Locally Owned & Operated in Massachusetts Since 1984
If you’ve spent any time in your yard this spring or fall, you’ve probably noticed ticks are becoming a bigger issue across Massachusetts. With the National Pest Management Association naming ticks the 2025 Pest of the Year and blacklegged (deer) ticks still carrying Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis, a lot of homeowners are looking for real protection instead of just hoping for the best.
At Colonial Pest Control, we’ve been protecting families in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since our founders started the company right here in 1984. We treat your home and yard the same way we’d treat our own — with care, precision, and respect for the environment around us. That’s why our tick control isn’t a one-and-done spray or a broadcast treatment that wipes out the good bugs along with the bad.
Why Ticks Keep Showing Up in Massachusetts Yards
Ticks aren’t just a nuisance here — they’re a real health concern. The blacklegged tick is the primary culprit in our area, and its two-year life cycle makes it especially persistent. Larvae and nymphs pick up pathogens from small rodents and birds, then the poppy-seed-sized nymphs (hardest to spot) peak from May through July. Adults become active again in spring and fall. These pesky creatures are most notable for being the primary carrier for Lyme disease.
These ticks thrive in the ecotone — the transition zones where your lawn meets woods, brush, leaf litter, or shaded edges under decks. New ticks arrive constantly thanks to deer, birds, and neighborhood wildlife, so a single visit or DIY product rarely delivers lasting results.
Why Most Tick Treatments Fall Short
Broadcast sprays and one-time services often miss the real hotspots and can impact pollinators and beneficial insects that help your yard stay healthy. Ticks rebound quickly without ongoing, targeted management. That’s why we focus on proactive, responsible prevention instead of reactive knockdowns.
Our Targeted, Responsible Approach to Tick Control
We use a true Integrated Pest Management strategy built around your specific property. Our certified technicians start with a thorough inspection to identify tick pressure, harborage areas, and conducive conditions.
Then we apply a proactive granular insecticide directly along the ecotone — those critical edges and transition zones where ticks live and quest. This method targets ticks in all life stages while minimizing impact on pollinators and other beneficial insects that many traditional mosquito and tick services affect with broad applications.
We also work with you on practical habitat modifications that make a real difference:
Create a simple 3-foot woodchip or gravel barrier between your lawn and any wooded edges.
Clear leaf litter and tall grass near play areas, foundations, and under decks.
Keep grass mowed and trim back dense vegetation.
Stack firewood neatly away from the house.
These steps, combined with our treatments, help break the cycle without turning your yard into a chemical zone.
Blackleegged (deer) tick questing
American dog tick questing
The Platinum Preventative Maintenance Program — Smart, Ongoing Protection
Here’s where Massachusetts homeowners get the best value. Our semi-annual Preventative Maintenance Program already delivers two thorough exterior treatments per year that protect against ants, mice, spiders, and dozens of other common household pests around your foundation, under decks, at entry points, and along eaves.
Upgrade to the Platinum Plan and we add those targeted tick treatments along the ecotone at the optimal times for the tick life cycle. Your first service includes a comprehensive inspection and clean-out treatment to quickly reduce existing populations. From there, the scheduled visits keep numbers low and prevent new arrivals from taking hold.
It’s convenient (just two visits a year), cost-effective, and includes unlimited callbacks for covered pests (exclusions apply). One local company, one customized plan, and real peace of mind for your family and pets.
We use modern, low-impact, micro-encapsulated materials that provide long residual protection so we don’t have to treat as often. That’s better for your home and better for the environment we all share.
Locally owned and operated by the original founders since 1984 — we live and work right here.
Deep knowledge of Massachusetts tick pressures, microclimates, and what actually works in our yards.
We treat every property like it was our own family’s home.
Focused on targeted, environmentally responsible methods that protect pollinators while delivering results.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee — if you’re not happy, we’ll make it right.
Ready to Take Back Your Yard?
Don’t let ticks limit how you enjoy your property this season and beyond. The most effective approach starts with a thorough inspection and clean-out treatment, then transitions into the ongoing Platinum Preventative Maintenance Program for lasting protection.
The black-legged tick (also called the deer tick), American dog tick, and lone star tick are the species most frequently encountered in New England yards. Black-legged ticks are the primary concern because of their small size and high disease risk.
Black-legged ticks commonly transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. American dog ticks can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Lone star ticks are increasingly reported and have been linked to ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy) in some regions.
Nymphs are tiny — roughly the size of a poppy seed — and most active from spring through summer. They account for the majority of disease transmissions because they are extremely hard to spot and often pick up bacteria from small rodents before biting people or pets.
Our Tick Control Program: Treatment & What to Expect
We apply a specialized water-activated granular treatment twice per year as an enhancement to our structural preventative maintenance program. The granules target the ecotone (lawn-to-woods edge) and leaf litter where ticks live and where their most vulnerable life stages are found. This integrated approach improves results while reducing impact on pollinators and other beneficial insects through controlled release.
No. It is offered only as an add-on to our regular preventative maintenance program and is currently available in Massachusetts only. It is not offered as a standalone service.
The granular tick application adds $150 per treatment (up to 500 linear feet of treatment area), for a total of $300 per year on top of your regular service fees.
No. Our treatments significantly reduce tick populations in treated zones, but ticks frequently hitchhike on deer, rodents, birds, and pets and can be dropped into even well-maintained yards. Consistent reduction of leaf litter, tall grass, and woodpiles near the house remains essential for keeping levels low.
Yes. The product is a water-activated granule. Ground moisture, rain, or a light watering from a garden hose activates it and carries the material into the soil and treatment areas, making it much safer for non-target animals, children, and beneficial insects once activated.
Maintain a tidy perimeter by clearing leaf litter and brush within a few feet of the house, mowing regularly, and creating a simple barrier of wood chips or gravel between wooded edges and your lawn. Perform thorough tick checks on family members and pets after outdoor time, especially during peak nymph activity in spring and summer. Our combined program addresses both the ticks and the conditions that support them.
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