D3181: Deer-targeted 4-poster tick control devices: Logistical considerations for use in a community setting

4-Poster Tick Control Deer Feeders suppress blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) populations by topically treating white-tailed deer with permethrin. Their use has been proposed as a community-level strategy to reduce Lyme and other tickborne diseases associated with blacklegged ticks. We documented the logistics and feasibility of using 4-Posters in a Lyme disease-endemic suburban setting to inform future efforts to conduct a large-scale community intervention. A pest control firm installed and maintained three 4-Poster devices according to manufacturer’s guidelines, on a suburban golf course in Connecticut. From July to December 2020, we recorded operational details, corn consumption, and wildlife usage. A total of $6619 per device was spent to procure, install, and maintain each 4-Poster for the 5-month study period (not including research staff labor). The average time spent servicing each device was 20 minutes per weekly visit once installed. Motion-activated cameras revealed usage primarily by raccoons, deer, and gray squirrels throughout the study period, with deer usage highest in November. Corn consumption was significantly correlated with combined deer and raccoon visits, and at two devices with visits by raccoons alone, but was not correlated with deer visits alone at any 4-Poster. We also observed human activity, including children, near one device on several occasions. Future large-scale studies to evaluate the effectiveness of 4-Posters to impact human tickborne diseases should include considerations of cost, safety, and liability, and should include wildlife monitoring, as corn consumption may not accurately reflect deer usage.