By Matt Foti
After recently completing a three-week regiment of Doxycycline antibiotic for Lyme Disease (for the second time) I feel obligated to inform my customers of this current epidemic and let you know how we can help. Two of my employees have been treated for Lyme Disease in the past six weeks and several others have received treatment over the past three or four years and we are coming into contact with deer ticks on your very own properties.
Lyme disease has emerged as the second most commonly reported infectious disease in New England, currently described as a public health crisis. I feel that the biggest problem with deer ticks is that they are very difficult to detect given their small size. Unlike mosquitoes deer ticks don’t warn you with a buzzing noise and you never feel them bite you.
If you are an avid outdoors person it is very important to take preventative measures and be diligent about inspecting yourself and your children after being outdoors. Grade school aged children are most commonly affected by Lyme disease and contact can occur during all 12 months of the year, most cases are reported during May, June and July. Your pets can also get Lyme.
For detailed information please consult the following report “Lyme Disease in Massachusetts, a Public Health Crisis”
https://malegislature.gov/Document/Committee/188/House/H46/CommitteeAttachment/LymeDiseaseReport.pdf .
You will find a 36 page report put together by citizens from Acton, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, Wayland and Weston that have adopted the title Middlesex Tick Task Force.
After a great deal of research I am offering both chemical and organic sprays to help reduce the risks of contracting Lyme disease on your property. Please call our office for a free consultation and estimate.
On a much happier note, spring flowers have just gone by and this year’s new growth is tapering off, which means it’s time to prune landscape shrubs.
Flowering plants need to be pruned now to maximize next year’s flowers and non-flowering plants need to be pruned now to maintain shape and form. Many landscape plants are destroyed not only by poor pruning techniques but also by pruning at the wrong time of the year. Some plants have experienced winter injury from extreme low temperatures this past winter. Right now is a good time to determine if damaged plants need to be replaced or if they are salvageable with good pruning.
Timing is the key to proper maintenance, contact the professionals today.
Matthew R. Foti is the owner of Foti Landscape and Tree Service. Matt is a 1977 graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and holds degrees in social science and general business. Matt became a Massachusetts Certified Arborist in 1979 and served as president of the Massachusetts Arborists Association from 1993 to 1995. Matt currently employs six Massachusetts Certified Arborists.
Foti Landscape and Tree Service 30 Fairbanks Rd.
Lexington, Ma 02421, Ph: 781.861.0505,
E-mail: mrftree@aol.com
