Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/92498
Deer Hunting in Weston Researcher Sam Telford says managing the deer population is not a magic bullet to control Lyme disease but it is the only practical long-term solution. We also need to: n REDUCE DEER DENSITY to eight to twelve per square mile to reduce the risk of Lyme disease by 80 percent (80 percent fewer ticks). n USE REPELLENT, wear appropriate clothing, and check for ticks every day. n CLEAR THICK VEGETATION and leaf litter around homes, schools, and playgrounds. n SPRAY YARDS to kill adult and nymph ticks in early October and mid-May. n PUT PERIMETER BARRIERS (mulch, stone) around yards. n WHERE WHITE-FOOTED mice are common, every mid-April and mid-July put out "tick tubes/Damminix" (cotton with insecticide), which kills ticks on mice in their nests. n BE AWARE OF TICKS and how to prevent bites. See www.tickencounter.org When nymphs become adults, they look for deer for their third and final blood meal because, typically, small hosts cannot provide enough blood. Here's where the deer are pivotal. Without a full meal, adult female ticks cannot lay eggs. For each adult female that does not lay eggs, 200 tick larvae will not be hatched the following year. Michele Grzenda, Weston's Conservation Administrator, spends a lot of time in the Massachusetts woods. "Lincoln and Weston are the worst when it comes to ticks," she says. "I've come out of areas here with 40 ticks on my pants." Deer are herbivores, plant eaters, who often go after young growth, she notes. "When I walked in Weston conservation land with a state wildlife specialist, we saw no oak or maples under seven feet tall. If it continues unchecked, it will change the nature of our conservation areas and forests. If there's a major storm or fire, there wouldn't be anything to regenerate the forest." 110 HOWA RD SANDLER / DREAMSTIME .COM WellesleyWeston Magazine | winter 2012/2013