New Book on Tick Control Provides Strategies for Managing Ticks that Transmit Lyme Disease.

A new book on tick control has just been published. Written by a Ph.D. biologist, the book describes measures rural and suburban residents can take to substantially reduce populations of Lyme disease transmitting ticks. This book's release coincides with the upcoming peak of the tick season and the publication of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating an upsurge in Lyme disease cases.

Bemidji, MN (PRWEB) May 25, 2004 -- In many parts of the country, late May into July is the hot season" for Lyme disease. According to recently released data from the Centers for Disease control, Lyme disease cases reached a new high in the U.S in 2002 with over 23,000 cases (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5317a4.htm). Many of these Lyme disease victims are infected in their own yards, and the tick that transmits Lyme disease has been spreading in many parts of the country. Fortunately, the arsenal of tick-control measures has also expanded in recent years, and these tick-thwarting strategies are detailed in the new book "Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease on Your Property".

The tick control measures described in Ticks Off!" focus on two main themes; landscape alterations and host control. Landscape alterations comprise a range of measures to reduce moisture at the soil surface. Ticks absolutely need a resting place with high humidity in order to survive. Removing these moist environments can be an important step in putting a dent in tick populations.

The most important sources of a blood meal for Lyme disease-transmitting ticks are white-tailed deer, deer mice, white-footed mice, and chipmunks. Therefore, host control focuses on these animals. The goals of host control are to either reduce the numbers of animals in your local environment, or to reduce the number of ticks carried on these hosts. New methods of controlling ticks by treating the hosts with tick-killing chemicals are now available, and can significantly reduce tick populations in an environmentally sensitive way.    

As Lyme disease has become more common in many parts of the United States, more and more property owners are seriously exploring tick control measures. Ticks Off!" provides advice on integrated strategies for tick control using both landscape alterations and control of ticks on hosts.

More information on tick control and the book Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease on Your Property" is available at www.tickbook.com. For more information, contact the publisher at books@forstepress.com.

About the Author:

Patrick Guilfoile, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology at Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota. From his first backpacking trip in northern Wisconsin in the late 1970s, when he spent several sleepless nights removing ticks from his tent, sleeping bag, and person, he has maintained an interest in ticks. In recent years he has published several articles on the biology of blacklegged ticks in scientific journals including The Journal of Vector Ecology, The Journal of Medical Entomology, and Experimental and Applied Acarology.