A Look at the Guide 042325 : simplebooklet.com

Acknowledgements Barb and Bob Maurais of Tick BYTES are grateful to those who have inspired and supported us along our journey to educate and better protect the public from ticks and tick-borne illnesses. A special thank you to: Dr. Kirby Stafford III Chief Entomologist Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven (Retired, 2022), author of the Tick Management Handbook which provides sourced tick information that we have shared with audiences for over 20 years. Dr. Tom Mather, University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter.org program. Tick Encounter is the premier educational resource for ticks. MaineLyme.org fellow founders Carol Sylvester, Vicky Delfino, Leslie Abrons, Happy Dickey RN, Susan Holmes, and advisory board member Beatrice Szantyr, MD. In 2010, this group of women created the nonprofit resource, whose mission was to decrease the prevalence of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses through awareness, prevention, education & advocacy. Lyme Advocates & Educators Rhonda Buker, Diane Farnum, Angele Rice, and Paula Jackson Jones have been instrumental in educating advocates, medical professionals, and Maine families about tick-borne diseases and have hosted numerous conferences in Western and Mid-Coast Maine. Pat Smith, New Jersey based President of Lyme Disease Association, and forty-year advocate for Lyme patients, was also a tireless resource and educator. Griffin Dill of the U of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab has provided tick collection infor-mation. Dr. Peter Rand from the Maine Medical Center Vector-borne disease laboratory. In 2005, Dr. Rand provided us with resources needed to detail and understand the 2-year life cycle of the deer tick. Chuck Lubelczyk, Vector Ecologist from the Vector Borne-Disease Laboratory who continues to share his in-the-field vector-borne research. Ed Maurais had the vision back in 2004 to protect people, pets and properties in Southern Maine from ticks and tick-borne illnesses with an affordable and effective tick management program cen-tered around education and awareness. Jonathan Maurais for his inspiration, insight and guidance in recommending that we establish a Pest Management presence specific to tick control in Southern Maine. Maine’s US Senator Susan Collins for her ongoing legislative support for Lyme disease research. Tick IPM Working Group - Bob is a member of this national collaborative group that shares timely and pertinent research and trends of ticks and vector-borne diseases. Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 i

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Acknowledgements……………………………. i Table of Contents…………………………...…. ii Glossary……………………………………..….. iii Preface………………………………………….. iv Introduction……………………………………… 1 Background…………………………………….. 3 Integrated Pest Management………………… 7 Member Only Access Employing Pesticides……………………..…… 8 Pesticide Classifications…...………………..... 9 Pesticide Label……………………………....... 10 Environmental Hazards……………………..... 12 Safety Data Sheet…………………………..... 13 Personal Protection Equipment……………… 14 A Look at a Typical Property……………..….. 15 Measuring your Property…………………..…. 17 Creating your Property Sketch……………..... 18 Application Equipment……………………..…. 19 Backpack Sprayers……………………….…… 20 Calibration of Spray Equipment……….…….. 21 Selecting your Chemistry…………………….. 22 Chemistry Considerations………………….... 24 Mixing your Chemistry……………………….. 25 Treating your Lawn…………………………… 27 Treating your Perimeter…………………..…. 28 How & When to Treat……………………..…. 29 Treating Outside Your Home…………….…. 31 Record Keeping……………………………… 32 Resources—Sprayers………………………. 37 Resources—Chemistry……………………… 38 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 ii Table of Contents

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Glossary Botanical Chemistry - Botanical insecticides are naturally occurring chemicals (insect toxins) ex-tracted or derived from plants or minerals. Citizen Scientists – Ordinary Citizens participating in scientific research, contributing data, insights, and observations to address real-world problems and advance scientific knowledge. Co-infections - A person can be infected with both Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses sim-ultaneously, such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Ehrlichia, Powassan virus and others which can complicate diagnosis and treatment. General Use Pesticides - General use pesticides are those that can be purchased and used by the general-public without needing special training or a license. They are readily available for personal use on an individual's property and don't require the same level of certification as restricted use chemistry. IPM – Integrated Pest Management is a science-based approach to pest control that emphasizes long-term prevention and the use of various methods to manage pests, minimizing the need for pes-ticides. Lyme Disease - A bacterial infection, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and spread by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, and can cause a variety of symp-toms, including a characteristic rash, fever, fatigue, and joint pain. PMP – Pest Management Professionals PPE – Personal Protection Equipment - PPE refers to gear worn to protect against workplace hazards and injuries. This includes items like gloves, safety glasses, respirators, and hard hats, among others. The purpose of PPE is to minimize exposure to various hazards. Restricted Use Pesticides - Restricted use pesticides (RUPs) in the United States are those not available for purchase or use by the general-public. They require certification and training for appli-cators before application. SDS – Safety Data Sheet –formerly known as a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), is a docu-ment that provides information about the hazards of a chemical and advice on safety precautions. Synthetic Chemistry – Man-made (not naturally occurring) chemicals manufactured to control pests, including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides. TBD – Tick Borne Diseases Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 iii

