It’s springtime on Long Island, which means the return of prescribed fire season. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation plans burns in four heavily wooded areas in Suffolk County alone. These burns are required by law and are not subject to Long Island’s seasonal burn ban. Prescribed fires are a critical part of forest management… one that can help prevent uncontrolled fires from occurring. Longtime residents may remember devastating wildfires that occurred in the East End’s Pine Barrens – scorching thousands of acres, injuring firefighters, spurring evacuations, and damaging h ..read more

Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy your yard this summer, free from worries about mosquitoes and the diseases they carry? And wouldn’t it be great not to have to deal with messy mosquito sprays and smelly repellents? Imagine telling your smart speaker to turn on mosquito protection before heading outdoors to sit by the pool, throw a ball to your dog, or watch your kids play in the yard. With a Thermacell LIV system, this could be your summer reality. How Does Thermacell LIV Work? East End Tick and Mosquito Control® is a proud supplier and installer of state-of-the-art Thermacell LIV smart mosquito r ..read more

With another Long Island winter in the rearview mirror, we can look forward to our days and nights staying above 40 degrees for the foreseeable future. While that’s great news for most of it, it’s also great news for ticks who remain active in temperature above freezing. It is important to keep that in mind and not wrongly assume that ticks are only a problem in very warm and hot weather. We all know that ticks carry dangerous and debilitating diseases, most famously Lyme disease. There are several other diseases that different kinds of ticks can carry as well. One of these other diseases is t ..read more

As warmer weather arrives, so do droning, biting mosquitoes. When temperatures exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit, these disease-bearing pests emerge and actively seek blood meals. Don’t let yourself (or your pet) become their next victim. Do Mosquito Repellents Actually Work? Mosquito repellents aren’t perfect, but they may aid in masking chemical cues that mosquitoes use to find a food source. Some repellents are more reliable than others, and you’ll want to select the type that reduces your risk of mosquito bites as much as possible. Are Mosquito Repellents 100% Effective? No mosquito repellent i ..read more

Ticks are a problem, but also a fact of life when living in Suffolk County. There are several tick varieties – including the American Dog Tick, the Lone Star Tick, and the Blacklegged Tick – that each present their own unique threats as they are associated with spreading different diseases. And unfortunately, there are precious few days over the course of the year where they are not a concern… as they remain active in temperatures above 40 degrees. That said, there are other environmental factors that help to determine how active ticks are at any given point. Temperature does play a role, as w ..read more

Bed bug bites and mosquito bites are both red and itchy… and neither are anything you want to encounter! You want to take appropriate action regarding first aid and bug elimination but – without seeing what bit you – you might wonder, “How can I tell the difference between a mosquito bite and a bed bug bite?” Does a Bed Bug Bite Look Like a Mosquito Bite? Many types of bug bites are more alike than they are different. Bed bug bites can resemble mosquito bites – but there are a few distinctions. There may be differences in bite patterns, locations, and symptoms that can provide clues about what ..read more

You may have seen the recent headlines – an American citizen contracted the tick-borne Powassan virus (while traveling to Canada) and passed away upon returning home. While shocking, it isn’t surprising. Tick-borne illnesses are spreading into new regions – including parts of the northern U.S. – where there already have been fatalities. Powassan is still relatively rare, but there are other tick-borne illnesses that can cause severe symptoms and even result in death. Whether you stay at home on Long Island or travel to another region, you should be aware of tick-related diseases in the area an ..read more

While mosquito-borne viruses are increasingly common, there is one that has been on the decline in recent years. The Zika virus is spread through the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito – which is also responsible for the transmission of dengue virus, yellow fever, and chikungunya. Even though there are no current outbreaks, the Zika virus has by no means disappeared. And some individuals should remain particularly vigilant, especially when traveling to regions where there are or have been active cases. Is the Zika Virus Still Around? While the Zika virus has not grabbed many headlines lately ..read more

When it comes to tick-borne illnesses, Lyme disease tends to garner the headlines with its long-term health consequences and high-profile sufferers. It’s easy to forget that there are other potentially debilitating infections transmitted by ticks. One of those diseases is Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial illness that can be transmitted to humans – as well as to domestic and wild animals. In recent years, it has become particularly problematic in dogs. How Do Humans Get Ehrlichiosis? Ehrlichiosis in humans is spread primarily by the lone star tick, which is prevalent on Long Island. Like ot ..read more

Diagnosing Lyme disease can be frustrating for medical professionals and patients alike. Testing is notoriously unreliable, and both false negative and false positive results abound. Meanwhile, some cases of Lyme disease have seemingly clear early signs while others may have no symptoms at all until much later. All of which make prompt diagnosis and treatment that much harder. With imperfect testing and symptoms similar to so many other illnesses, how likely is it that a Lyme test result will be accurate? How Accurate Is the Lyme Disease Test? Lyme disease antibody tests produce false negative ..read more