CAES Seeking Woodbridge Residents Be Involved in a Tick Management Study

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is seeking residents in the Town of Woodbridge to be involved in a 5-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded tick management study at no cost to them.  We are testing the effectiveness of an extremely low-dose treated bait for white-tailed deer and white-footed mice in killing ticks feeding on them (a similar strategy to treating your pets for fleas and ticks) and impacts to tick reduction and tick bite exposure in your yards.  As far as resident participation, we are seeking your permission to:

• Distribute treated bait on your properties;
• Remove ticks from your property to test treatment effectiveness and test for pathogens;
• Live trap and gather data from small rodents on your properties;
• Capture deer in fall/winter (if your property configuration permits);
• Conduct surveys on your exposure to ticks and tick-borne diseases.

We will keep cooperating residents informed (via email) about study progress and ticks found/removed from your properties.  There is no cost to being involved, you will just have to permit us access to your yards once a week/every other week from May-September, and maybe longer on deer-treated properties (residents need not be present when we visit unless you would like to).  Residents who have participated in our studies previously (Canaan, Guilford, North Branford, Redding, Salisbury, Westport, Weston) have very much enjoyed being a part of a large, science-based, federally-funded tick management study that will aid in reducing health risks to the public while receiving free tick treatment for many years in a row.  Landowners who have not previously treated their properties for ticks are eligible for participation.  For any further questions about the project or to get involved, please contact Dr. Scott Williams at Scott.Williams@ct.gov.