East End Tick Control - Tick & Mosquito Pest Control
Serving Southold, The Hamptons, and Montauk
Do you ever feel like you’re a tick magnet? Do you seem to attract ticks every time you cut the grass or take a walk in the woods? Or, perhaps, you’re one of the lucky ones who rarely finds a tick on your clothes or skin.
Why does it seem like ticks gravitate towards some people but not others? Do ticks have preferences? Actually yes, they do! There is scientific evidence that ticks prefer certain blood types (and certain species) over others.
When you find a tick on your skin or clothes… you may mentally retrace your steps, trying to figure out where you picked it up. You didn’t brush against tall grass or touch any plants, so how did it get there? Perhaps it jumped on you from a distance?
How far can ticks jump, anyway? Before anyone considers recruiting ticks for the Nets or the Knicks, let’s burst that bubble: ticks can’t jump. So how do these disease-carrying parasites find their way onto unwitting hosts?
Ticks are a problem from sea to shining sea. Even remote states like Alaska and Hawaii are home to one or more tick species. Unfortunately, New York state – including Long Island and, specifically, Suffolk County – is rife with ticks that transmit dangerous illnesses. The spread of tick diseases like Lyme disease, heartland virus, and alpha-gal syndrome is something all East End residents should understand and take precautions to avoid.
Although we’re coming toward the tail end of summer, we are still in the midst of mosquito season. In New York, mosquito season lasts from approximately April through October. Mosquitos are not only a nuisance that can cause days of itchiness and discomfort with their bites… they can also spread diseases.
The threat of West Nile virus – the most commonly known and spread mosquito-borne illness – got a lot of coverage in the news years ago and still remains in the public consciousness. However, there are a number of other mosquito-borne illnesses such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
So, what exactly is Eastern Equine Encephalitis? It’s a mosquito-transmitted, rare infection that can cause brain inflammation (a.k.a. encephalitis). While a rare infection, it can be fatal.
Mosquitoes aren’t just an irritating summertime nuisance. They are a community health threat that can carry potentially fatal diseases to humans, domestic animals, and livestock. Mosquito-borne illnesses found in the United States include West Nile virus, zika virus, dengue fever, malaria, eastern equine encephalitis, and heartworm… all of which can have devastating health consequences.
Protecting your health, the health of your family and pets, and the health of your community is why mosquito control is vitally important.
The dangers of tick-borne illnesses are well known. We’ve recently posted about Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis… all of which are becoming increasingly common on Long Island. In addition to these tick-vectored diseases, there’s another more immediate danger of a tick bite: the possibility that you may have a tick allergy.
If you work outside in the summer, you’re well aware of the hazards: excessive heat, sun exposure, and pop-up storms. You may be ready for the threats posed by summer weather… but are you prepared for the problems caused by summer insects like ticks and mosquitoes?
Outdoor workers are especially at risk because of your long exposure time and pests’ attraction to the carbon monoxide you emit as you work and sweat. Both ticks and mosquitoes are vectors for diseases that can cause severe illness – from Lyme disease to West Nile virus – so it’s important to protect yourself from these pest-borne threats.
Getting rid of mosquitoes isn’t a “one and done” proposition. They need to be treated throughout the warmer months to keep your home and property mosquito-free. Understanding the mosquito lifecycle helps us explain why these annoying (and occasionally dangerous) pests can be a challenge to eradicate.
Mosquitoes go through distinct developmental phases, and different stages require different treatments. Juvenile mosquitoes must be eliminated in the water, while adult mosquitoes need to be treated in the air or on the ground as well.
Black-legged ticks (ixodes scapularis), also known as deer ticks, are responsible for most of the tick borne illnesses on Long Island. They’re best known as the primary vector for Lyme disease but they also cause babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, bourbon virus disease, Powassan disease, borrelia diseases, and an emerging public health threat called anaplasmosis.
Anaplasmosis is a bacterial infection that attacks the white blood cells, causing flu-like symptoms that can escalate into severe health complications or result in death. Also referred to as human granulocytic anaplasmosis, the disease was first identified in 1994. The number of cases rises each year and New York State is second only to Minnesota in the number of reported anaplasmosis cases.
The disease is now second only to Lyme disease in the percentage of state-tracked tick-borne disease cases it represents.
When it comes to tick-borne threats, Lyme disease grabs most of the headlines. With up to 30,000 reported cases annually (and some high-profile sufferers), its symptoms and potential consequences are well known.
But Lyme disease is only one of a handful of tick-borne diseases found on Long Island. These include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Powassan virus, and a growing threat called Babesiosis.
