Wildlife

Problem Wildlife in the House

Tips to Eliminate Wildlife Conflicts: Prevent and Control Wildlife Issues on Your Property

Bears

• Black Bear Facts (NYDEC)
• Reducing Human-Bear Conflicts
• Living with Bears (NYDEC)
• New York State Black Bear Response Manual (PDF)
  This is a very comprehensive 125-page NYS DEC manual describing an extensive number of situations that would involve a bear's interaction with wildlife, garbage, or people.

Birds, Mammals, & Reptiles (Vertebrate Pests of Homes, Structures, People & Pets)

• University of California Integrated Pest Management Program

Coyotes

• University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
  Identification and biology, recognizing problem coyote behavior, identifying coyote damage, habitat management in suburban areas, landscape plants having fruits or seeds often preferred by coyotes

Deer

• Wildlife Damage Management Fact Sheet White-Tailed Deer (Cornell Cooperative Extension) (PDF)

Insect Repellents & Pesticides

• Choosing and Using Insect Repellents (National Pesticide Information Center NPIC)
• Choosing an Insect Repellent for Your Child (HealthyChildren.org - American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Best Insect Repellent for Kids (Consumersearch.com)
  According to the EPA, the oil of lemon eucalyptus is "practically non-toxic" if swallowed or applied to the skin, but it's "very highly or highly toxic" to the eyes and can even cause temporary eye injury. This is probably one reason why the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved products with lemon eucalyptus oil for use in children under three years old.
• Preventing Tick Bites
  While this CDC site only recommends 20-30% DEET, see Consumer Reports 2016 articles which tested many other types of insecticides for comparable lengths of time effectiveness.
• Does 'Natural' Insect Repellent Work?
• Pest Identification Guides and Tools (National Pest Information Center)
• National Pesticide Information Center: 800-858-7378
• Insect Diagnostic Lab Factsheets Cornell University

Mammals

Mammals of NY State (PDF)

Ticks

• "Tickspotters, a Tick Survey"
  Webinar from May 2015 with Dr. Mather (Director of the U. of Rhode Island TickEncounter Resource Center) and other scientists with more scientifically oriented presentations totaling 1 hour. However, his 20-minute presentation, is very informative, and an excellent introduction to tick literacy: the importance of daily checking for ticks during their active months, what to do when you find a tick, and their easy and free tick identification program (to verify what type and stage of tick it is, how long it has fed, and relative risk of infection) Further communications about Ticks can be found at Facebook Tick Encounter Resource page.
• University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center
  This is an outstanding resource providing comprehensive information on tick testing (where and how to send for tests), tick identification (interactive tick charts for different parts of the U.S.), tick repellents for clothes, targeting tick habitats at home, and best practice tick removal. There are interactive (requiring Adobe Flash) as well as non-flash tick identification charts. The interactive listing is more comprehensive showing types of ticks present in a selected region of the U.S. as well as identifying stages of ticks with the potential to transmit diseases. 
  
  The Middle Atlantic Region (New York) shows types of ticks in their various stages. For easy reference to comparative sizes of unfed deer ticks, you can think of larval as a period dot, nymph as a poppy seed, and adult as a sesame seed.
  
  Larval, Nymph, Adult Male, Adult Female, Partially Fed, Fully Fed
  
  With the interactive tick identification charts, if you left-click a specific tick and stage, a magnified image appears as well as information on seasonal prevalence and whether this stage of the tick should be tested since it has the potential to transmit disease(s). Note: using left clicks on the deer tick stages will indicate that the larval and adult male do not transmit diseases.
  
  The tick growth comparison link may be used to estimate how long a tick has been attached (fed) by comparing changes in appearance. If a tick has been attached 24 hours or less it is less likely to have transmitted disease.

Tick Testing

• What to do when you find an attached tick: Use the recommended method for removing the tick, determine the type of tick, and estimate the stage of the tick then save the tick with the specification of the date and location of the tick bite in a small Ziploc bag. You may also use the free Tickspotters website for the identification of the type and stage of the tick. After submitting your tick picture along with the completed Tickspotter form the results and recommendation whether testing the tick for pathogens is necessary will be received after 1-3 business days. What is the risk of infection? Tests for relevant pathogens are done at the U. of Massachusetts Medical Zoology Laboratory with results in 3-5 business days.
• Tick Management Handbook (PDF)
  K. Stafford, Ph.D. (Court Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven) 76 page very informative and comprehensive guide about tick types and diseases, tick bite avoidance; for homeowners, pest control operators, and public health officials for the prevention of tick-associated disease.
• Be Tick Free: A Guide for Preventing Lyme Disease - NYS Department of Health

Mosquitoes

• Diseases Transmitted by Mosquitoes
• Mosquito-Borne Diseases
• Consumer Reports Insect Repellents Guide 2016
  This guide rates 16 insect repellents based on their effectiveness (length of time) in repelling two species of mosquitoes, the Aedes mosquitoes (the aggressive mosquitoes that tend to bite during the day and that can spread Zika) as well as against Culex mosquitoes (night-time biters that can spread West Nile) and deer ticks (which can transmit Lyme and other diseases). As reported in the April 2016 Consumer Report Magazine, ratings were based on test results of 16 insecticides of different types (containing DEET, picaridin, and organic or botanical oils) with varying concentrations and varying means of delivery (aerosol and pump spray). Their six recommended insecticides are listed here.
• Does 'Natural' Insect Repellent Work?
  Consumer Reports Magazine, July 2016 
  Only 1 of 6 "natural" plant-based repellents repel. Lemon Eucalyptus (87 rating) was effective for 7 hours while others were no longer than 1 hour. However, others containing 20% picaridin (a synthetic compound resembling a chemical in the black pepper plant) Sawyer Fisherman's formula Picardin spray pump (96 rating ), and Natrapel 8-hour aerosol (81 rating) were also highly rated.
• Wildlife Health: What to Do if You Find a Dead, an Injured, Sick or Possible Rabid Animal
• Species of Amphibians, Reptiles and Breeding Birds observed in North Castle (PDF), Appendix C (pages 32-34), North Castle Biodiversity Plan 2004