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East End Tick Control®

Exploring the Anatomy of Mosquitoes

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mosquito anatomyIn “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy… you need not fear the result of a thousand battles.” The general probably wasn’t thinking of mosquitoes when he wrote his influential treatise on military strategy. However, the wisdom still applies: By understanding how mosquitoes function, we are better equipped to fight them.

What Is The Anatomy Of A Mosquito?

A mosquito’s body has three parts – the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Each segment contains organs that make the species efficient, effective hunters. Some of these organs are found only in female mosquitoes because they carry the burden of laying eggs and hunting.

The Head

Do mosquitoes have brains? Yes, they do! The mosquito’s head contains its sensory organs, including the brain and eyes. It’s also home to the proboscis, the mosquito’s “Swiss army knife” multi-function mouthpart.

Although a mosquito’s brain lacks complexity and is proportionally very small, it’s more than adequate to fulfill its functions: sight, movement, taste, and detecting scent and temperature.

One of the more fascinating processes in the female mosquito’s brain is how it integrates olfactory and visual cues to create a behavioral response. When a female mosquito picks up certain scents, her brain triggers the visual system to seek out shapes that are likely to be potential prey. After identifying a likely blood meal, her brain directs her to track and hone in on it.

Mosquitoes have two compound eyes with photosensitive cells that detect variations in light. Their eyes are covered with “ommatidia,” tiny lenses that function as dozens of individual eyes-within-an-eye.

Arguably the most exciting and complex part of a mosquito is the proboscis, the long, needle-like “straw” through which a female extracts blood while biting a person. The proboscis comprises six individual needles, each of which has a function, whether it is to cut into the prey’s skin or hold tissues apart. At the same time, the mosquito feeds to locate blood vessels underneath the skin, inject saliva and blood-flow enhancing chemicals, or siphon the blood. Unfortunately, it is also the part of the mosquito through which diseases like malaria, Zika virus, West Nile virus, and others are transmitted.

The Thorax

A mosquito’s thorax is where its legs and wings are located. Mosquitoes have six legs, each with tiny claws used for gripping surfaces. Mosquitoes’ wings are large, considering the size of their body. They fly to hunt for food and mates, but strangely, despite the power in their wings, they rarely travel more than a few hundred feet from where they were hatched.

The Abdomen

The mosquito’s long, narrow abdomen is where it takes in air and digests fluids. This section has small openings on either side called “spiracles,” which allow the mosquito to draw in air. It is also where the female mosquito holds blood drawn from her prey. The abdomen usually contains a small amount of water, which is squeezed out as blood comes in. If you watch a mosquito as she feeds, her belly will go from nearly clear to red as it fills with her prey’s blood. The abdomen is also home to a mosquito’s reproductive system.

How Many Hearts Does A Mosquito Have?

Contrary to widespread misinformation, a mosquito has a single heart, but it doesn’t function like a human heart. Like other insects, mosquito hearts have two sections – an abdominal heart and a thoracic aorta. The heart pumps a substance called hemolymph, a compound that functions like our blood. A mosquito’s organs rest in this liquid, and the heart pumps it around the mosquito’s body. The mosquito’s heart reverses direction periodically, sometimes pumping hemolymph toward the front of its body and sometimes toward the rear.

Do Mosquitoes Sleep?

Sometimes it feels like these aggravating predators never sleep, a partly true impression. Mosquitoes don’t sleep in the way that humans understand the process. Instead, they become “inactive,” resting during their off-peak hours when they’re not actively seeking a host on which to feed.

East End Tick Control® Can Eliminate Your Mosquito Problem

You don’t have to fight alone if you are combating mosquitoes at your Long Island home. We can eliminate them and ensure that they do not return. We are proud to note that all our options are family and pet safe. For those living near Southampton, please call (631) 287-9700. If you are closer to East Hampton, please call (631) 324-9700. If you reside near Southold, please call (631) 765-9700. You can always email us as well.

How Are Ticks Related to Spiders?

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ticks vs spidersWhen it comes to bugs, not all creepy-crawly critters are created equally. Some bugs are insects, and some are not. Insects are small, six-legged animals, often with wings. Ticks may be small, and some may have six legs when they’re young, but ticks aren’t insects. They’re arachnids and share more characteristics with spiders than ants, flies, beetles, and other insects.

Are Ticks Related To Spiders?

