Residex’s Blog

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month . . . . 

 Paint your town Lyme green.

• Hand out  Lyme green ribbons to your current customers (or prospects with door hangers) to remind of the impact of Lyme disease.  Additionally, inform them that you provide a tick management program. 
• Get your town’s permission to tie lyme green ribbons on phone poles (be sure to include your company information on a sign and the importance of controlling the tick population).
• Drop off LDA (Lyme disease awareness) brochures at convenient stores, gas stations, and schools to hand out –  add your company contact information.
• Tack up Lyme disease brochures to  local bulletin boards at grocery stores – attach your business card letting the public know that you offer tick management services.
• Wear Lyme green t-shirts – add your company logo and a message ‘Tick’s Carry Lyme’.

It is important that we are all informed and aware of the potential risks of Lyme disease.

Residex has developed a one page public awareness piece to help your customers answer questions like:

• What causes Lyme disease and how would I contract it?     
• How will I know if a tick bite transmitted Lyme disease?
• What happens if I get Lyme disease?
• What is the most effective preventative control method available today?

This piece is available electronically at no charge in an ‘easy to read’ pdf format.  It is a great piece to add to statement or invoice stuffers, tradeshow “good will” piece, or a leave behind for homeowners after a service call.

To get your copy contact your local Residex Solution Center

Visit us online at www.residex.com. 

Check out DeBug The Myths recent post to their blog on Lyme disease!

State health departments reported 29,959 confirmed cases and 8,509 probable cases of Lyme disease to CDC in 2009.

Controlling the tick population around a home or recreational area is critical to limiting exposure to Lyme disease.  The deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick and principle vector for Lyme disease, is found throughout the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and some areas of the Southwest. 

With the steady increase in reported cases and geographic spread of Lyme disease, it is necessary for homeowners, public health officials, and the pest control industry to learn how to manage or control the tick problem.

A successful approach for controlling deer ticks and reducing the risk of tick bites should employ an array of methods.  The following are available practical processes:

Insecticides are the most effective way to reduce tick population. One application done early in the season (May or Early June) can significantly reduce numbers of nymphal deer ticks and lower risk for contracting Lyme disease. This early application is important because it knocks down nymphal ticks when they reach their activity peak and should keep numbers down throughout the spring/summer high risk period.  Product recommendations for Tick Control: Talstar (Bifenthrin), Demand & Border (Lambda-Cyhalothrin), Suspend (Deltamethrin) & Onslaught (Esfenvalerate).  Compare product application rates, coverage, and cost to make the most economical product choice.

Note: it is only necessary to treat the tick habitat once.  Spray groundcover, areas where the lawn meets the woods, stonewalls, or ornamental plantings.  Spray several yards into bordering woodlands.  Always read the label.

Deer Exposure:  Research has shown that enclosing property with a deer fence can effectively reduce deer tick population inside the enclosure.  This method, however, is expensive and is not practical in many cases.  An alternative solution would be the application of Deer Scram Professional – a granular formula deer and rabbit barrier repellent.  By reducing the traffic of deer and rabbit onto   the property, the possibility of ticks traveling onto the property is also reduced since ticks do not move far on their own and rely on animals for transportation.   Contact your Residex Representative for more information on Deer Scram and getting started in a Deer Control Program. Don’t forget to ask about electronic downloads for deer control door hangers, invoice stuffers and more.

Educate homeowners about ways of avoiding tick bites. 

• Wearing light colored clothing can help easily identify a dark tick against a light background.

• Tucking pant legs into socks & tucking a shirt into  pants will keep ticks on the outside of the clothes, where they can be spotted and removed. 

• Inspect clothes for ticks often while in a tick habitat & check head and body thoroughly when returning from high risk areas.

• Use repellents, applied according to label instructions. Application to shoes, socks, cuffs and pant legs are most effective against ticks.

Habitat Adjustments:  The key is to make the landscape less hospitable to tick hosts. 

• Cut back vegetation and remove vegetative debris to reduce shade and moisture.

• Keep grass, weeds, and brush mowed short.

• Remove leaf litter and plant debris around buildings, edges of lawns, playgrounds, and other recreational areas.

• Avoid use of ground cover vegetation in frequently used areas.

• Reduce cover for mice. Prune trees and shrubs. Clean up storage areas.

• Use hardscapes (pavement, stones, etc), mulches, and water-conserving landscape techniques.

• Move swing sets and playground area out and away from the woodland edge.

It is important that we are all informed and aware of the potential risks of Lyme disease.  Residex has developed a one page public awareness piece to help your customer’s answer questions like:

• What causes Lyme disease and how would I contract it?

• How will I know if a tick bite transmitted Lyme disease?

• What happens if I get Lyme disease?

• What is the most effective preventative control method available today?

This piece is available electronically at no charge in an ‘easy to read’ pdf format.  It is a great piece to add to statement or invoice stuffers, tradeshow “good will” piece, or a leave behind for homeowners after a service call.

To get your copy contact your Residex Sales Representative or Solution Center today! 

Under Our Skin is featured on page 40 of the February 8, 2010 issue of People Magazine. (Cover image: Elizabeth Edwards.)

Repelling ticks involves wearing protective clothing, coating the skin with fragrant oils and throw tick-exposed clothing in the dryer on the highest temperature setting. Avoid getting bitten by ticks, as they can spread Lyme disease, with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Lyme Disease Research Database

LDRD members receive immediate access to all the free resources, plus additional, unique resources, including the Lyme expert interview audio series and the Lyme success stories interview audio series. Members also receive pro-active health and lifestyle resources to help beat Lyme.

 Lyme disease was in the news this week with coverage July 30 on Good Morning America of the film “Under Our Skin” and discussion about prevention, including the use of DEET products.  The film was also screened this week in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Lyme is increasing in tourist areas near the coast.  A July 30 Washington Post story reported Lyme disease cases have surged in Maryland and Virginia this year, causing growing concern in Loudon County, VA, where half of the state’s cases have been reported.

Minnesota’s state health department this week recorded its first death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a rare disease transmitted by the common wood tick.  Nationally, about 2,000 cases are reported each year.