A Report from the Integrated Tick Management Symposium in Washington, DC

By Richard Levine

In May 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the IPM Institute of North America, and the North Central IPM Center held a meeting called the “Integrated Tick Management Symposium: Solving America’s Tick-Borne Disease Problem.” Entomologists and public-health officials from the USDA, DOD, USGS, several universities, and other institutions, gave presentations and held roundtable discussions.  While the full extent of the topics discussed is too large to be covered here, some interesting and important points include........“Because it’s complicated, it’s a very hard story to tell,” she said, as she encouraged participants to “please help make policymakers and other audiences aware of the magnitude of the problem and the magnitude of the challenges this presents, and to raise awareness to the point that integrated tick management becomes a national priority.” ....To Read More.....

My Take - Another bit of activity in place of accomplishment.   I see the same outline of activity here as I did for those EPA sponsored bed bug summits.  This will be no more effective than those,  and for the same reason.  They refuse to acknowledge the real problem.....the lack of efficacious, inexpensive, easy to use chemistry that's available to everyone.  Chemistry the EPA managed to eliminate from our arsenal via the chicanery of the Food Quality Protection Act.  Thank you EPA!