Ticks are more closely related to spiders than they are to insects. Like spiders, they are a part of the arachnid family, along with mites and scorpions. Both spiders and adult ticks have eight legs and lack antennae and wings. Can ticks spin webs? Unlike their spider cousins, ticks are opportunistic predators, waiting for their prey to wander close enough to latch onto.

What Is The Difference Between A Tick And A Spider?

Both spiders and ticks are arachnids, but ticks aren’t spiders; rather. Ticks are a mite species, and mites are tiny, primarily parasitic pests that often cause itchy bites that can transmit various diseases.

Spiders and ticks are built differently. Both are arthropods– invertebrates with external skeletons and jointed legs, but spiders have segmented bodies while ticks do not, and Spiders have a separate cephalothorax and abdomen. Ticks have small, flat, unsegmented bodies that enable them to attach easily to a host.

These arachnid cousins have very different diets as well. Most spiders consume insects, but some will eat nectar, pollen, seeds, leaves, web silk, or dead arthropods. Some even eat their exoskeleton after shedding it! Larger spider species may consume small lizards, birds, bats, or fish. Humans, pets, and livestock are only part of the spider diet in monster movies, and they do not seek out humans as dietary staples.

On the other hand, ticks feed on the blood of mammals – people, pets, wild animals – and livestock, as well as on birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They are parasites that latch onto their host with their mouthparts, feasting on a blood meal.

Tick Bites vs. Spider Bites

Unlike ticks, spiders rarely transmit infectious diseases, and their bites are usually harmless. The exceptions are black widow and brown recluse spider bites that transmit toxic venom, causing pain, flu-like symptoms, skin lesions, and neurotoxicity.

Ticks, on the other hand, are a vector of multiple diseases. It’s estimated that more than half the ticks on Long Island carry Lyme disease. This bacterial disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of the black-legged tick, causing flu-like symptoms and a distinctive bullseye rash. East End residents are at risk of tick-borne diseases, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, so closely monitor the results of any tick encounters.

Call East End Tick Control® For Peace Of Mind

East End Tick Control® is Eastern Suffolk County’s most-experienced tick control company, providing the East End with effective tick extermination treatments since 1997. Protect your family from disease-carrying ticks year-round by requesting a free estimate now or by calling our Southampton office at (631) 287-9700, our East Hampton office at (631) 324-9700, or our Southold office at (631) 765-9700.

The Importance of Tick Identification

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ticks of long islandThe dangers of tick bites are well known to East End residents. If a tick bites you, you’re wise to be concerned about contracting a tick-borne illness. But does it matter what kind of tick has bitten you? A tick is a tick, and they’re all bad, right? Actually, no. While most ticks carry pathogens, different types of ticks cause various illnesses, and some are far more dangerous to humans than others. It’s important to know what kind of tick has bitten you so you can understand what health consequences you may experience and what symptoms to look for.
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Can Perfume Repel Mosquitoes?

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perfume as mosquito repellentDo mosquitoes frequently bite you? Does it seem like mosquitoes go after you more when you wear perfume? Or other types of fragrance, like scented lotion? Do you imagine it, or does your perfume attract them? Let’s take a look so you can be appropriately prepared for spring and summer outdoor events.
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Five Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe This Tick Season

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ticks and kid safetyFew insects inspire fear like ticks. Partially because they look a bit like tiny spiders, but even more because we know they latch on to us, suck our blood, and potentially leave behind a host of different tick-borne diseases; just the thought of a tick can make your skin crawl.

For most people, the obvious answer is to avoid them. But when you are a parent, especially a parent with children who enjoy playing outdoors, there is an ever-present threat of one of the little monsters attacking your little monster.

So how do you keep your kids safe from ticks? As with most insect bite prevention, the key is planning.

  1. First, when your children go outside, know where they will be and evaluate the risk. While your backyard might not seem like a haven for ticks, you might be mistaken. The first step in keeping kids safe is ensuring your yard is not hospitable to ticks.

    The Centers for Disease Control suggests frequently mowing, keeping leaves raked and wood neatly stacked in a sunny, dry place. They also say to keep swings, monkey bars, and other play equipment in bright areas, not under a shade tree. Remember that play equipment in the sun can get hot and cause burns.

  2. The next step in preventing ticks on your child is to clothe them appropriately. It’s time to forgo favorite colors that are dark and allow bugs to hide. Instead, opt for light-colored clothing and closed-toe shoes. Wearing a hat is always a good idea when under trees and staying out of high weeds.
  3. The third step to keeping your children safe during tick season is learning to perform a good tick check and safely remove a tick found on your child.

