I’m Jeff, your local pest control guy.
Picture this.
You’re standing in your yard, already sweating, already swatting.
You’ve been paying for mosquito and tick treatments.
Yet the bites keep coming.
That’s frustrating.
It’s also common in a place like North Reading, MA—where summer weekends can mean Ipswich River Park, Martins Pond, and Benevento Memorial Park, plus a whole lot of shade, woods edges, and water nearby.
So let’s do this the smart way.
Before you fire your current company and start over, you want answers.
Not sales talk.
No buzzwords.
Answers you can actually use.
What “not working” really means in a real New England yard
Most homeowners say “it’s not working” and mean one thing:
They don’t feel a difference.
Bites still happen.
Ticks still show up.
Mosquitoes still buzz the second the grill turns on.
That’s the reality you’re trying to fix.
Now, mosquito and tick control isn’t a magical force field.
Real control usually looks like a clear reduction, not a perfect zero.
Patio time gets easier.
Kids can play longer.
Dogs come in with fewer surprises.
If you’re seeing that kind of improvement, the program is probably doing something.
But if you’re seeing no improvement after a few visits, you’re right to question it.
You’re not being difficult.
That’s you being practical.
The truth about mosquitoes in plain English
Here’s how I explain this to homeowners…
Mosquitoes are a water bug first.
They start in water, not in the air.
A female lays eggs.
Those eggs become larvae in water.
Larvae turn into pupae.
Adults pop out and start flying.
Here’s the part most people never hear:
Pupae don’t eat.
That’s why “killing pupae” isn’t really a thing the way people imagine it.
So if your current company only sprays for flying adults, here’s the problem.
Adults die today.
New adults emerge tomorrow.
Your yard feels like it resets again and again.
When temperatures run hot—especially above 80 degrees—mosquitoes can go from egg to biting adult in about 4 days in the right conditions.
That’s why water matters so much.
This is what actually matters in your yard:
Standing water you can’t see at a glance
Low spots that hold puddles
Birdbaths and planters
Kids’ toys and buckets
Tarps that sag
And yes… clogged gutters that hold water like a hidden trough
If you’re standing in your yard wondering why the mosquitoes “come back so fast,” that list is usually why.
The truth about ticks in plain English
Ticks don’t fly around hunting you.
Instead, ticks wait.
Most ticks go through four stages: egg, larva, nymph, adult.
Each stage needs a blood meal to move forward and survive.
That’s why ticks track animals, not lawns.
Massachusetts is not the place to shrug off ticks.
Lyme disease is the one everyone knows, but babesiosis and anaplasmosis show up here too.
So tick control can’t be “spray the lawn and leave.”
Tick control has to focus on tick habitat:
Edges.
Woods lines.
Leaf litter.
Stone walls.
Tall grass.
Shady, humid pockets where ticks don’t dry out.
Why your current company might not be working (without assuming they’re bad people)
Let’s keep this fair.
Sometimes the company is fine, and your yard is a tough one.
Other times, the service is rushed, sloppy, or too generic.
These are the most common reasons I see behind “it’s not working.”
A loose schedule creates gaps
Mosquito control is a rhythm.
If your service is “every 21 days” but it turns into 26… then 29… then 33…
Those are gaps.
Nature loves gaps.
So do mosquitoes.
Ticks also take advantage when protection fades.
The spray is hitting the wrong places
Mosquitoes rest in shady, protected spots during the day.
Under decks.
Dense shrubs.
The cool side of the house.
So if your tech is mostly walking open lawn, you’re paying to hit the wrong target.
Ticks live in edge zones and shaded ground cover.
So if edges are skipped, you get the same problem.
Nobody is talking about breeding water
A program can be “perfect” and still struggle if breeding sources keep producing new mosquitoes.
So you should hear some version of this from your provider:
“Let’s find the water, because that’s where mosquitoes start.”
If that conversation never happens, that’s a clue.
Rain gets blamed for everything
Homeowners often assume rain washes treatments away.
Once a treatment has dried, normal rain usually isn’t the main reason things fall apart.
Fresh puddles and new breeding water are the bigger reason activity pops back up.
That’s why the water conversation beats the rain conversation every time.
Tick control is treated like a checkbox
Ticks can be a whole separate fight.
If “tick control” means one quick spray across the grass, that’s not a strategy.
That’s a checkbox.
What to ask your current mosquito and tick company before you switch
You deserve clarity.
Here are the questions I would ask if I was in your shoes.
“Where exactly are you treating for mosquitoes?”
A strong answer sounds like:
“We treat foliage, shade, woods edges, under decks, and resting spots, because that’s where mosquitoes land.”
