Protect Your Property with Natural Treatments for Ticks and Mosquitoes

As climate shifts and pest populations rise, many Ontario homeowners are looking for safe, effective ways to enjoy their outdoor spaces without inviting ticks and mosquitoes to the party. If you want to protect your loved ones, pets, and pollinators while steering clear of harsh chemicals, you’re not alone.

At Beautiful Trees Inc., we offer plant-based yard treatments designed to repel ticks and mosquitoes naturally. These earth-friendly applications provide seasonal protection while supporting biodiversity and soil health.

Why Go Natural?

Conventional insecticides used in residential landscapes often contain synthetic pyrethroids or permethrin, chemicals that can harm bees, aquatic invertebrates, birds, and even the soil microbiome. Natural alternatives like garlic spray and cedar oil offer targeted pest deterrence without compromising ecological integrity.

Plant-based treatments are effective because they:

  • Disrupt insect olfaction (smell)
  • Mask host-detection cues
  • Interfere with insect hormone pathways
  • Create a hostile microenvironment for insect breeding and feeding

And the best part? They smell like nature, not a lab.

The Science Behind Garlic Spray

Mosquitoe on Arm Photo credit National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Mosquitoe on Arm Photo credit National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Garlic contains a potent array of organosulfur compounds, like allicin, which are released when the plant is crushed. These sulphur-based molecules are highly irritating to ticks, mosquitoes, aphids, and many other soft-bodied insects.

Scientific support:

  • Studies show allicin disrupts insect nervous systems and repels feeding insects by altering surface scent profiles
  • Field applications have demonstrated reduced tick presence and mosquito landing rates in garlic-treated zones

Once applied, the scent quickly fades for humans but continues to confuse insects for weeks.

Cedar Oil: Nature’s Ingenious Disruptor for Insects

Tick on Skin Photo Credit Dave Cheung, DKB Digital Designs
Tick on Skin Photo Credit Dave Cheung, DKB Digital Designs

Our treatments use cedar oil derived from Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), a native species in Ontario. This oil contains powerful compounds including α-thujone, β-thujone, cedrol, borneol, and hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin).

These natural compounds have been shown to:

  • Disrupt octopamine receptors in insects (receptors used for movement, metabolism, and reproduction)
  • Impair their ability to smell and orient toward hosts
  • Dehydrate soft-bodied insects by dissolving protective waxes on their exoskeletons

Research-backed results:

  • Thujone and cedrol both exhibit neurotoxic effects on insects, acting as a repellent and reducing their ability to function
  • Cedar oil is a deterrent for egg-laying behaviour

Note: While many U.S.-based studies focus on Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar), the chemistry of Thuja occidentalis offers a distinct yet effective botanical profile, especially suited to Canadian ecosystems.

What to Expect From a Treatment

When you book a garlic and/or cedar oil treatment with us, here’s what to expect:

  1. Property Assessment: We walk the site to identify high-risk areas like long grass, woodland edges, shady moist zones, and wild animal trails.
  2. Custom Formulation: We use professional-grade, ecologically safe garlic and cedar-based products approved for residential and garden use.
  3. Thorough Application: Treatments are applied using backpack or hose-end sprayers for complete coverage of perimeters, lawn edges, garden beds, and areas known to harbour these pests.
  4. Follow-Up & Advice: We recommend a seasonal application plan (usually every 2–3 weeks during active tick and mosquito season) and provide additional tips to help you maintain a pest-resistant landscape.

Seasonality & Frequency

  • Ticks: Active from April to November (peak in spring and fall)
  • Mosquitoes: Peak in June to August

For best results, we recommend beginning treatments early in the season and repeating every 2–3 weeks, especially after rainfall or heavy dew events.

Extra Steps You Can Take

Landcsaped Area being Protected from Mostquitoes and Ticks Photo credit Alvin Matthews
Landcsaped Area being Protected from Mostquitoes and Ticks Photo credit Alvin Matthews

While treatments form the core of your defence, we also advise the following landscape management practices to help deter pests naturally:

  • Mow and trim regularly to reduce tick habitat
  • Add woodchip or gravel borders (30 to 90 cm wide) between the lawn and forest edges to discourage ticks from moving into your yard
  • Eliminate standing water (birdbaths, buckets, gutters) since they are essentially nurseries for baby mosquitoes
  • Encourage tick and mosquito predators (birds, dragonflies, spiders)
  • Incorporate insect-repelling plants like lemon balm, catnip, yarrow, and bee balm

Why Choose Us?

We know your land is more than just a yard; it’s a special outdoor sanctuary. Our treatments are designed not only to make it safer and more comfortable, but to protect the life within it. Whether you’re raising kids, growing food, or simply seeking peace, our garlic and cedar oil sprays let you reclaim your space naturally.

  today to schedule a seasonal yard treatment.

Protect Your Property with Natural Treatments for Ticks and Mosquitoes

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Contact Us Today for Quality, Professional, and Experienced Tree care. Where you and your green space are our number one priority.

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