Mosquito and Tick Control Service

Mosquito Control

Greenhow Mosquito Control service is part of our Vector Control Applications. Pest control service applications for disease-carrying organisms like mosquitoes and ticks are vector control applications. Mosquito control starts with a site evaluation to identify mosquito breeding sites and harborages. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. Any water around a site needs to be cleaned, drained, maintained or managed. The trained technical team at Greenhow can help by identifying where mosquitoes are breeding on your property.

Egg, Larva, Pupa, Biting Adult Female

Mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis. This means they go through four distinct stages in the life cycle, egg, larva, pupa and adult. Eggs are laid in water or areas that will get wet. The eggs hatch and the larva feed on organic matter in the water. Next, the larva then pupates. Male and female mosquitoes mate soon after emerging from the pupal case. Then the female seeks a blood meal and the male feeds on plant nectar. Finally, the cycle is completed when the female lays her eggs in water or in an area that fills with water during rain events.

4 Steps to Mosquito Control

Mosquito control has many components. When enjoying the outdoors, always wear mosquito repellent. To control mosquitoes on a property there are four steps. First, locate standing water or sites that fill with water during a rain event. Two types of mosquitoes are those that lay eggs in water and those that lay eggs in areas that get inundated. Second, clean, drain or regularly changed the water every two weeks. For instance, clean the gutters. Drain stumps, tires, toys or other objects that collect water. Change the water in birdbaths or other water outdoors. Third, treat standing water that cannot be changed, like sewer, storm or other drains with a larvacide. Fourth, treat vegetation with a pesticide labeled to kill mosquitoes to prevent them from resting or harboring on your property. Professional mosquito control, like Greenhow Vector Control Service, is an efficient and effective way to control mosquitoes. Vector control spray service both kills the current mosquito population and acts as a barrier treatment protecting your property.

We can handle steps one, three and four, but YOU have to change the water in the birdbath.

Mosquito Trap

We are proud to mark another first. The first in Massachusetts to complete stewardship training and use the new In2Care mosquito trap. A great innovation in mosquito control it uses the mosquito to treat water breeding sources around your property. The treated trap is an attractive place for the female to lay her eggs. As a result, the eggs that hatch into larva in the trap never pupate into adult mosquitos. Learn more about this innovative solution today!

While she lays the eggs she picks up an insecticide that is slow acting and she carries to other egg-laying sites to spread the insecticide. That could be a pocket in a tree, a gutter or any water source. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is purchasing these trap for large mosquito control projects. We are excited to introduce the In2Care mosquito trap as an add on for mosquito service customers. As always, keep toys, canoes, anything that can hold water upside down to keep water out and change bird bath water once a week. Call or email today for pricing and information.

Tick Prevention Control Services

Greenhow Tick Control and prevention service is part of our Vector Control Applications.   Pest control service applications for disease-carrying organisms like mosquitoes and ticks are vector control applications.  Tick control starts with a site evaluation to identify tick habitat. Ticks dry out very easily. That is why ticks are not found in lawns.

Ticks need a blood meal to grow and reproduce. They cannot run quickly, fly or jump and seek out hosts to feed on by questing. Questing is when a tick climbs just above ankle height and hangs on to a blade of grass or other vegetation. Ticks can sense changes in light and vibrations, plus chemical signs like exhaled breath and odors. As a host comes near they push out their front legs grasping to increase their chances of attaching to the host if it brushes against the tick.  The trained technical team at Greenhow helps identify where ticks are questing on your property.

Egg, Biting Larva, Biting Nymph, Biting Adult

Ticks undergo four stages in their life cycle.  They are egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Female ticks lay up to 10,000 eggs under leaf litter and other organic matter.  The eggs hatch and the six-legged larvae find a host, has a blood meal, then drops off and molts. After molting they emerge as eight-legged nymphs. The nymph then finds a host and feds before becoming a reproductive adult. After mating, male ticks die. At each stage, the ticks quest for a host in vegetation by crawling up to between ankle and knee height. Most tick species complete the life cycle in less than a year. Deer ticks in the northeast take two years to complete the life cycle from egg to adult.

Are ticks dangerous? What diseases do ticks carry?

Ticks are dangerous because of the diseases they carry. First of all, ticks feed on blood. During the feeding process disease organisms can enter the host animal. Then the disease has a new host. You and your pets can get transmitted diseases from ticks when the tick has feed on an infected animal prior to feeding on you. Ticks are arachnids and need a blood meal to move to each new growth stage. Eastern Massachusetts is home to many ticks including Deer Ticks, American Dog Ticks, and Lone Star Ticks. In Massachusetts deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis. American Dog Ticks can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. Lone Star Ticks carry Monocytic Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and ‘Stari’ borreliosis. At the University of Massachusetts there is a laboratory that will test ticks you remove to determine if the tick is a disease carrier.

3 Steps to Tick Control

Tick control and prevention has three main components.  When enjoying the outdoors, always wear tick repellent and avoid tick habitats like long grass and low growing brush.  To control tick populations on a property focus on reducing tick habitat.

First, reduce tick habitat by keeping turf mowed to 3 to 4 inches and keep brush and leaf litter from accumulating adjacent to areas used by people and pets.  Tall grass is great tick habitat. Mow down tall grass and rake up leaf litter and debris. Ticks want leaf litter to hide under to keep from drying out and vegetation over ankle height and below knee height to climb and quest for blood. Use mulch around play areas and use mulch at the border of your yard to create a treatable tick free zone between your usable property and tick habitat.  

Second, use a material to treat small rodents for ticks like tick tubes. Tick tubes contain the same material used to treat pets for ticks. Deer tick larvae feed on small animals like rodents. Treating the rodents kill the larval stage of deer ticks. Finally, vegetation and leaf litter in tick habitat must be treated. Treat this area with a pesticide labeled to kill ticks to prevent them from questing on your property. Professional tick control, like Greenhow Vector Control Service, is an efficient and effective way to control and get rid of ticks. Vector control spray service both kills the current tick population and acts as a barrier treatment protecting your property.

We, as a tick control and prevention service, can handle steps two and three. You mow the grass and keep the landscape managed to reduce ticks.