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FAQ's

Eco-friendly refers to choices that reduce environmental impact compared to traditional options; practices or products designed to have little or no impact on the environment.  Examples include favoring botanical chemistry and limiting the use of synthetic pesticides, employing battery powered vs. gasoline powered sprayers, choosing biodegradable disposable gloves vs. rubber gloves, etc.

Botanical pesticides are natural insecticides derived from plants or oils that are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. The blending of botanical oils target and block octopamine which is an important neurotransmitter and hormone in insects. Most mammals do not possess these identical receptors; therefore, botanical oils have no adverse effect on people or animals.  In addition, botanicals are highly effective as repellents because of essential oils—insects often find these odors offensive and avoid the area (e.g., clove oil, cedarwood oil, cottonseed oil, cinnamon oil and others).

Compared with synthetic pesticides, botanicals degrade rapidly from sunlight, air, and moisture. This is both a pro and a con. Breaking down quickly reduces toxicity. (pro) However, anything that breaks down quickly must be reapplied more often .(con) With our DIY model, you are in control of the frequency of applications depending on your specific needs.

Botanicals, applied at the recommended dosage and appropriate target, leave virtually all plant life unharmed. (pro)

Botanicals are usually more expensive compared to synthetic chemistry. (con)

Botanicals can be used in and around pool areas, and right up to shorelines of lakes, ponds and streams. (pro)

Botanical chemistry applied directly to insects or arthropods will typically kill on contact. Once dry, botanicals act as a repellent. In comparison, the residual from most synthetics will continue to kill insects, including beneficials, when they come in contact with the product. 

Yes, we will teach you how to repel rodents, ants and other bugs in addition to ticks and mosquitoes.

The label of each product will identify the pests controlled by that chemistry.  Here is a look at the targeted pests and typical treatment locations of Nature-Cide X2, our preferred botanical. “To kill and or repel accessible, exposed stages of crawling and flying insects including, but not limited to, mosquitoes, flies, ants, cockroaches, beetles, grubs, meal worms, fleas, ticks, mites, weevils, spiders, leafhoppers, wasps, hornets, stink bugs, bed bugs, silverfish, potato bugs, crickets, carpenter bees, in outdoor sites that include turf, foliage, shrubbery, building foundations, exterior structure walls and eaves, playgrounds, livestock corrals, poultry coops and pens, passenger transport facilities, boat docks, gardens, that include, but are not limited to, apartments, homes, restaurants, food processing plants, sports fields, industrial installations and warehouses.”

Most labels recommend not applying a spray concentrate if rain is in the forecast within the coming 24-hour period. An exception for that would be the application of granular products which should be applied in advance of rain.

Both botanical and synthetic chemistry will be dry to the touch within an hour or so. Once dry, the formulation bonds directly to the turf and/or foliage and leaf litter and will not be displaced by rainfall (similar to a coat of latex paint applied to the exterior of your home. Within an hour, the paint will be dry to the touch and rain will not have an impact.)

A light shower directly following the application would have no impact on the efficacy (how effective it is at initial knockdown) and residual (lasting qualities) of the product.  The product is applied with water.

Granular products should be applied in advance of a rain event. If no precipitation is in the immediate forecast following a granular application, it will be necessary to directly water those areas.

All minimum risk synthetic chemistry is registered by the federal EPA and Maine Board of Pesticide Control.

When applied at the prescribed rate using proper application techniques and honoring the appropriate re-entry period (staying off the property until the product is totally dry, which is usually less than 2 hours), general use, least-toxic caution category chemistry has an excellent safety record.

Everyday products such as bleach, swimming pool chemistry, insect repellents, disinfectant wipes and tick and flea collars for your pets are all considered to be synthetic pesticides. Used at the proper dosage, they have an excellent safety record.

Assess your risk…are you more at risk of a targeted treatment on your property, or of a nymph deer tick attaching to you, your family, friends, or pets and never knowing about it?