    Every time your child comes in from the outdoors, it’s a good idea to do a quick visual inspection to look for ticks.

    Not sure how to check for ticks on a child? This YouTube tutorial can help. The key is to inspect their hairline and all the crevices an insect might be able to hide in. Often ticks are found on the scalp or in the armpits, but the mother in the video found a tick in her son’s belly button.

    One way to help prevent a tick from latching onto your child is to have them take a bath or shower as soon as they enter. This also helps get rid of any allergens they pick up while outside.

  4. What to do ff I find a tick on my child? That’s where the fourth step comes in: don’t panic.

    Yes, ticks in New York can carry disease, but getting rid of the tick as quickly as possible is essential. Remove the tick from your child, and then worry about the consequences.

    Grab a pair of tweezers and a plastic bag. Grasp the tick as close to the head as possible and pull it directly away from the skin. Put the tick in the plastic bag, rinse the wound with soap and water or an antiseptic and then call your pediatrician’s office for advice. Some doctors may want to see the tick to determine the chances of it making your child sick and recommend any follow-up treatment.

  5. The fifth step in preventing ticks on your children this summer should be your first step. Call East End Tick Control and talk to us about tick prevention treatment for your property. You’ll still want to be careful and use insect repellent, but you’ll sleep a lot easier if you know you’ve done all you can to keep ticks out of your yard and off your kids.

Prevent Ticks by Calling East End Tick Control

Although Lyme disease is highly treatable, prevention is the best cure. Professional tick mitigation is one of the most effective ways to avoid these pests on your property. Since 1997, East End Tick and Mosquito Control® have been Suffolk County’s most trusted tick control company. For 25 years, we use the most effective extermination methods to protect yourself and your family. Request a free estimate now or call our Southampton office at (631) 287-9700, our East Hampton office at (631) 324-9700, or our Southold office at (631) 765-9700.

Are Mosquito Control Services Safe and Effective?

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mosquito controlNot many decades ago, it was commonplace for children to chase the mosquito control truck, running in the street and frolicking in its spray. Those days are long gone, and even though mosquito control products have become safer over the years, we’re all more careful about what we may be breathing in or letting touch our skin.

Mosquito spraying and residential mosquito treatments are critically important for protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities from mosquito-borne diseases like Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Zika virus, and West Nile virus. But how safe are the products we use? And how effective are they?

Is Mosquito Spraying Safe For Humans?

Community spraying and home treatments for mosquitoes are regulated by the EPA and deemed safe for humans. Commonly used products have a low toxicity level, and some pest control companies, like East End Tick Control®, go out of their way to ensure the safety of your family, your pets, and the environment.

Still, it is advisable to stay indoors when spraying takes place and to avoid inhaling or having direct contact with any outdoor mosquito treatment. Inhaling large quantities of mosquito products can lead to skin, eye, and throat irritation, nausea, headache, dizziness, and vomiting. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory issues should avoid direct exposure. Fortunately, the ingredients in these products break down in the body, and these rare symptoms typically resolve quickly with no lasting buildup.

After spraying or yard treatment, remain indoors or avoid the area for about 30 minutes; the spray will have settled by that time. As with any pest control treatment, these precautions also apply to your pets. Bring them inside during spraying, and keep them away from sprayed areas for at least a half-hour.

How Effective Is Mosquito Spraying?

Spraying is an essential component of mosquito abatement. To understand the effectiveness of spraying and other treatments, it’s critical to know what they do and don’t accomplish.

Both community spraying and home treatments kill the mosquitoes they touch. These treatments then settle and leave a residue that repels other mosquitoes that would otherwise populate the area. Spray-based treatments are most effective at killing mosquitoes at dawn and dusk when they are most active.

A treatment will temporarily reduce the number of mosquitoes in the area, but it is not a permanent solution. The battle against mosquitoes is an ongoing one, and treatments need to be reapplied on a regular schedule throughout the mosquito season. Some other things you can do to provide a less hospitable environment for mosquitoes are:

  • Clear any standing water from your property,
  • Keep your yard free of debris that might attract mosquitoes,
  • Add mosquito-repelling plants to your landscape,
  • Avoid letting mosquito-harboring thatch build up on your lawn,
  • Use yellow outdoor LED lighting instead of white light.

How Long Does It Take For Mosquito Treatments To Work?

