Cedarcide TickShield spray: does it work, and how to use it right

Last updated 2026-08-14

What is Cedarcide TickShield Extra Strength, exactly?

Cedarcide TickShield Extra Strength is a cedar oil based insecticide and repellent spray sold for use on skin, clothing, and outdoor surfaces. The active ingredient is cedarwood oil, sometimes blended with other plant oils depending on the formulation, rather than a synthetic pyrethroid like permethrin or bifenthrin. Because it relies on cedar oil and similar plant-derived ingredients that appear on the EPA's exempted list, products like this are typically registered as "minimum risk pesticides" under FIFRA 25(b). That federal exemption means the EPA does not require the same premarket registration review for these products that it requires for conventional pesticides, as long every active and inert ingredient is on the approved 25(b) list ^[1]. It does not mean the agency has certified the product as safe or effective; it means the ingredients are considered low enough risk that full registration isn't mandated. Worth saying plainly: "minimum risk" is a regulatory category, not a performance rating. A product can be minimum risk and still smell strong, still need reapplication every few hours outdoors, and still cause skin irritation in some people. Read the label the same way you'd read any pesticide label, because it is one.

Does cedar oil actually repel or kill mosquitoes and ticks?

Cedar oil has real insecticidal activity in lab settings, but the practical picture outdoors is mixed. Cedarwood oil is one of the plant-based repellents the CDC and EPA list as registered active ingredients that can offer some protection against mosquito bites, though the agency notes that duration of protection varies a lot by formulation and concentration ^[2]. The honest limitation is persistence. Oil-based botanical repellents volatilize quickly in heat, wind, and sunlight. A spray that gives you an hour or two of reduced mosquito landings on your arm is not the same thing as a treatment that keeps a quarter-acre yard mosquito-suppressed for two weeks. Contact kill on ticks and mosquitoes it touches directly is plausible; a lasting barrier across shrubs, mulch beds, and shaded resting sites is a much harder job, and that's the part where cedar oil sprays tend to underperform compared to residual synthetic products. If you're using a product like this on your skin before a hike, treat it like sunscreen: reapply often, don't expect all-day coverage, and pair it with covering exposed skin and tucking pants into socks in tick habitat.

How to get rid of mosquitoes around your yard

Getting rid of mosquitoes starts with water, not spray. The CDC states plainly that mosquitoes need standing water to breed, and that "most mosquitoes live within a few hundred feet of where they hatched" ^[3], which is why a single water source you miss can keep reinfesting your yard even after treatment. Walk your property every 3 to 4 days during warm months and dump, drain, or cover anything holding water: gutters, plant saucers, tarps, kids' toys, tire swings, birdbaths. Mosquito larvae can complete development from egg to adult in as little as 7 to 10 days in warm conditions, according to CDC guidance on the mosquito life cycle ^[3], so a weekly check is roughly the outer edge of useful. For water you can't dump (ornamental ponds, rain barrels), EPA-registered larvicides containing Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) target mosquito larvae specifically and are considered low-risk to birds, fish, and mammals when used per label ^[4]. Dunks or bits sold at hardware stores use this active ingredient. After source reduction, a barrier spray on vegetation, mulch beds, and shaded resting areas addresses the adult mosquitoes that are already flying in from a neighbor's yard or a storm drain you don't control. This is the layer where a mosquito control service earns its keep, because DIY barrier sprays from a hardware store box typically need reapplication every 2 to 3 weeks and most homeowners don't stick to that schedule once summer gets busy.

How to keep mosquitoes away all season, more than for one evening

Keeping mosquitoes away long-term takes layering, not a single product. No spray, plant, or gadget solves it alone; the households with the least mosquito trouble stack several tactics. Source reduction (dumping standing water) removes breeding sites. A residual barrier treatment on vegetation reduces the adult population that's already there. Personal repellent (DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus at EPA-recommended concentrations) covers the gap for the mosquitoes that get through anyway. The EPA's own repellent-finder guidance treats these three categories as complementary, not interchangeable ^[5]. Timing matters more than most people think. Mosquito activity tracks temperature, not the calendar, and many regions see the first real pressure once nighttime lows stay above roughly 50°F, with activity easing once temperatures drop back below that range in fall. Because that threshold hits different regions on very different dates, your local mosquito control district or extension service is a better source for "when does mosquito season start here" than a national rule of thumb. A seasonal barrier plan applied on a 10 to 14 day cycle through the warm months (this is the cadence Duskproof uses for its residential barrier service) targets the adult population on the reinfestation timeline mosquitoes actually operate on, rather than the once-a-summer treatment schedule a lot of DIY sprayers fall into.

