Tick Bite Prevention & More
Tick Bite Prevention on Long Island
Learn how to take personal and collective action to help stop tick bites.
When ticks impact human health extensively throughout LI communities it's flagged by Quality Parks as a park need.
When ticks impact human health extensively throughout LI communities it's flagged by Quality Parks as a park need.
Though not all ticks carry disease, ticks are so prevalent on Long Island, having expanded their territories outside of park boundaries into our backyards and school playgrounds. Subsequently, many more people are contracting tick borne diseases ( Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Lyme, etc.) as well as Alpha-gal (an allergic reaction to red meat and dairy products that can be severe enough to cause anaphylactic shock). Pictured below are summaries from the CDC that indicates Suffolk County is at higher risk from Alpha-gal, two tick distribution maps with additional identification and disease information, and the LI parks notably observed to have tick bite prevention needs.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7230a2.htm and https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html and the Conservation data we collect, compile, and summarize.
Taking Personal Action & FAQ's
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One tick bite is one bite too many. As Ken Kindler put it, "The Pine Barrens Would be Paradise if only There Weren't Ticks." Quality Parks sells tick spray and socks during in person at our native plants nursery in Port Jefferson and at other venues. We also provide additional tips. Learn more about alpha-gal syndrome from CDC.
Ticks don't drop from trees. They crawl on the ground and on grass tips, waiting for a warm blooded animal, like us, to walk through their areas. Pictured on the right, is what happens when you walk through a hatch out, and they swarm up your leg, This can also happen if you reach down for a golf ball, for example, and they will swarm up your arm just as easily. Though you can get bite anytime of year, tick are most active from April to October. What happens if you get bit, besides seeking medical attention, you can also refer to Information and Resources for Living in a World with Ticks.
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Swarming nymph ticks, after hatch out, late summer
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Taking Collective Action
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Though, we realize our Conservation data is partially complete, it begins to give you an idea about the kinds of actions are being taken, some you may be aware of some may be new to you (pictured on right). So far we've collected data on eighteen park resources taking some kind of tick bite related actions, organized into fourteen types of actions. Trending is education, personal protection, deer management, and research. Data is collected by volunteers and is supported by membership and donations. Learn more about how you can support conservation.
Noteworthy: Today, we found it more relevant to collect data on critical conservation needs rather than website performance. Also, we consider tick bites a health emergency: "Covid-19, Hurricanes, Mosquitoes, and Why Not Tick Bites?"
Our philosophy focuses on making sure every agency to nonprofit in the conservation and environmental sector (what we call park resources) is taking some actions. We ask volunteer community scientists to review parks and park resources to collect this data, and then we can compare what is being done by who, seeking collective actions on complex issues. |
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