A weak answer sounds like:
“We spray the yard.”
Vague doesn’t fix mosquito problems.
“How tight is your schedule window?”
You want a real plan.
Barrier programs often run on a 21-day rhythm.
Botanical programs often run on a 14-day rhythm because plant-based products break down faster.
Ask this:
“What happens if you slip a week?”
If their answer feels casual, your results will be casual too.
“Do you offer mosquito egg and larvae control, or only adult sprays?”
This is the big divider.
Adults are one stage.
Eggs and larvae live in water.
So ask if they treat breeding areas.
If you keep hearing “we only do barrier sprays,” you might be missing the piece that stops new mosquitoes from replacing the ones that got knocked down.
To see what that looks like, my add-on is called Mosquito Egg & Larvae Control, and it’s built for yards where the next hatch keeps refilling the problem.
“What is your tick plan, specifically?”
You want details.
Ticks aren’t evenly spread across a yard.
Ask if they treat:
Woods edges
Leafy borders
Stone walls
Shady ground cover
Play areas near the edge
If you want to compare, look at a real tick control program and see if it matches what you’re getting.
“What do you do when customers still have activity?”
Good companies don’t get defensive.
Smart companies troubleshoot.
Ask:
“Do you come back within a policy window?”
“Will you inspect and adjust?”
If you get brushed off, that tells you what you need to know.
“What should I do between visits to help you win?”
This is a smart question.
A good company will tell you simple things:
Dump water weekly.
Keep brush and weeds down.
Move items that hold water.
Fix the damp pockets.
A great company will also mention hidden water sources like gutters and give you a practical way to deal with them.
The switching test: one phone call that tells you if you’re about to buy the same problem again
If you’re thinking of switching, don’t start with price.
Start with competence.
Here’s the test.
Call the new company and say:
“I’m still getting mosquitoes and ticks even though I’m paying for treatments. Talk to me like I’m your neighbor. What should we look at first?”
Then listen.
Here’s what a solid answer includes:
First, a quick yard diagnosis.
Next, a plan to target shade and resting spots.
Then, a plan to target edges for ticks.
Also, a talk about water.
Finally, a schedule you can understand.
No fancy language needed.
What I look for when I’m diagnosing a “not working” yard
This is what actually matters in your yard…
I look for shade, moisture, and hiding spots first.
Then I look for water.
After that, I look at the edges.
So if your tech has never walked your property and pointed at “the problem zones,” that’s a red flag.
The cool corner that never dries
Every yard has one.
It’s the corner where the sun barely hits.
Sometimes it’s the side with thick shrubs.
Other times, it’s the spot under the deck.
That’s mosquito real estate.
The edge line that keeps feeding ticks
Ticks don’t usually come from your patio.
Instead, they come from the border.
That border might be woods.
In other yards, it’s a stone wall.
On some properties, it’s tall grass behind the shed.
Once you treat that edge zone the right way, tick pressure often drops.
The water you forgot about
Sometimes it’s obvious.
Other times, it’s sneaky.
Plant trays.
Tarps.
Toy buckets.
A birdbath.
Even drainage that holds puddles after a storm.
One more sneaky one is water trapped in gutters.
That’s why homeowners who stay on top of their gutters often see fewer “where did these mosquitoes come from?” moments.
How this plays out in real towns with real summer habits
I’m going to tie this into real life, because that’s how homeowners think.
Reading, MA: parks, trails, and backyards that turn buggy fast
In Reading, MA, families bounce between Memorial Park, Reading Town Forest, and Longwood Park when the weather is nice.
Those places are a reminder of what mosquitoes and ticks love.
Shade.
Tree lines.
Moisture pockets.
So when a Reading homeowner tells me, “We can’t sit out after dinner,” I don’t assume they’re doomed.
I assume the plan isn’t targeting the hot spots enough, or breeding water is still producing the next wave.
Andover, MA: water + woods + “why is it worse near the back?”
In Andover, MA, summer means places like Pomps Pond, Andover Common, and the Harold Parker State Forest area.
That mix is beautiful.
It also makes mosquitoes and ticks feel nonstop when a yard backs up to shade and damp ground.
A good program can still win here.
It just needs to treat like Andover is Andover, not like it’s a wide-open sunny lawn.
North Andover, MA: ticks are the story, even when you think mosquitoes are the story
In North Andover, MA, you’ve got summer staples like Stevens Pond, Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, and Weir Hill.
When you’re surrounded by woods, trails, and wildlife movement, tick pressure is real.
So if your mosquito company isn’t talking about ticks like a serious issue, you’re missing half the fight.
