Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I was disappointed that the March 25 Metro article "In Swelling Herds, a Growing Risk" and subsequent letters to the editor did not mention one of the best ways to control the spread of Lyme disease. This solution, endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration, involves using a miticide that kills ticks and other harmful parasites but doesn't hurt mammals.

Cotton balls treated with the miticide are placed in cardboard tubes and distributed in wooded areas where Lyme-carrying ticks might be found. Deer mice, the vector population for the disease, collect the cotton for bedding and take it to their nests.

The miticide kills the ticks early in their life cycle. Fewer mice are infected, fewer infectious ticks reach maturity, and the risk to humans is decreased. One of the best aspects of this method is that no mice or deer are harmed.

NEVA DAVIS

Lanham