SOUTHAMPTON EAST HAMPTON NORTH FORK
631 287 9700 631 324 9700 631 765 9700

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I own a vacation home on the East End of Long Island. Is my family at risk from tick borne disease?
A. Yes – 70% of people who get Lyme disease are bitten in their own yard.

Q. If there aren’t deer on our property should we still be concerned about tick borne disease?
A. Yes - rabbits, birds, squirrels, mice, chipmunks and deer all carry infectious ticks onto your property.

Q. How effective are treatments and how long do they last?
A. East End Tick Control’s treatment program has been developed through comprehensive product testing for well over a decade. Applications last for about 4 weeks and we have every confidence that our full season tick control program will completely eliminate all ticks in treated areas.

Q. Are there alternatives to harsh pesticide treatments that are equally effective?
A. We don’t believe the solution should be worse than the problem. We provide you with the most effective and environmentally-responsible program possible, using an optimized combination of organic and synthetic products.

Q. What is a Tick?
A. A tick is an arachnid, which means it is not an insect, but related to spiders. Ticks are active whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees and are rarely found more than 18 inches above the ground. Ticks do not jump, fly or descend from trees. Tick bites do not hurt, and if you are bitten, you probably won’t feel it. That is why it is very important to check for ticks frequently during and after enjoying all outdoor activities. The sooner you find a tick and remove it, the less likely you will be infected.

Q. What is Lyme disease?
A. A bacterial infection caused by an infectious tick bite. Studies show that about 50% of ticks on Eastern Long Island are infected. Early stages: the first symptoms include a “bull’s eye” like rash in about 60% of Lyme disease cases. Other symptoms included chills, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen nymph nodes. Later stages: if left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to serious medical complications such as arthritis, heart and nervous system disorders, Bell’s palsy, miscarriages, stillborn births, meningitis, numbness and pain and more. See a physician immediately if you have been bitten or develop any symptoms.

Q. What other diseases do ticks carry?
A. Babesiosis: a malaria-like illness caused by an infectious tick bite. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, followed by fever, drenching sweats, muscle pain and headaches. Symptoms begin about a week after infection. See a physician immediately if you have been bitten by a tick or develop any symptoms. Babesiosis can be fatal.
A. Ehrlichiosis (HGE): symptoms range from headaches, muscle aches and malaise to high fever. When left untreated it can affect the central nervous system, resulting in delirium, mental changes and even death. See a physician immediately if you have been bitten or develop any symptoms.

Q. How do I remove an embedded tick?
A. When you find an embedded tick, carefully grasp it with fine tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull outward gently but firmly. Do not use your fingers or cover the tick in petroleum jelly, nail polish, etc. as this may cause the tick to inject infectious bacteria into you. Save the tick in a jar and bring it to your doctor if symptoms occur. Treat the bite site with a topical antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin or Neosporin.

Q. Do you recommend special precautions if we own pets?
A. Spraying alone will not keep ticks off your pets. See your veterinarian for a tick control product call ‘Frontline’. Ticks are attracted to the carbon dioxide that your pet’s body gives off and will travel from up to 100 feet away to feed on your dog or cat. Pets will attract ticks and bring them onto your property and in to your home increasing the risk of tick borne infectious disease. If you have pets, having your property sprayed in conjunction with using Frontline is the only way to control ticks on your property.

Q. Are you licensed?
A. Yes, we are licensed with the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Q. Are you insured?
A. Yes, we carry the recommended amount of liability insurance.

Q. We’re having a garden and pool party and insects have been a real nuisance in the past – what should we do?
A. You should consider our ‘party spray’ service. Throughout the year many of our clients have parties or special events. This spray is designed to target annoying pests, such as mosquitos, gnats and no-see-ums, etc. The spray is applied before your gathering to reduce the amount of these troublesome pests.

Q. How effective is your mosquito control treatment?
A. We have tested just about every product available to control mosquitos. The only product we have found that works for repelling mosquitos is garlic oil! When sprayed on your property, the garlic scent disappears in 15-30 minutes and so do the mosquitos. It is not the garlic scent that keeps the mosquitos away, but the 33 sulfur compounds in garlic that become systemic in your yard’s vegetation. This application last anything from a few days to a month depending upon the weather and your location’s proximity to mosquito breeding grounds.



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