Topsfield, MA: the Ipswich River area is gorgeous, and it’s mosquito country
In Topsfield, MA, outdoor life means Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Bradley Palmer State Park, and Willowdale State Forest.
Water and wetlands make mosquitoes thrive, because mosquitoes need water to reproduce.
That’s why “just spray more” is not a long-term plan.
A smart plan hits resting spots and breeding sources.
Should you switch companies?
Sometimes, yes.
Other times, you just need to steer the relationship back on track.
Here’s my driveway rule.
If your current company can answer your questions clearly, adjust the plan, and show you they understand your yard, you might not need to switch.
But if they dodge, rush, blame you, or keep repeating the same routine while your problem stays the same, switching is reasonable.
You’re not being dramatic.
That’s you protecting your outdoor season.
If you do switch, ask this on day one
You want to avoid buying the same disappointment twice.
Ask these before the first treatment:
“Will you walk my property and point out the hot spots?”
“Do you treat foliage and shaded resting zones, not just the lawn?”
“Will you treat tick habitat at the edges?”
“Will you talk with me about water sources?”
“Do you offer mosquito egg and larvae control if my yard needs it?”
Calm, clear answers are what you’re looking for.
What Mosquito Enemy does differently (without the hype)
I’ll keep this simple.
My focus is helping homeowners enjoy their yard again.
That means we don’t just show up, spray, and disappear.
We treat the places mosquitoes rest.
Ticks get attention too, especially the places they wait.
Water matters, because that’s where mosquitoes start.
Different families want different approaches, so we give you choices.
For the big-picture view, it’s laid out on our mosquito and tick control options page.
When your yard is one of those “new mosquitoes keep hatching” yards, we add Mosquito Egg & Larvae Control to cut the next wave at the source.
If you want to learn that option, it’s right here: Mosquito Egg & Larvae Control.
For homes where ticks are the main fear, look at our tick control program because tick work needs its own strategy.
When water is hiding up top, staying on top of your gutters is one of the most underrated mosquito-prevention moves a homeowner can make.
FAQ
Q: Why am I still getting bitten even though my yard is being treated?
A: The most common reason is that mosquitoes are still hatching from nearby water while adult mosquitoes are being knocked down. Another common reason is that the treatment isn’t hitting shaded resting spots where mosquitoes actually land during the day.
Details: New adults can replace the ones that were killed if breeding water is still active. Strong programs also focus on where mosquitoes rest, not just the open lawn. If the plan never changes, the results usually won’t change either.
Q: How long should a barrier treatment last, and what happens if it rains?
A: Most barrier treatments last for a stretch of time, but they fade as sun, heat, and time do their thing. Once everything has dried, normal rain usually isn’t the main reason results drop.
Details: Fresh puddles and new breeding sites after storms can make it feel like the spray failed overnight. Tight scheduling matters, because gaps let nature refill the problem fast. If a company blames rain every time, ask what they’re doing about the water that rain creates.
Q: Will mosquito control work if my neighbors don’t do anything?
A: Yes, it can still work, because your yard can become a much less friendly place for mosquitoes to rest and survive. Results usually get better when breeding water nearby is reduced too.
Details: Think of it like heat in a house. You can’t control the whole neighborhood, but you can control your own space. A smart plan lowers adults and reduces future hatches so the pressure drops over time.
Q: Is mosquito and tick treatment safe for kids and pets?
A: Safety depends on using products correctly and following the label, which is what licensed pros are trained to do. Most programs simply require kids and pets to stay off treated areas until everything is fully dry.
Details: Clear instructions should be given every visit, not mumbled as the truck pulls away. If you ever feel unsure, ask for the exact dry-time rule in plain English. Trust matters, and good answers build trust.
Q: What should a tick control service be treating besides the grass?
A: Tick work should focus on humid edge zones like woods lines, leaf litter, and borders where ticks wait for a host. Lawn-only spraying misses the places ticks actually spend their time.
Details: Ticks follow wildlife paths and edge habitats, which is why the border of your yard is often the real problem zone. A true tick plan treats the edges and the shaded pockets where ticks don’t dry out. When you reduce that habitat, you reduce the odds of a tick finding your family.
Ready to fix the problem without the runaround?
If you’re in Essex or northern half of Middlesex County MA, Rockingham County, Hillsborough County, Pelham NH and you’re tired of paying for a service that doesn’t feel like it’s working, let’s talk it through like neighbors.
Prefer to talk to a real person? Call us at 888-229-0095 and we’ll get you set up.
Email: jeff@mosquitoenemy.com
“It’s More Fun Outside”! with Mosquito Enemy.
