Landmark study to identify tick hotspots on Sydney’s northern beaches
Research is being conducted into how northern beaches residents and their pets are encountering ticks and wildlife in their backyards.
Research is being conducted into how northern beaches residents and their pets are encountering ticks and wildlife in their backyards.
Casey Taylor, 25, from the University of Sydney, hopes to uncover vital new information which will allow Northern Beaches Council to help better tackle the problem.
The project, funded by the council, involves residents voluntarily completing a quick online survey, whether they have had any tick incidents or not.
“We want to identify areas where we need to do further research,” she said.
“At the moment we only have anecdotal evidence of problem areas.”
She said in particular they were looking to see what animals carry ticks, what animals have been spotted in backyards and whether they are moving between the bush and backyards.
The survey is part of Ms Casey’s three-year PhD.
She said there had not been any research done on understanding the complex relationship between ticks and their host species on the beaches.
“The information we gain will contribute to our growing knowledge of ticks and will guide future research efforts,” Ms Casey said.
Mayor Michael Regan said the research, which is partly funded by savings identified as a result of council’s merger, had an important public benefit.
“Your responses will help in developing our understanding of ticks in the urban environment and will be important in helping Northern Beaches Council consider tick management options.
“The research will give us greater insight into what wildlife might be visiting resident’s yards and what wildlife, backyard features or activities might influence whether people encounter ticks or not.”
Ticks are commonly encountered across the peninsula.
The latest advice is to freeze a tick in place and wait for it to fall off, rather than pulling them out with tweezers.
Go to this site to complete the survey: redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=7XX9WRJYC4
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