The standard guidance is to wait until the treated areas are dry. Once it’s dry, kids and pets can use the yard as normal. Time to dry varies a lot, but it’s usually about 30 minutes to an hour.
This is one of the most common questions parents ask. And the answer is reassuring in its simplicity. When it’s dry, you’re good to go.
You don’t have to set a clock and wait. While the product is wet, you want kids and pets to avoid contact with it. Once it dries, the treatment is bound to the leaves and resting spots where it works on mosquitoes and ticks, and the lawn is fine for normal use again.
Drying usually takes somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour. When it’s hot, dry, and breezy, the treatment will dry faster. If the weather is cooler, calmer, and more humid, it will take closer to an hour, and possibly more. Eastern Connecticut tends to have more of the latter.
If you’re not sure, wait a solid couple of hours. Don’t send the kids straight out right after a visit on a damp day. When in doubt, foliage that’s dry to the touch is the sign you’re in the clear. The same is the case for pets.
Beyond that drying window, there's no reason to keep the yard off-limits. The whole point of the treatment is to make your yard usable, so once it's dry, the family should use it.
If you're tired of guessing when it's fine for the kids to head back outside, Mosquito Squad of Middlesex, New London & Windham County can help. Mosquito Squad will walk you through the dry time for your visit and help protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