When do mosquitoes go away for the year?

Mosquitoes go away, or at least go dormant, once temperatures consistently drop into the 50s Fahrenheit or below, though the exact date varies enormously by region and by mosquito species. Adult female mosquitoes of some species can overwinter in protected spots and re-emerge the following spring rather than dying off completely. In much of the northern U.S., meaningful mosquito activity typically wraps up somewhere between late September and late October as nightly lows fall. In the Gulf Coast, Florida, and other warm, humid regions, mosquito activity can continue nearly year-round with only a slowdown, not a stop. The CDC notes that mosquito species and their seasonal behavior vary regionally, which is exactly why a state or county mosquito control program is the right place to check a local "season end" date rather than relying on a single national answer ^[3]. A practical rule: keep barrier treatments and personal repellent habits going until you've had a solid stretch of cool nights, more than one cold snap. A late-season warm spell can bring mosquitoes right back out.

How do you get rid of ticks from your yard?

Getting ticks out of a yard means changing the habitat they hide in, then adding a barrier treatment on top. Ticks aren't strong fliers or jumpers; they quest from vegetation and wait for a host to brush past, so they cluster in specific microhabitats you can identify and treat. The CDC and university extension guidance both point to the same tick-reduction basics: mow the lawn regularly, clear leaf litter and brush, create a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawn and wooded areas to restrict tick migration, and keep playground equipment and seating away from yard edges ^[6]. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, which has run one of the longest-standing tick research programs in the country, has published guidance showing that this kind of landscape modification reduces tick encounters, particularly along the wooded perimeter where deer and rodent hosts move through . On top of habitat work, a licensed applicator can apply a barrier product labeled for ticks to the yard perimeter, leaf litter zones, and stone walls, which are classic blacklegged tick hiding spots. Homeowners doing this themselves should look for a product specifically labeled for tick control (more than mosquitoes) and apply it to the 3-foot perimeter zone and any shaded, humid areas, since that's where nymphal ticks concentrate, not the open lawn. For a full rundown of active ingredients and how DIY tick sprays compare to professional options, see tick repellent.

What plants repel mosquitoes, and do they actually work?

A mosquito repellent plant is a plant that contains natural oils, like citronellol, geraniol, or catnip's nepetalactone, that mosquitoes are believed to avoid or that have shown repellent activity in lab testing. Common examples people plant include citronella grass, lemon-scented plants, marigolds, catnip, lavender, and rosemary. The catch: having the plant in your yard is very different from having the repellent compound on your skin at an effective concentration. A study on catnip oil derivatives found strong repellent activity against Aedes aegypti in lab conditions, but the intact, uncrushed plant sitting in a pot on your patio isn't releasing oil at anything close to that concentration into the air around you . So: plant them if you like the way they look and smell. Don't expect a few pots of citronella grass to replace a barrier treatment or personal repellent. If you want the natural-ingredient route to actually do something, crushing leaves and applying the oil (or buying a product formulated with these plant oils at tested concentrations) gets you much closer to lab-tested efficacy than a decorative planter does. See natural mosquito repellent for more on which plant-based active ingredients have real EPA-recognized efficacy data versus which are folklore.