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Lyme disease and associated co-infections in tick endemic areas pose significant health risks to people and pets. Experts estimate that three quarters of all Lyme disease cases are acquired from ticks picked up during activities around the home, from playing in the yard to tending to your garden. Recent CDC data shows that children and senior citizens continue to be at highest risk for contract-ing tick-borne diseases. Despite our best efforts to address the increase in tick-borne illnesses, we are falling short. We employ, often on a sporadic basis, personal protection strategies—using repellents, frequent tick checks, and landscape alterations—mowing lawns, cleaning up leaf litter) in hopes of reducing future tick encounters. It’s time to integrate these long standing efforts with new and innovative Do-it-Yourself concepts and approaches. Is Do-It-Yourself pest control practical? The science behind pest management demonstrates that routine pest issues can be efficiently and effectively managed on a sustainable basis by:  Accurately identifying the pests  Utilizing appropriate chemistry  Deploying properly measured and timed treatments  Monitoring and recording results Professional results require implementing a professional protocol with attention to detail. Tick BYTES Time to Treat for Ticks and Mosquitoes Guide teaches the when, where ,and how to proactively treat one’s property by integrating education, effective eco-friendly chemistry, battery powered spray equipment and proven application techniques. Our detailed step-by-step manual will share our 20 years of experience, strategies, and techniques to better protect your family, neighborhood and community. What are the limitations of DIY? When should I call a professional? Consider employing the services of a licensed Pest Management Professional when dealing with immediate, established, or reoccurring pest issues including: Immediate:  Stinging insects, including wasps and yellow jackets  Wildlife inside a dwelling Established:  Termites and other wood-boring insects including carpenter ants  Bed bugs  Indoor rodent population Recurring: If ongoing pest presence persists, especially indoors, call upon the services of a licensed PMP (Pest Management Professional). Our DIY model is designed to be ongoing and proactive in nature, is intended to reduce future pest encounters. It highlights the repellency and efficacy of botanical chemistry and the sustainable benefits when employed on a consistent, area-wide basis. It is not intended to be the silver bullet to all pest issues. An immediate, established or reoccurring pest problem is best handled by a knowledgeable Pest Management Professional. Preface Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 iv

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In 2004, Dr. Kirby C. Stafford, Chief Scientist/State Entomologist (retired, 2022) with The Connecticut Agricul-tural Experiment Station in New Ha-ven, published the first edition of the Tick Management Handbook, An Integrated guide for homeowners, pest control operators, and public health officials for the prevention of tick-associated diseases. Here is a link to the fall 2007 edition of the Tick Management Handbook. Tick Management Handbook Introducon In it, Dr. Stafford writes: “An estimated three quarters of all Lyme disease cases are acquired from ticks picked up during activities around the home. With the steady increase in the incidence and geographic spread of Lyme disease, there is a need for homeowners, public health officials, and the pest control industry to learn how to manage or control the tick population.” - Kirby C. Stafford III Chief Scientist, CAES 1 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525

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Knowing this, it is logical to prioritize protecting our own backyards. Traditionally, reducing the number of ticks on one's property was primarily the responsibility of indi-vidual homeowners engaging a Pest Management Professional to treat a specific area. With the Increasing prevalence of debilitating tick-borne illnesses within our communities, there is an urgent need to integrate “tried and true” protection strategies with new, innovative concepts and approach-es to control tick populations, prevent tick bites, and reduce tick-borne diseases. Our unique Tick BYTES model equips homeowners, neighborhoods and communities with proven strategies, educational resources, and best practices to better protect families from future tick and mosquito encounters. Drawing on over 20 years of experience as a Pest Management Professional and the extensive background of two lifelong educators, Barb and Bob Maurais are proud to share this timely step-by-step DIY guide. Reducing the incidence of established and emerging tick-borne diseases will require:  A renewed commitment to implementing proven personal protection measures and landscape best practices while integrating eco-friendly area treatments on a consistent basis.  A collective and sustained community-wide educational effort along with an in-depth understand-ing of how ecological, environmental, and social factors contribute to the increased risk of tick bites and associated tick-borne diseases.  Ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of both current and innovative strategies. When it comes to tick-borne illnesses, prevention is the BEST prescription. The old adage that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could not be more appropriate. Our proactive and sustained efforts must be proportional to the ongoing threat. We are confident that the contents of this guide will better protect your family, neighborhood, and community from future tick and mosquito encounters. 2 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525