There are four major classifications of pesticides…Danger Poison (skull and crossbones), Danger, Warning and Caution. Tick BYTES chemistry classified in the Caution – the least toxic category.  In addition, two major categories exist – general use and restricted use.  Tick BYTES recommends and employs general use chemistry only.

Even general use chemistry can have a significant impact on pollinators.  Regardless of whether using synthetic or botanical chemistry, liquid concentrate applications should never be directed at flowering plants.  Remember, even botanical chemistry repels insects once dry.

A botanical granular application applied directly to the ground would be more appropriate in all flower and vegetable garden locations.

Deer ticks require a high humidity level to survive, typically greater than 80%.  This usually determines the micro-climate required for their survival.

Deer ticks are typically found at the interface of the lawn and wooded edge, usually in dense vegetation and leaf litter. Fact: 75% of all Lyme disease cases are contracted within 100 feet of the home. Source: CDC

Most immature ticks (larval and nymphal stage) are located low to the ground in shady environments, often near the interface of lawns and the wooded edge. Typically, the larval ticks (just hatched) first blood meal is from a rodent. Nymphal ticks also prefer rodents, but people and pets become frequent hosts during the months of May, June and July, the peak time for Lyme Disease.

Adult ticks will quest (cling to a low bush, blade of grass, shrub, typically 2-3 feet high or lower) until a blood meal passes by. They will then hitch a ride and climb until they find a suitable location to attach.

Ticks do not fall from trees. Ticks require blood meals from rodents, deer, companion animals (cats and dogs) and people. Outside of an occasional squirrel, there is little in the way of a blood meal found in trees.

On occasion, you may find dog ticks climbing on the outside of homes.  Unlike deer ticks, dog ticks are less likely to desiccate (dry out) when in a temperate environment.

Deer ticks, on the other hand, require much higher ambient humidity to survive, thus are often found in dense, shady underbrush and leaf litter with little or no sunlight available.

Yes! A combination of EPA approved skin-based repellents coupled with clothing treated with 0.5% Permethrin will serve to provide an extra level of protection.

Consider having your clothing treated professionally from Insect Shield

 URL:  https://www.insectshield.com/

Don’t forget protection for your cats and dogs as well, whether topical or oral.

Repellent Fact Sheets  URL:  https://www.npic.orst.edu/factsheets/repellents.html

Cats and dogs are low to the ground and are sentinels for ticks…if there are ticks on or about your property, your animals will typically be the first to find them and bring them home.

Often, the head of the animal will be the most likely attachment point as this is the first section of the body to come into contact with the ticks.

Consult your veterinarian for appropriate protection for your companion animals.

Absolutely true. Deer ticks are active year-round, whenever the temperatures are above freezing. Hunters should take note that the fall months are peak for adult deer ticks.

Summer months are peak for the smaller nymph tick, responsible for transmitting the most cases of Lyme disease nationwide. Be especially vigilant during warm winter days with little or no snow cover.

Keep children away from the wooded edges, leaf litter, stone walls and wood piles (rodent hotels.)  The safest place for children’s play centers and activities are in well mowed, sunlit areas of your property.

Deer ticks cannot survive on a well-maintained lawn in direct sunlight.  Let the sunshine in!

Consider a physical fence or run to limit animal activity into tick habitat.

Don’t panic and don’t use your fingers to remove the tick.  You don’t want to squish the tick and inject the contents of the tick’s gut into your bloodstream.

The safest way to remove any attached tick is to use a pair of fine-pointed tweezers. Grasp the tick at the attachment point closest to the skin and pull straight up with a firm yet gentle motion. If possible, positively identify the tick. Resource: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/tickspotters/ Once removed, place the tick in a zip-lock baggie to show your doctor, vet, or for submission to tick-testing laboratory.

Promptly disinfect the area with alcohol and mark the date on a calendar. Contact a physician or vet if you positively identify the attached tick as a deer tick.

Yes, ticks may contain a cocktail of pathogens that can be transmitted during one blood feeding including Babesia, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, and others. Attachment times vary for the transmission of each agent, with as little as 15-30 minutes documented for the transmission of the Powassan Virus, which is why it is important to remove attached tick as soon as possible.