Putting Mice to Work In Watertown

Despite their name, deer ticks feed on—and infect—many wild critters, particularly mice. Deer do not carry Lyme, but they are tick farms that keep tick populations high. The native and ubiquitous white-footed mouse is considered the primary vector of Lyme. Each mouse can have between 25 and 100 ticks on it at any time. If you trap or poison mice in your house or yard, all those ticks are going to drop off in search of another host.

Hypothetically, giving mice new beds may be the most effective way to reduce tick populations around the home. When mice have access to permethrin-treated nesting materials, tick mortality within that family is very high. Hypothetically, if one were to treat cotton balls, dryer lint and fabric scraps with permethrin, one could then stuff said items into cardboard tubes (toilet paper, etc.). These could be left around the property where mice and other rodents would find and use the treated bedding, thus killing their ticks.

The catch is that this may be a violation of the state’s pesticide laws...

http://bit.ly/WatertownMice