Researcher Dr. Heidi Herb showing off a mouse hotel, part of a tick research program.

Ticks can transmit a variety of pathogens that can make people ill, including the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and the blood parasite that causes babesiosis. These pathogens persist in the environment in wildlife hosts. One of the most important reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens in the northeastern United States is the white-footed mouse, which is commonly found in forests. Researchers at the Center for Vector Biology are using mouse nest boxes in the Eco Preserve to better understand how tick-borne pathogens might be regulating mouse populations and possibly each other. They are also examining the usefulness of the mouse nest boxes for tick and pathogen surveillance. The mice are free to come and go to the nest boxes as they please, and the boxes give researchers the opportunity to study the mice with minimal stress. Ticks that fed on the mice are caught in sticky paper under the nest. If you see a nest box while visiting the preserve, please observe from a distance – and, of course, thank the mice for their contributions to research!