Just mention “Deer Ticks” and you will get a variety of responses, the most common being almost everyone knows someone who has Lyme disease or has battled Lyme disease in the past.
Minnesota has had its share of tragedy regarding this disease and the small, seemingly insignificant insect that connects us to the problem. The “Deer Tick” or more correctly, the “Black Legged Tick” is common in north central Minnesota and is rapidly gaining a foothold in northeastern Minnesota. Milder winters seem to have opened up the door to these little arthropods and they are now a threat to us in Cook County.
As a local pest management tech, I get requests for tick control all the time but have not done treatments in the past because it requires a wide broadcast application of the turf surrounding a home or cabin, killing every bug in the zone, which is destructive.
Beneficial insects, pollinators and ticks are all gone. This is not an acceptable approach in my mind and up to now our only suggestion was to put on some good bug repellant and pull your socks over your shoes. That has now changed in a positive way.
Starting in 2018, North Shore Superior Pest Management will be offering a different type of control. It works like this: We know that the Deer Tick will commonly take its first blood meals from Deer Mice. Using that to our advantage, we place a series of lockable rodent attractant stations out a short distance from your home or cabin, just into the high grass or wood line.
When a Deer Mouse enters, it comes into contact with a small amount of a material that will kill the ticks that feed on that mouse over the next month. The stations also contain treated lint and material that Deer Mice find attractive for lining their nests. They will ultimately take some of that with them to their nest.
Each of the Deer Mice then becomes a virtual vacuum cleaner for Deer Tick nymphs. As the mice scamper around they encounter immature ticks, which attach to the mice and are killed by the product. The nymphs are killed and never get the chance to bite humans. A huge benefit is that non-target animals are not impacted and we are not nuking the environment. It’s a win, win.
Green Pest Management is so vitally important in this environment. We feel this process adds to our inventory of tools that we can use to make our experience safer and at the same time not put a negative footprint on the forest or lakes. Be safe this summer and if this program sounds interesting, contact us at 218-370-2323.
NOTE: There will be a coupon in the upcoming “Home Improvement” section of the Herald that comes out in May. North Shore Superior Pest Management is a local pest control company dedicated to Green Solutions for our sensitive environment.
Leave a Reply