Pennsylvania is one of the worst Lyme states
PA consistently leads the US in confirmed Lyme cases. Bucks County and Northeast Philly are among the hottest counties because:
- Mature deciduous tree cover
- White-tailed deer populations
- Mild winters (since 2010) extending tick season
- Leaf litter every fall = ideal tick habitat
What an effective tick yard treatment does
We apply a residual liquid (bifenthrin or lambda-cyhalothrin) to the specific zones ticks live:
- Shaded edge between lawn and woods (the "transition zone")
- The first 3 feet of brush bordering the yard
- Leaf litter perimeter (we ask you to rake first if heavy)
- Shaded ornamental beds
- Fence lines
We do NOT spray:
- Open lawn — ticks don't survive there long
- Flowering plants
- Active vegetable gardens
When to treat
- Spring (April–May): Knocks down nymph ticks, which cause >90% of Lyme transmissions
- Fall (September–October): Knocks down adult ticks before they overwinter
Two treatments per year is the typical protocol. Heavy-Lyme-pressure properties (Bucks Co. wooded lots, Pennypack-adjacent in Torresdale) sometimes benefit from a third mid-summer treatment.
What this won't do
- It won't stop ticks on your pets if they walk in the woods every day — combine with vet-prescribed flea/tick prevention
- It won't reach ticks already attached to mice or deer on your property — but it dramatically cuts the questing-tick population
Combine with these
- Keep grass cut to under 3 inches near the yard perimeter
- Remove leaf litter in fall
- Stack firewood away from the house
- Consider a 3-foot wood chip barrier between lawn and woods