another animal common to these parts, the white-tailed deer. Its bite can also transmit the alpha-gal meat allergy. The American dog tick carries the bacterial organism that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It, and the lone star tick, can carry bacteria that causes tularemia. Double infections are also possible.

Small mammals, such as the white-footed mouse, are ticks’ main source of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and that species “is increasing incredibly due to bumper crops of acorns,” Young said. “Their predators, usually birds of prey or other animals, are not here anymore” (statistics show a dramatic decline in birds, many species of which eat ticks, over the last 50 years).

It all adds up to a hazardous condition, particularly during the summer when everyone wants to enjoy the outdoors, from lawns to hiking trails to Long Island’s beautiful, pristine beaches. “The tick lives by biting its host and sucking its blood, like a little vampire,” said Rob Mendes of Alternative Earthcare Tick and Mosquito Spraying Service. “When they suck blood, they use it to live and feed their babies.” Pathogens, “when passed from tick to host, can cause a variety of illnesses that can make people very sick.”

But while vaccines to protect against tick-borne illnesses do not yet exist, there are plenty of protective measures to minimize exposure and avoid illnesses that can be lengthy, debilitating, even deadly. “People are calling for information,” said Young, who fielded 929 calls from the public in 2023. Those callers “are getting more savvy about tick protection. They’re learning. The message is getting out there.”

“As far as prevention, we always tell our customers to go less on watering,” said Robin Heaney of East End Tick & Mosquito Control. “The more you water, the more moisture there is, and ticks are loving that. Everyone wants a green lawn, but to water five times a week, you’re asking for issues. We tell them to not water as much, and keep grass as manicured as possible: the shorter, the better.”

David Nardy, the owner of the Southampton-based Nardy Pest Control, agreed that landscape maintenance is one of the keys to keeping the eight-legged parasitic arachnids at bay. “Since ticks can’t jump, they rely on a host to brush up against them so they can latch on and feed,” he said. “They generally live in long grasses, thick brush and leaf litter … limit tick harborages. Since ticks love long grass, do not let your lawn grow too long. It is important to keep it cut regularly.”

Nardy says limiting the number of tick hosts on your property is also important. “Mice are the biggest culprit when it comes to ticks being deposited on one’s lawn. Clearing leaves and brush from the property will limit the mice and in turn cut down tick populations brought by them.”

He added that outside garbage areas are another place on the property that will attract tick hosts like birds and mice. “Garbage attracts tick hosts such as birds, raccoons, rats, and opossums onto one’s property,” said Nardy. It’s important to clean up any garbage that’s spilled over the bins, and keep bins closed tightly.” He also recommends installing deer fencing.

East End Tick & Mosquito Control, Heaney said, has developed a granular tick control treatment for December through March. It is spread on leaf litter, shrub beds, under decks, and the property’s perimeter, she said, and not on the lawn. “The mice are drawn to that, and the granular product kills the ticks,” she said. “It helps set up for a successful season.”

“We know that spraying combats ticks,” said Mendes of Alternative Earthcare Tick and Mosquito Spraying Service. “When we come to a property, we spray down all bushes, shrubs, grass. Ticks hitch rides, and that’s why people put up deer fencing. You keep deer out, but not rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks — any rodents. They, as much if not more, transport ticks to your property. So we spray down everything, especially properties on the edge of the woods.”

Permethrin, these professionals say, is the insecticide of choice for combating ticks. “It kills the insect on contact,” Mendes said. A treatment should be repeated every 30 days, he, Heaney and Nardy agreed. Alternative Earthcare Tick and Mosquito Spraying Service also employs tubes of cotton treated with Permethrin placed around a property such as under decks and behind sheds. Rodents and other small animals “will tear it apart and drag it somewhere to use as bedding. It has been treated, so it’s hitting the leaf, the blade of grass, the twig. This is putting Permethrin in the woods so ticks coming in contact die in the woods — they never make it to the property.” People and pets should stay clear of treated lawns for one hour, both said.

Both Alternative Earthcare Tick and Mosquito Spraying Service and East End Tick & Mosquito Control offer options for environmentally-minded property owners. Heaney said that some customers prefer EcoVia MT, a botanical insecticide that can be used indoors and out. “It’s got citronella oil, soybean oil, and no pesticides.” But an organic treatment “is definitely not as effective,” she said, “so we do recommend treatment every other week.”

“Cedar oil is 100 percent organic,” said Mendes. “But the thing with oil of any kind is, the insect has to inhale it and choke on it, and they die. With Permethrin, they come in contact and they’re dead. They don’t get a chance to get away from it. That’s why we use Permethrin-based sprays to effectively control insects. Toxicity is very, very low.”

Personal protection is also essential. “Decrease your risk of being bitten,” said Dr. Scott Campbell, the Entomology Lab Chief at the Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Arthropod-Borne Disease Lab. “Create a barrier with clothing or repellent. Most important — this is very, very important — do a tick check. You need to do tick checks on pets when they come inside. You don’t even have to leave your sofa to be bitten, because they bring them in.” When coming in from outdoors, “put any clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes on medium or high. That will kill them. They will survive a spin in the washer.”

Young also recommends spraying shoes with Permethrin every month, as well as clothing. For direct application to the skin, DEET is widely used. While the federal Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that “insect repellents containing DEET do not present a health concern,” there are “other products considered more natural,” she said. “One is oil of lemon eucalyptus. Another is picaridin.”

“Don’t walk in tall grass,” where deer ticks lie in wait, she said. “Stay in middle of a path. Lone star ticks are very aggressive. People will say ‘I was sitting on my deck and the tick came up to me’ — that’s probably a lone star. They react to your vibration and exhalation, and will come after you.”

“You have to be careful of your pets,” she added. “Don’t let your pets in the bed. Speak to your vet about a product to use” to protect them.

“The bottom line, when it comes to controlling tick populations on home landscapes, is to make your property less conducive to their survival,” said Nardy.

In the event of a bite, “it’s important to get any ticks off as soon as possible, because the pathogens take time to be transmitted,” Campbell said. “Tick removal is just, grab them with tweezers and pull straight up. You can put it in rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill it, and then you have it as a record. Label when you removed it, and where it was found.”

The Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center offers the “Tick-Borne Disease Reference Handbook for Long Island and the Northeast,” a free booklet, at bit.ly/4awUXzg. It is filled with information about ticks and the illnesses they can transmit, including symptoms and treatment, as well as prevention strategies, instruction on tick removal and treating landscapes, and resources and references.