How to get rid of mosquitoes in the house

Getting mosquitoes out of the house means finding entry points and breeding spots indoors, more than spraying the air. Check window and door screens for tears, since a hole as small as a pencil eraser is enough for a mosquito to get through. Look for standing water indoors too: plant saucers, unused vases, even a pet's water bowl left out too long can support a few larvae if a female mosquito got inside and laid eggs. An indoor aerosol labeled for flying insects, used per label directions, handles mosquitoes already inside. For an ongoing problem, the fix is almost always outside: mosquitoes are getting in through a specific gap or screen, or they're breeding in a container within a few hundred feet of your door, per the CDC's guidance on mosquito flight range ^[3]. Fixing the outdoor source stops the indoor problem from recurring. If you're dealing with mosquitoes in the house regularly during warm months, it's worth having the exterior perimeter and any nearby standing water checked, since indoor sprays only ever treat the symptom.

How does Cedarcide TickShield compare to a professional barrier treatment?

Active ingredient type	Plant oil, FIFRA 25(b) minimum risk [1]	Typically a synthetic pyrethroid, EPA-registered
Typical residual on foliage	Hours to a few days	Roughly 2 to 3 weeks
Application scope	Spot spray, skin, small areas	Full yard perimeter, vegetation, resting sites
Who applies it	Homeowner, DIY	Licensed technician
Reapplication needed	Frequent, often after rain or a few days	Every 10 to 14 days on a seasonal plan
Best use case	Personal protection, supplemental spot treatment	Whole-yard population suppression	A cedar oil spray is a reasonable tool for spot-treating a patio table before a barbecue or for people who specifically want to avoid synthetic pyrethroids on skin. It is not a substitute for a barrier treatment across an entire yard, because the residual time and coverage area aren't in the same category. Duskproof's approach is a seasonal barrier plan on that 10 to 14 day cycle (or an installed misting system for yards that want automated coverage), which starts with a free yard assessment to map standing water, vegetation density, and the shaded areas where mosquitoes and ticks actually rest during the day.

The comparison comes down to residual time, coverage, and the ingredient category. Here's how a cedar oil consumer spray stacks up against a professional synthetic barrier treatment on the factors that matter for actual mosquito and tick suppression. | Factor | Cedar oil spray (e.g. TickShield) | Professional barrier treatment |

Is Cedarcide TickShield safe to use around kids and pets?

No pesticide, including a minimum-risk one, should be called safe without qualification, and that includes cedar oil products. "Minimum risk" under FIFRA 25(b) means the EPA doesn't require the same registration data package it requires for conventional pesticides, not that the product carries zero risk of skin irritation, allergic reaction, or toxicity if misused ^[1]. Cedar oil and other essential oils can cause skin irritation, and some are documented as toxic to cats specifically, since cats process certain plant compounds differently than dogs or humans do. Always read the label for species-specific warnings before applying any essential-oil-based product around pets, and keep any sprayed area away from direct pet or child contact until it has dried, per standard label guidance for these products. The safest approach for any pesticide, minimum risk or otherwise, is the one on the label: follow the stated dilution, application method, and reentry timing exactly, and don't assume "natural" means you can skip those steps.

What questions should you ask before hiring a mosquito control service?

Ask what's actually in the product and whether it's a synthetic pyrethroid, a botanical, or an IGR (insect growth regulator), since that determines the residual time you're paying for. Ask about the treatment cycle: a 10 to 14 day cycle through the season is standard for barrier sprays because that roughly matches how fast vegetation growth and rain wash the product off leaf surfaces. Ask whether the company does a standing-water inspection as part of the visit, more than a spray-and-leave. Source reduction is free and it's the single highest-leverage step per CDC guidance ^[3], so a service that skips it is leaving easy wins on the table. Ask about tick coverage specifically if that's a concern; not every mosquito barrier treatment targets the same zones a tick treatment needs (leaf litter, stone walls, the wooded perimeter), per the habitat-based approach described in tick management guidance ^[6]. A free yard assessment is the right first step to get specific answers for your property rather than generic national averages, since lot size, vegetation, standing water, and regional mosquito or tick species all change what a treatment plan should look like.

Frequently asked questions

How to get rid of mosquitoes fast in a backyard before an event?

Dump every source of standing water first, then have a barrier spray applied to shaded vegetation and resting sites at least 24 to 48 hours before the event, since most residual products need time to bind to leaf surfaces. Adding fans on the patio helps too; mosquitoes are weak fliers and struggle in even light moving air.