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Background The number of cases of Lyme disease and tick-borne pathogens in humans reported each year in the United States have been increasing steadily, currently totaling tens of thousands annually. The Northeast and Upper Mid-west have the highest incidences. The reasons behind this increase are complex and involve multiple factors including:  Ecological changes, including climate change and shifts in land use patterns.  An increase in deer and wildlife populations and closer associations between humans and wildlife.  Human behavioral changes that have led to greater exposure risks.  Improvements in disease diagnosis, surveillance, and reporting practices. To address the increasing threat of Tick-Borne Diseases (TBD), Pest Management Professionals have employed elements of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a scientific strategy that embraces multiple control methods synergistically to reduce populations of targeted pests while minimizing risks to people and the environment. The goal of IPM for prevention of TBD’s is to reduce human illness and associated economic costs while minimizing potential environmental impacts. Graphic Courtesy of CDC 3 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525

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Tick Encounters – A Growing Concern Data from as early as 1989 suggested that acquiring a deer tick is most likely to occur in a residen-tial environment during activities including yard work, gardening and playing outdoors. Additionally, seniors and children continue to be most at risk. Recent numbers from the University of Maine Tick Surveillance Program confirm that approximately 68% of deer tick submitted to the tick lab by home-owners encountered them on their own property with yard work, gardening and playing outdoors being the most commonly reported activities. Of those who submitted ticks to the Tick Lab in 2024, approximately 16% reported using some type of personal protection measure at the time of their tick encounter . Historically, individual homeowners have man-aged pest issues, including ticks and mosqui-toes, by engaging Pest Management Profes-sionals on their properties, lacking coordinated neighborhood or community efforts. In addition, this industry often uses less expensive synthetic chemistry with more frequent, pre-scheduled applications. However, evidence suggests that in many instances fewer, properly timed, and targeted treatments can be effective using scientific practices which benefit consumers and the environment. Acknowledging that we don’t spend 100% of our time in our own backyards, and that we are a mo-bile society, Tick BYTES recognizes the importance of treating beyond property boundaries and embracing protection on a neighborhood and community scale. Beyond area treatments, the barri-ers to implementing a home-neighborhood-community wide IPM network requires embracing and consistently employing multiple intervention methods (personal protection strategies, landscape best practices, frequent tick checks after outdoor activity), recognizing that a layered approach within our neighborhoods and community will only enhance the overall efficacy. Given the multiyear lifecycle of most ticks, it also can take several years for the overall impact of integrated interventions to be fully evaluated. Thus, a coordinated approach must be established, embraced, documented and sustained. Benefits of DIY. Consider:  No yearly contracts.  Treatments on your own schedule and targeting specific pests on your property.  Sharing strategies, resources and spray equipment amongst neighbors.  Enhanced protection by treating contiguous (neighboring) properties.  Thorough understanding of chemistry, treatment timing and proven application techniques.  Prioritizing eco-friendly chemistry effectively protecting people, pets and pollinators, Naturally! While more and more people are embracing IPM principles, scaling up tick and general pest control efforts beyond individual backyards to neighborhoods and communities will require engagement and cooperation. The scale and scope of success will in large part be determined by how well individu-als, neighborhoods and the community embrace and implement the DIY model - first, efforts to re-duce tick and mosquito encounters with humans and pets, and secondly, the commitment, cost and sustainability of an ongoing program year after year. Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 4 Graphic courtesy of UMO Tick Lab View Complete Report - PDF

