President of Shady Lea Woods comments on effectiveness of tick treatments.

Date: 4.14.2009

In the two years since the first coordinated tick treatments ... there has not been one family stating that they have found a tick on their children or pets.

Several years ago, we moved to Rhode Island to the Shady Lea Woods Cluster Development. Upon arrival, one of the first things we heard about was the large number of residents here who were finding ticks on their children, or fighting Lyme Disease which they or their children had become infected with. Our daughter, who also lives in this community, came down with the Lyme disease when we first arrived. She had been fighting this for over two years with antibiotics in heavy prolonged doses.

The Board of the Homeowners Association felt that it was necessary to do something and do it quickly. As Association President, I heard about the University of Rhode Island’s program on tick control and Lyme Disease, and I contacted Dr. Tom Mather to ask for help. We were soon planning a neighborhood tick control workshop with Dr. Mather, his outreach staff and The Bartlett Tree Experts. The workshop was very informative and as a result, we recruited almost all of the 37 families living in Shady Lea to take part in a backyard Tick Control Program. A couple of the families even keep bees and have not experienced a problem.

In the two years since the first coordinated tick treatments (perimeter sprays and tick tubes) there has not been one family stating that they have found a tick on their children or pets. The Board feels that this program provides a significant level of protection against tick bites; it clearly has prevented our neighborhood from contributing to the ever-increasing list of people contracting Lyme disease in our state. I have watched the applicators from Bartlett as they carefully follow the tick control recommendations originally made by the URI experts, and both groups have been very professional in their follow-up. Because of this, our community is continuing to work together to sustain a level of protection that has really made a difference.

Lee Jeans, President
Shady Lea Woods
North Kingstown, RI

Current Tick Activity in the Northeast United States

September update: Lone Star Tick Larva, also known as Seed Ticks, are beginning to emerge this month. Deer Tick Larvae are feeding on rodents. Rodents carry disease causing pathogens. By the beginning of September, there will be billions of these Deer Tick Larvae getting ready to molt into Nymphs! Watch a short video about this process on YouTube.

Current Tick Activity