“She walked the whole edge with me and drew it on a map before she touched anything. I knew exactly what was treated and what was not.”
Alyson B.Hollis
Ticks and mosquitoes near Portland, Maine
Your yard ends where the woods begin. The work starts there.
I treat the edge of the yard, not the lawn in the middle. Before anything is applied you get a one-page map of what gets treated, what gets left alone, and what you can change yourself.
What you can do
Some of tick control is the yard itself
These cost little and work alongside any treatment.
Rake leaf litter back from the lawn edge and bag it away from the house.
Stack firewood off the ground, in the sun when you can.
Lay a strip of wood chips or gravel, about three feet wide, between lawn and woods.
Mow short and trim tall grass along paths.
Check yourself, your children and your pets after time outside.
The perimeter map
Your yard, zone by zone
A sample yard. On the walk I mark the same zones on yours: where I treat, where I leave it alone and where a change from you will do more than a product.
- 1
Tree line and shrubs
Where leaf litter meets lawn. The main treatment goes here, in a band along the edge.
- 2
Under the big trees
Shade and leaf litter hold moisture. I treat the edge of the shade and tell you how to rake it back.
- 3
Play area
Play sets and sandboxes are never sprayed. I treat the brush around them and tell you how long to keep children off.
- 4
Fire pit and seating
Mosquitoes rest in the plants beside where people sit. I treat the plants, not the seating.
- 5
Vegetable beds
Left untreated, with a buffer marked on your map.
- 6
Deck and foundation
A strip of wood chips or gravel between lawn and woods is a change you can make yourself. The map shows where it would go.
The tick year
When ticks are out in southern Maine
Ticks are active whenever the ground is above freezing. These are the usual windows; a warm winter or a cold May moves them.
Adult ticks, early spring
The first warm days after the snow.
Mar to May
Nymphs
About the size of a poppy seed. Easy to miss.
May to Aug
Mosquitoes
From the first warm nights of June.
Jun to Sep
Adult ticks, fall
Back on leaves and grass after the first cool nights.
Oct to Nov
My visits
Late May, mid-July, late September.
May, Jul, Sep
A visit
Four steps, one person
- 01
Walk
We walk the yard together, or I do it alone if you would rather. I note the woods edge, wood piles, stone walls, play areas and gardens.
- 02
Map
You get a one-page map: treated zones, untreated zones and buffers. Nothing is applied until you have seen it.
- 03
Treat
I apply licensed products to the marked edge zones, to the label, in the protective gear it calls for.
- 04
Tell you
A text when I'm done: what was treated, where to keep children and pets off and for how long, and when I'll be back.
From customers
What the walk-through is like
“We have a stone wall and a lot of oaks behind the house. The text after each visit said where to keep the dog off and for how long.”
Fanuel T.Brunswick“I asked about the vegetable beds and she left them out and marked a buffer. Plain answers to every question.”
Katrina W.Standish
Sample reviews.
Where I go
Greater Portland, and the wooded towns around it
If your town isn't listed, text the address and I'll tell you.
- Cumberland County: Portland, Standish, Raymond, Pownal, North Yarmouth, Brunswick, Harpswell
- York County: Hollis, Buxton, Biddeford, Kennebunk
- Sagadahoc County: Topsham, Bath
I don't go north of Bath, west of Standish or south of Kennebunk, and I don't do indoor pest work or termites.
Questions
Before you call
How much does tick and mosquito control cost?
It depends on the yard: how much of it borders woods, how many visits you want and how easy it is to get around. You get a written number for the season before any work starts, and the page on pricing explains each part.
Is it safe for kids and pets?
I can't promise that, and nobody should. A licensed applicator follows the product label. After each visit I text you which areas to keep children and pets out of and for how long, usually until the treated area is dry. Ask for the label and product list before the first visit.
How long until I see results?
Many yards have fewer ticks within a few weeks, but it varies with the woods edge, the weather and what the neighbors do. No treatment removes every tick or every mosquito.
Does treating the yard prevent Lyme disease?
No. A treatment aims to reduce ticks where you live and play. Checking yourself, your children and your pets after time outside matters just as much. For a bite or symptoms, talk to your doctor; the Maine CDC publishes current guidance.
Request a yard walk
Tell me where the woods are
Give me the street, a phone number and a rough idea of the yard. I'll reply by text or phone to set a time to walk it.
Phone(207) 555-0105
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed
Visits run May to October. The phone and text line are answered all year, in business hours.