Don’t let ticks drive you out of your own backyard

Tick Control Program

Since social distancing at home over 2020, many of us have gained a newfound appreciation for the sanctity of our backyards. Some backyards have become our new “Zoom offices” and some are now our home-schools and school playgrounds. Fortunately we can help keep you as safe as possible from annoying pests such as ticks and mosquitoes.

Increase in Ticks Activity in Vermont

Many of you have called to report a significant increase in tick activity on your pets, your kids and yourselves. It is not your imagination. Tick activity has been increasing for several years, but in 2020, due to a milder than normal winter, we are having a tick population explosion never before seen. We expect that 2021 will be another miserable year since they gained a strong foothold last year.

Ticks Carry Dangerous Diseases

Ticks are dangerous, blood sucking, disease-carrying creatures that we don’t want in our yards or anywhere, for that matter! Now Carpenter & Costin has a new treatment to control ticks in your outdoors so you can return to safely enjoying your space throughout summer.

Guidance from the Vermont Department of Health

Fourteen different species of tick have been identified in Vermont. Get the full list of tick species. Of these 14 species, five are known to bite humans and can transmit diseases. However, over 99% of all tickborne diseases reported to the Vermont Department of Health are caused by only one tick: the blacklegged tick. The best way to prevent tickborne diseases is to prevent tick bites. In Vermont, tickborne illnesses are most often transmitted between early spring and late fall since ticks are most active during warm months.

• Ticks prefer wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
• Take extra precautions in May, June and July, and later in October and November when ticks come out for one last meal before winter. This is when most infections occur.
• If you do enter a tick area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush and leaf litter.
• Examine clothing, gear, and pets before going indoors.
• Put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes.
• Check your body and your child’s body after being outdoors. Use a mirror to look at all parts of your body (under arms, behind ears, around waist, between legs, etc.) and remove any ticks you find.
• Shower soon after being outdoors to wash off unattached ticks and more easily check for ticks.

— Organic Tick Control Options Available —

For those that prefer an organic treatment for tick and mosquito control, we now have it available for lawns and flower beds. With two options, you can decide which is the right treatment for your lawn and gardens. Call today for details. 802-775-5686

For more questions and answers about ticks and our Tick Control Program, click here. 

Existing customers: Sign up now for our tick control program and receive your first treatment FREE!