Fairfax Co. paints deer pink to prevent ticks (VIDEO)

Imagine this guy with a little pink around the collar. Biologists say the pesticides will not hurt the deer. (AP)
One of the feeding stations equipped with the rollers that will brush against the deer's head and neck. (Courtesy of Fairfax County)
Vickey Monroe describes the color of the pink pesticide will fade within a few days. Its purpose is to let biologists know which deer have been marked. (WTOP/Andrew Mollenbeck)
Another feeding station set up by the Fairfax County Wildlife Biologist office to help keep deer tick free this summer. (Courtesy of Fairfax County)
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Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com

FAIRFAX, Va. – Hey, deer, you look great in pink.

A research study to control ticks in Fairfax County is creating a bizarre sight: deer with pink stripes.

But it’s not the optics that scare off the ticks. It’s the pesticide that goes along with the pink dye.

The pilot study has deployed deer treatment stations at 20 locations in the county.

Giant bait feeders hold up to 250 pounds of corn. On either side of the storage compartment, two troughs are guarded by two rollers.

“The rollers are actually paint rollers — literally,” said Vicky Monroe, a wildlife biologist for Fairfax County.

“We spray each paint roller with a pesticide. It’s specially formulated to kill ticks,” she said.

The non-toxic pink dye fades after three or four days.

In order to get to the corn, deer have to touch their heads against the rollers, which apply the pesticide and pink stripes to the head and neck.

During normal grooming, the deer spread the pesticide to the rest of the body.

So why do deer get singled out for being worst-dressed in the woods?

Well, deer are the primary host of adult black-legged ticks which transmit diseases, such as Lyme disease, to humans, according to the Wildlife Biologist Office.

The three-year study is way to analyze how technology can reduce tick infestations.

“Ultimately what we’re hoping for is that there are…reductions in the tick densities in the area, and the reduction of ticks on the body of deer that travel into people’s backyards,” Monroe said.

The feeding stations have been set up at Sully Woodlands Park and Hemlock Overlook Regional Park.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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