F.A.Q.

For mosquitoes and ticks, a professional barrier treatment typically lasts two to three weeks per application. Other pest treatments vary by species, but most require recurring service to maintain control throughout the active season.

In most cases, no. If the treatment had at least 30 minutes to dry before the rain started, the product is bonded to the vegetation and surfaces where it was applied.

Professional treatment is meant to be applied so that, once dry, kids and dogs can use the yard normally. The products are EPA-registered and applied per the label, and the main step is keeping children and pets off the treated areas until they've dried, usually around 30 minutes to a couple of hours. 

Ticks transmit a range of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. They do this through bites, and their small size makes them easy to miss until they've been attached long enough to transmit pathogens. 

Ticks carry a range of bacterial, parasitic, and viral diseases. In Southeast Pennsylvania, the most significant are Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus (carried by blacklegged ticks), along with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (carried by the American dog tick) and ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome (associated with the lone star tick). 

You check by dragging a light-colored cloth slowly over the shaded, brushy, and wooded-edge parts of your yard. Pennsylvania has high rates of Lyme disease, so this is worth doing because it can help you measure risk in your own living spaces.