Scientists have begun a five-year research project called the Tick Project, aimed at discovering the most effective form of tick control in a residential neighborhood area.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, in partnership with Bard College, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others, began in 2016 to identify potential neighborhoods for the study in Dutchess County, New York. They chose neighborhoods based on their likelihood to contain ticks with Lyme disease, and treatment began in April 2017. The tests will continue until 2020, while the researchers study the effects of their treatment methods.

Two methods are being implemented in the study. The first is the Tick Control System, which is a box that attracts rodents and then applies a dose of fipronil, the ingredient used is tick treatment for household pets. The other method is a spraying of the Metharhizium anisopliae fungus onto vegetation in the area, which will kill ticks that try to feed on those plants.

The researchers hope that through the study they will develop a multi-pronged process to eliminate the possibility of tick-borne diseases in neighborhoods and other places people congregate.

Source: http://www.pctonline.com/article/tick-project-lyme-disease/