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Tick BYTES adds a new dimension to the word Integrated in Integrated Pest Management – it’s a comprehensive Do-It-Yourself, Step-by-Step pest control model that will engage, educate and empower homeowners to protect their own properties, neighborhoods and communities by Integrating:  Education  Proven Application Techniques  Battery Powered Backpack Sprayers  Botanical Chemistry  Education is recognized as the foundation of any IPM model which:  Fosters a better understanding of the overall challenges of protecting people & pets from tick & mosquito-borne illnesses while addressing our commitment to care for our environment and pollinators.  Reduces the risk of tick and mosquito encounters by highlighting multiple intervention strategies including personal protection strategies (skin and clothing repellents), landscape best practices (managing vegetation and controlling leaf litter), area-wide acaracide treatments, and most importantly, multiple tick checks immediately following outdoor activities.  Emphasizes and reflects on Barb and Bob Maurais’ 20-year history of conducting community based educational talks throughout Southern Maine and beyond.  Carefully identifies and employs appropriate intervention measures needed to reduce risk, making a measurable difference in the efficiency and safety of an IPM program.  Empowers homeowners to confidently provide timely, effective and sustainable pest control on their own property.  Proven Application Techniques: Bob Maurais shares strategies and application techniques developed over 20 years as a Certified Master Applicator in the State of Maine having treated thousands of residential properties for ticks and mosquitoes, providing timely, effective and sustainable protection for homeowners. 5 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525

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Manual & Battery Powered Sprayers: Our DIY pest control model relies on affordable, reliable and easy-to-use manual pump or battery powered back pack sprayers to deliver the appropriate dose of chemistry specific to the pest being targeted with precision and effectiveness. Prices start at $16.00 for a simple hand-pump, 2-gallon capacity unit to several hundred dollars for a battery operated high-pressure model. Botanical Chemistry Unlike pesticides widely used by many pest control operators, botanical products are becoming more wildly accepted as an affordable and effective alternative to synthetic chemistry, having evolved in their overall efficacy and improved residual. Being non-toxic, botanicals minimize the impact to nontarget organisms (bees, butterflies) - a natural alternative to not only eco-conscious homeowners, but widely regarded as a safer alternative to synthetic pesticides and likely to foster neighborhood and community acceptance in protecting people, pets and pollinators, Naturally! Nature-Cide X2 Commercial Concentrate Tick BYTES takes a fresh look at IPM to address the growing incidences of tick-borne illnesses on a scale beyond individual properties, including neighborhoods and communities in managing tick populations. 6 Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525

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Components of IPM:  Identify the pest  Understand the life cycle  Develop a management goal  Implement the IPM program beyond your own backyard  Record and evaluate results  Identify the pest A successful pest management program starts with identifying the pest correctly. Selecting an appropriate pest control method depends on recognizing and understanding the pest, its habits and habitat. Integrated Pest Management programs aim to balance the need for pest control with the goal of protecting people, pets and pollinators. Understand the life cycle Knowing the life cycle of the various pests will assist with determining the appropriate timing for seasonal and/or ongoing applications. Develop a pest management goal The aim of a tick and mosquito IPM program is to significantly reduce the likelihood of future tick and mosquito encounters. Effective IPM combines prevention and suppression techniques, rarely focusing on total eradication. A sound IPM strategy integrates multiple tactics, including education, sustained personal protection strategies and appropriate ongoing landscape modifications, prioritizing nonchemical behavioral modifications for more effective and longer-lasting control. Implement the IPM program beyond your own backyard Engage, educate, empower and execute - while treating one’s own property might provide immediate localized protection, expanding beyond the confines of your property enhances the level of protection within a neighborhood and community. We are a mobile society - we visit our friends in neighbor-hoods distant from our own, our children join their friends for a ballgame across town. Engage, educate and empower your friends and neighbors as to the benefits of treating contiguous (neighboring) properties. Then execute. Take the necessary steps to better protect members of your family, neighborhood and community from ticks, mosquitoes and their associated pathogens. Record and evaluate results Recording and evaluating is essential for determining when to act against ever-present and growing pest populations, and deciding which control measure and chemistry to use. Constantly recording and evaluating results will help to assess the efficacy of your IPM efforts, whether modifications are required, and if there are any harmful human and environmental effects. Take direct control of pest management on your own property. While our primary focus will be on protecting homeowners from vector-borne insects and arthropods (mosquitoes and ticks), eco-friendly chemistry will also reduce a host of common pests around the home, including ants, fleas and more. Integrated Pest Management Copyright © 2025 Tick BYTES LLC Revised 041525 7

A Look at the Guide 042325

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