Tick Talk: March 2025

NPMA Pest Projection

Do you live in any of the areas facing tick population increases? If so, remember to practice tick safety to avoid tick-borne illnesses. Notably, Massachusetts is facing surges in tick populations due to severe weather conditions.

Integrated Pest Management at Animal Facilities

In this article, Dr. Mohammed El Damir, BCE, technical and training director of Adam’s Pest Control, describes how those with animal facilities can prevent and address tick infestations. Tick issues can quickly become prevalent in animal facilities from large farms and zoos to animal shelters and doggy daycares. In order to effectively manage tick-borne illnesses, it is crucial to understand the tick’s life cycle. There are one-host ticks who complete their life cycle off a single host, modified one-host ticks that spend most of their life on one single host, three-host ticks that need three ticks to complete their life cycle, and multi-host ticks. Once you have identified the tick species you’re dealing with and learn their biology and behavior, you can create an integrated pest management (IPM) program to control ticks.

1. Tick Habitat Management: Reducing tick habitats limits their ability to reproduce and spread. Ticks love to live in high grass and overgrown vegetation. Make sure to regularly mow the grass of the property, remove all leaf litter, and trim overgrown vegetation. Ticks also love to live in damp, humid areas so remember to improve your drainage and ventilation systems over time. Ticks can be brought into your yard by other animals passing through. To keep animals out, repair fences and install barriers that will limit wildlife movement on your property. Regularly clean and disinfect animal housing, bedding and feeding areas to minimize tick presence.
2. Prevention measures: Ticks can enter buildings through small cracks and gaps. To prevent this, seal walls, foundations, windows, doors, utility lines for pipes, cables, vents, doorways and windows of high-traffic areas on your property.
3. Treatment strategies: When a tick population emerges, choosing the right products or tick control service is crucial. Consider the All-Natural Tick & Mosquito Control option from ohDEER. Outdoor tick control involves precise pesticide application in high-risk areas, such as barn perimeters, shaded zones, transitional spaces between lawns and wooded areas, stone walls and ground cover vegetation. Start outdoor applications in early spring, when tick activity peaks, and maintain treatments through fall. In areas with heavy infestations, reapply every four weeks to effectively target adults and nymphs, ensuring control of all life stages that pose disease risks.

Tick Bite Prevention Week: March 24-30 2025

Tick Bite Prevention Week is a crucial reminder that protecting yourself, your family, and your pets from ticks is about preventing serious life-altering diseases. Ticks are more than just a nuisance; they can carry dangerous illnesses like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis, which are on the rise in many regions. Tick season is longer than you think, and prevention should be a year-round effort. As spring brings people and pets back outdoors, now is the time to take action. Stay safe, stay vigilant, and enjoy more time outside!