LymeShield Tick Prevention and Mosquito Control

Westchester County’s Tick and Mosquito Problem

Westchester County occupies a position at the epicenter of the nation’s Lyme disease crisis. New York State consistently reports among the highest Lyme disease case counts in the United States, and Westchester County ranks among the top five counties in the state for confirmed cases. The New York State Department of Health data indicates that Westchester’s Lyme disease incidence rate significantly exceeds both state and national averages.

The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), commonly called the deer tick, is the vector responsible for transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi - the spirochete bacterium that causes Lyme disease - to humans. But the tick is only one element in a complex ecological cycle. Understanding that cycle is essential to effective pest control prevention, and it is the foundation of our LymeShield program.

The Lyme Disease Transmission Cycle

Lyme disease transmission involves a two-year tick life cycle with three feeding stages and multiple host species.

Year One: Larvae and Mice

In late summer, tick larvae - about the size of a period at the end of a sentence - hatch from eggs and seek their first blood meal. The vast majority feed on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), the most abundant small mammal in Westchester’s woodlands and suburban edges. If the mouse carries B. burgdorferi (and studies show that 40-90% of white-footed mice in endemic areas are infected), the larva acquires the pathogen during feeding.

Year Two: Nymphs and Humans

The infected larva overwinters and molts into a nymph the following spring. Nymphal ticks are active from May through July and are responsible for approximately 90% of all human Lyme disease transmission. At roughly the size of a poppy seed, nymphs are extremely difficult to detect on the skin, and they feed for 3-5 days before detaching - providing ample time for pathogen transfer if the tick remains undiscovered.

Breaking the Cycle at the Source

This is where LymeShield’s approach differs fundamentally from conventional tick spraying. Broadcast yard sprays can kill adult ticks on treated surfaces, but they do not address the mice that serve as the infection reservoir. LymeShield tick tubes target the mouse-larval tick interaction directly, eliminating ticks on their primary host before they can molt into the disease-transmitting nymphal stage. Pairing this with our general pest control program provides comprehensive year-round protection.

How LymeShield Tick Tubes Work

LymeShield tick tubes are cardboard tubes filled with permethrin-treated cotton balls. They are placed in locations where white-footed mice are most active - along stone walls, at the base of trees, in brush piles, and at the interface between maintained lawn and wooded or shrubby areas.

Mice are nest builders and will readily collect available cotton for bedding material. When they carry treated cotton back to their nests, the permethrin makes contact with all tick larvae and nymphs currently attached to the mouse and its nestmates. Permethrin is lethal to ticks at very low concentrations but poses no significant risk to the mice themselves.

The result: a dramatic reduction in the number of infected nymphal ticks present in your yard the following spring. Research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology has demonstrated that consistent tick tube deployment can reduce nymphal tick populations by 80-97% in treated areas over successive seasons.

Mosquito Management for Westchester Yards

While Lyme disease drives tick control urgency, mosquitoes present their own health concerns in Westchester County. West Nile virus is established in our region, and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) has been detected in neighboring counties. Beyond disease risk, mosquito populations in Westchester’s humid summer climate can make outdoor living spaces unusable during peak evening hours.

Barrier Treatment Approach

Our mosquito management program uses targeted barrier treatments applied to the specific locations where adult mosquitoes rest during daylight hours. Rather than broadcast fogging that disperses insecticide across your entire property, we focus on:

• Shrub beds and dense ground cover where mosquitoes harbor in shaded, humid microclimates
• Structural overhangs and eaves where mosquitoes rest during afternoon heat
• Under-deck areas and porch ceilings that provide protected resting sites
• Tree canopy edges where property borders woodland or dense vegetation

This targeted approach uses significantly less product than broadcast methods while achieving superior control in the areas where mosquitoes actually live.

Source Reduction and Larvicide

No spray program can overcome persistent breeding sites. As part of every mosquito service visit, our technicians identify and address standing water sources - clogged gutters, tree holes, low spots in landscape beds, unused containers, and drainage issues. Structural entry points identified during these visits can be addressed through our Home Shield Exclusion service. Where water cannot be eliminated (ornamental ponds, catch basins, rain barrels), we apply BTI larvicide - a biological mosquito larvicide derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis that is toxic to mosquito larvae but harmless to fish, birds, mammals, and beneficial insects.

Organic Mosquito Options

For homeowners committed to organic land management or those with specific sensitivity concerns, we offer a botanical mosquito program using cedar oil and garlic-based formulations. These products repel and reduce mosquito populations without synthetic chemicals. While organic treatments may require more frequent application (every 14-18 days versus 21 days for conventional products), they provide meaningful reduction in mosquito activity while maintaining full compatibility with organic gardening, pollinator conservation, and chemical-free outdoor living.

Seasonal Treatment Calendar

Effective tick and mosquito management in Westchester requires treatment timing aligned with pest biology and local climate patterns.

Protecting Your Family and Your Yard

Tick-borne diseases are not merely an inconvenience - untreated Lyme disease can progress to chronic joint inflammation, neurological complications, and cardiac involvement. Early and consistent prevention is far more effective than treating established infection.

Contact Pristine Pest today to schedule your LymeShield property assessment. We will evaluate your yard’s specific risk factors and design a tick and mosquito management program that lets your family enjoy outdoor living in Westchester without the constant worry of tick bites and mosquito harassment.