A Decade of Successful Lone Star Tick Management in North Carolina
Case Study | Clapping Hands Farm - Pittsboro, North Carolina | Program Established 2016
A targeted approach to reducing lone star tick exposure at a 100% outdoor summer camp.
The Challenge: Heavy Tick Pressure at a Year-Round Outdoor Camp
Clapping Hands Farm is a 100% outdoor camp located in Chatham County, North Carolina. Its natural setting provides opportunities for outdoor learning, recreation, and exploration.
For years, campers and staff experienced heavy tick pressure throughout the property.
For an outdoor camp, reducing tick encounters was an important priority. Camp leadership needed a practical solution that could help protect children, staff, and families while maintaining the natural environment that makes the camp experience unique.
The Solution: Targeted TickWarriors Treatments
In 2016, TickWarriors developed a targeted pest-control program using TickWarriors Outdoor Pest Control PRO property spray for Clapping Hands Farm.
Rather than treating the entire property indiscriminately, the program focused on high-use camp areas and locations with historically high tick activity.
The treatment strategy included:
- Initial program: Four treatments during the first year.
- Ongoing maintenance: Transition to 2-3 strategically timed annual treatments.
- Priority locations: High-use camp areas and historically high-risk tick habitat.
- Management approach: Targeted treatments supported by ongoing monitoring and seasonal management.
The program is designed to reduce tick exposure while considering the needs of children, the surrounding environment, and the camp's outdoor activities.
The Results: A Dramatic Reduction in Reported Tick Encounters
Before the program, tick encounters were a frequent concern for campers and staff. After implementation, camp leadership described a substantial improvement.
Reported outcomes included:
- A dramatic reduction in tick encounters by the following summer.
- Reports of only a few ticks per week compared with several dozen per day before the program.
- Positive feedback from veteran staff and returning camp families.
These findings reflect the experience reported by Clapping Hands Farm leadership. They are observational results from an individual property, not a controlled scientific efficacy trial.
What Camp Leadership Says
Louise Kessel, Executive Director, Clapping Hands Farm
“The difference this year has been DRAMATIC. I think I have pulled ONE tick off of myself ALL SUMMER LONG.”
Kessel also reported:
“Now we see a few ticks a week versus several dozen a day prior to this program.”
She highlighted the importance of a product she regarded as effective and compatible with the camp's priorities, expressing her intention to continue treating the farm and grounds regularly.
Why Targeted Tick Management Matters
The Clapping Hands Farm experience illustrates the potential value of a focused, ongoing approach to tick management.
Key elements of the program included identifying high-risk areas, prioritizing spaces used by campers and staff, strategically timing applications, and adjusting treatment frequency as the program progressed.
The experience is particularly relevant to properties where outdoor activities and tick habitat overlap, including:
- Outdoor summer camps
- Farms and educational properties
- Nature trails, parks, and recreational areas
- Wooded residential properties
- Retreat centers and outdoor event spaces
- Other managed outdoor environments
- Every property has different environmental conditions and tick pressures. Treatment decisions should reflect those differences.
Ten Years of Field Experience
Since 2016, the Clapping Hands Farm program has provided an example of how a targeted seasonal treatment strategy can be incorporated into the ongoing management of an outdoor camp. The case study documents the initial treatment approach, the reduction in tick encounters reported by camp leadership, and the transition to a lower-frequency annual maintenance schedule.
Its central lesson is that tick management does not necessarily require treating every part of a property equally. Identifying high-use areas and historically high-risk habitat can help focus prevention efforts where they are needed.
Explore TickWarriors Pest Control Solutions
TickWarriors provides outdoor pest-control products and property-specific approaches for managing tick exposure in a variety of environments. Whether you manage a camp, farm, wooded property, or residential landscape, understanding where tick encounters occur is an important first step toward developing a treatment plan.
Download the Full Clapping Hands Farm Case Study (PDF)
Case study based on observations and testimonials from Clapping Hands Farm. Outcomes are property-specific and do not guarantee comparable results at other locations.