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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Regional IPM Competitive Grants - Northeastern |
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Project Title:
IPM to Control Vector Ticks on Public Lands |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: NJ Lead Organization: Rutgers University |
| Extension Funding: $45,000 |
| Research Funding: $15,000 |
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Start Date: Jul-01-2007 End Date: Jun-30-2010 |
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Pests Involved: ticks |
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Site/Commodity: landscape, community |
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Area of Emphasis: public health |
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Summary:
This is a Joint Research-Extension project to address control of the medically important vector ticks Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged tick) and Amblyomma americanum (the lone star tick) at a high-use County-owned facility. After a detailed ecological assessment of tick populations and human risk, we will develop a flexible Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to the control of ticks that minimizes the use of area-wide chemical applications through the use of habitat management, host-targeted chemical applications, judicious use of acaricides in only high human risk areas, and education programs for facility employees. Efficacy of the approach will be assessed by monitoring abundance of questing ticks in treated and control areas, as well as the rate of human-tick encounters, over the three years of the study. We will also prepare training workshops and materials on the assessment and management of vector ticks for managers of public lands. Development of an IPM approach to tick control will include the creation of an Integrated Tick Management (ITM) Demonstration Project at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center (MCRC) in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. The proposed Demonstration Area will use multiple control techniques and will be able to accommodate the addition of new techniques for non-chemical or low-chemical tick control as they arise. Once the Demonstration Area is established it can be utilized as a training tool for the current technologies as well as a research area for inventing/integrating new techniques in the future. The proposed project addresses the Public Health Integrated Pest Management Priorities of the Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center's Public Health IPM Working Group, which include evaluation of novel IPM methodologies for vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, and the dissemination of IPM guidelines and educational programs for control of ticks and management of vector-borne diseases.
Objectives: The Research component of the proposed study will develop and test the efficacy of an integrated control strategy employing landscape management to reduce environmental suitability for ticks, host-targeted acaricides, and limited habitat-targeted acaricide applications against nymphs in the highest-risk areas to rapidly achieve and maintain reduced numbers of I. scapularis and A. americanum in a high-use landscapes. We will demonstrate reductions in the number of human-tick encounters among high-risk employees, a reduction in the amount of chemical acaricides used at the facility, and an overall reduction in cost of tick control. The Extension component of the study will initially involve annual training of facility employees on the recognition of tick habitats and preventive measures to avoid exposure to ticks. As the study progress, we will make this integrated approach to tick control available for use at larger scales through creation of an ITM Demonstration Area at the MCRC facility, by offering tick management workshops and training materials to public land managers and others through cooperator websites and other means, and the development of a plan for widespread dissemination of information generated by this study. Proposal USDA CRIS research data USDA CRIS extension data |
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Interim Report: Sep-04-2008 |
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Outcomes Ecological Site Assessment During the spring of 2007, Program staff conducted a comprehensive assessment of the MCRC facility in an effort to identify primary tick habitats, areas of high risk for human-tick encounters, and areas in which to deploy the 4-Poster topical Treatment devices for deer. After characterizing potential tick habitats, Program staff monitored populations of all post-embryonic stages of I. scapularis and A. americanum at 8 sampling sites located throughout the facility. A similar number of sites was established and monitored at nearby Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle to serve as untreated controls for the study. Each site was monitored 3 times during the peak activity periods of the respective tick stages and species. No ticks were collected from the landfill area sites (sites 7 and 8). The mean number of spring I. scapularis adults collected per 100-m transect ranged between 0.8 ± 0.2 and 4.0 ± 0.7 ticks/site, while the overall mean for the facility of 2.1 ± 0.3 ticks. The mean number of A. americanum adults ranged between 4.5 ± 1.6 and 17.0 ± 5.9 ticks/site, with an overall all facility mean of 9.2 ± 1.6 ticks. The overall means for I. scapularis and A. americanum at the NWS Earle control site were 2.9 ± 0.3 and 1.9 ± 0.3, respectively. The mean number of I. scapularis nymphs collected per site at the MCRC ranged between 0 and 19.0 ± 4.9, while the overall mean was 10.4 ± 1.8 nymphs/100-m transect. Mean A. americanum collections ranged between 9.3 ± 3.3 and 66.7 ± 29.3 nymphs/site and demonstrated a facility mean of 29.3 ± 6.8 nymphs/100-m transect. The NWS Earle means were 10.1 ± 1.1 and 20.8 ± 5.8 for I. scapularis and A. americanum nymphs, respectively. At the MCRC, site means for I. scapularis larvae ranged between 3.7 ± 2.3 and 234.0 ± 217.2 larvae/100-m transect. Site means for A. americanum ranged between 182.3 ± 116.6 and 4,026 ± 417.8 larvae. Overall means for I. scapularis and A. americanum at the MCRC were 71.1 ± 36.8 and 1,582 ± 326.2 larvae/100-m transect, respectively, while the NWS Earle means were 127.5 ± 42.6 and 179.3 ± 48.0 larvae/100-m transect, respectively. 4-Poster Deployment In late March 2007, eight 4-Posters were deployed throughout the facility and have been maintained (provisioned with bait corn and treated with acaricide) weekly thereafter. Current locations of 4-Posters are shown in Appendix 1. Acclimation by deer to the 4-Posters took only several weeks in some areas, but was much slower at other locations. Several 4-Posters were moved to new locations in an effort to improve use. Differences in corn consumption by location were thought to reflect the size of the local deer herd and/or availability of alternative food resources. Awareness Training On 31 May 2007, 15 MCRC employees with high occupational risk of encountering ticks received 4 hours of awareness training. An awareness questionnaire was administered before and after the workshop in order to assess the attendee's previous knowledge of ticks and tickborne diseases as well as the effectiveness of the training workshop in educating the attendees. The topics covered included: Tick Biology and Behavior, Tick-borne Diseases, Disease Prevention and Personal Protection, and Assessment and Management of Tick Populations. Pretest scores ranged from 25% to 75% while post-test scores ranged from 35% to 95%. The average Pre-test score was 52% with 75% of the attendees scoring a 60% or below, while the average post-test score was 75% with 80% of the attendees scoring a 70% or above. This is a 44% increase in the average score on the questionnaire following the training. |
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Impacts |
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