Both public spraying and home treatments work quickly. Mosquitos should decrease dramatically within 24 hours. Adulticide treatments kill flying mosquitoes immediately and will repel other mosquitoes for at least several weeks. Larvicide treatments kill larvae that hatch from eggs. Larvicides work within 24-48 hours and can last several months or more, depending upon the product and method of application.

East End Tick Control® Eliminates Mosquitoes

Residential treatments are an integral component of overall mosquito abatement. By keeping your yard mosquito-free, you can help prevent the spread of diseases like EEE, Zika virus, and West Nile virus. At East End Tick and Mosquito Control®, we are proud to say that all of our options are family and pet safe. For those residents living near Southampton, please call (631) 287-9700. If you live closer to East Hampton, please call (631) 324-9700. If you reside near Southold, please call (631) 765-9700. You can always email us as well. We look forward to hearing from you.

When Is the Best Time To Begin Mosquito Control Services?

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best time for mosquito controlIt seems to happen overnight. The days get longer, temperatures rise, flowers burst into bloom, and then you hear the whining drone of a mosquito moments before you become its latest meal. You may not be expecting or prepared for them, but mosquitoes are predictable pests, always returning when conditions are ripe for their arrival.

What Time Of Year Should You Start Mosquito Spraying?

To know when mosquitoes will return (and when to spray for them), it’s essential to understand their life cycle and how they respond to temperatures and the changing seasons.

Mosquitos don’t fare well in cool or cold weather. They function most efficiently when temperatures are between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, become lethargic at 60 degrees F, and cannot function at temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In New York, mosquito season lasts from April through October, but climate change will likely extend the season even longer in the coming years.

There are two main species of mosquitoes in this region, and both become problematic around the same time. The common house mosquito, culex pipiens, emerges from hibernation when temperatures consistently reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The Asian tiger mosquito, aedes albopictus, often doesn’t survive winter temperatures. Still, the eggs they lay in late fall hatch at roughly the same point on the thermometer when their culex cousins emerge.

The best time of year to start spraying for mosquitoes is right before the season begins. It is more efficient to attack emerging and larval mosquitoes than trying to get rid of fully developed, fully functioning adult mosquitoes. If you miss this window, the fight will be a bit more complicated, but homeowners cannot ignore the battle.

When Is The Best Time Of Day To Spray For Mosquitoes?

The best time to spray for mosquitoes is when they are most active. Spraying is most effective when they feed, at dusk and dawn. This isn’t always practical, though, especially if you engage the services of a professional mosquito control company. They will visit your property during daytime hours, considering the differential between the time of treatment and peak mosquito activity.

Should I Mow Before A Mosquito Spraying?

Mow your grass a day or two before having your yard sprayed. This will discourage crucial pollinators like bees and butterflies from being in your yard and protect them from anti-mosquito treatments. Shorter grass provides less cover for mosquitoes and other unwanted pests, so it’s sensible to keep it trimmed regularly anyway.

Should I Wait Until After It Rains To Spray For Mosquitoes?

Mosquito sprays and foggers target flying insects, so rain does not necessarily affect spray treatments. Other mosquito treatments are usually oil-based and water-insoluble, so they will not wash away in the rain. It is wise to give these some time to bond to surfaces and foliage before exposing them to rain, lawn sprinklers, or other water sources. Your mosquito control professional will provide detailed instructions on how long you should wait before allowing a specific treatment to get wet.

We Are Your Mosquito Control Expert

One of the best things you can do to defend your family, pets, and property from this pest is getting a mosquito yard spray treatment from East End Tick and Mosquito Control®. If you wish to schedule a preventative yard spray, give our experts a call today. We have been Eastern Suffolk’s most trusted name in tick and mosquito control for 25 years. If you live near Southampton, please call (631) 287-9700. If you are closer to East Hampton, please call (631) 324-9700. And if you reside near Southold, please call (631) 765-9700. You can always email us as well. We look forward to hearing from you!

A Brief History of Lyme Disease

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history of lyme diseaseSometimes, we believe that just because we weren’t aware of something previously, it must be new. Many people feel that way about Lyme disease.

They believe that because the tick-borne disease has been well-publicized in the last few decades, that must be when it started. Unfortunately, that’s not true.

Unlike the SARS virus and various flu viruses that mutate and expand their ability to infect people, Lyme disease is not caused by a virus but a bacterium that hasn’t changed much in the last 60,000 years.
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