How to get rid of mosquitoes in the house overnight?

Check screens for tears, remove any standing water in plant saucers or vases, and use an indoor aerosol labeled for flying insects per its label directions. A bed net or a fan pointed at the sleeping area also helps, since mosquitoes are poor fliers in moving air. If it keeps happening, look outside for the entry point or nearby breeding source.

What plants repel mosquitoes the most effectively?

Citronella grass, catnip, marigolds, lavender, and rosemary all contain compounds studied for repellent activity, but lab tests generally use extracted or crushed oil, not the intact potted plant. Research on catnip-derived nepetalactone has found it repels Aedes aegypti effectively in lab settings, though the whole plant alone offers far weaker protection ^[8].

How do you get rid of ticks from your yard without chemicals?

Mow regularly, clear leaf litter and brush, and create a 3-foot-wide wood chip or gravel barrier between lawn and wooded edges to restrict tick movement, per CDC yard guidance ^[6]. Keep play areas and seating away from the yard perimeter. These habitat changes reduce tick encounters but won't eliminate a tick population entirely on their own.

When do mosquitoes go away for the season in most of the U.S.?

Mosquito activity typically drops off once nighttime lows consistently fall into the 50s Fahrenheit or lower, which lands anywhere from late September in northern states to not really happening at all in year-round warm climates like the Gulf Coast. Check your local mosquito control district or extension service for a region-specific date.

Is Cedarcide TickShield Extra Strength EPA-approved?

It's registered as a minimum-risk pesticide under FIFRA 25(b), meaning its ingredients appear on the EPA's exempted active ingredient list and it doesn't require full premarket registration ^[1]. That's a regulatory category, not a certification of safety or effectiveness, so it should still be used exactly per its label.

How often do I need to reapply a cedar oil tick and mosquito spray?

Cedar oil and other plant-oil sprays volatilize quickly outdoors, often needing reapplication within a few hours on skin or after a few days on surfaces, especially after rain or heat. This is far more frequent than the 10 to 14 day cycle typical of professional synthetic barrier treatments on vegetation.

What's the difference between a mosquito barrier spray and a misting system?

A barrier spray is applied by a technician on a schedule, usually every 10 to 14 days, directly to vegetation and resting sites. A misting system is installed permanently around the property and released automatically on a timer or remotely, offering more frequent coverage without a technician visit each time, at a higher upfront installation cost.

How to keep mosquitoes away from a patio during dinner?

Combine a fan (mosquitoes fly poorly in moving air), citronella or DEET-based personal repellent, and removal of any standing water within 30 feet. A recent barrier treatment on surrounding shrubs adds another layer. No single tactic works as well as stacking two or three together.

Do ultrasonic mosquito repellent devices actually work?

Independent testing, including reviews cited by university extension entomology programs, has generally found no reliable evidence that ultrasonic devices reduce mosquito bites. Source reduction, barrier treatments, and EPA-registered personal repellents have documented efficacy; ultrasonic devices largely don't.

How do I know if I have a tick problem versus a mosquito problem in my yard?

Ticks are found by dragging a white cloth through grass and leaf litter at the yard edge, wooded perimeter, and stone walls; mosquitoes are usually obvious from bites at dusk and dawn near standing water or dense shade. Many yards have both, and a professional assessment can map which zones need which treatment.

Can I use a DIY cedar oil spray instead of hiring a mosquito control service?

For occasional personal use or spot-treating a patio before an event, yes. For whole-yard population suppression over a season, a DIY spray's short residual time and limited coverage area make it a poor substitute for a barrier treatment applied on a 10 to 14 day cycle across the full property.

Sources

1. CDC, Preventing Mosquito Bites: EPA-registered repellent active ingredients including plant-based oils can offer protection against mosquito bites
2. CDC, Mosquito Life Cycle: Mosquitoes need standing water to breed, most live within a few hundred feet of where they hatched, and can develop from egg to adult in about 7 to 10 days
3. EPA, Find the Repellent that is Right for You: EPA lists registered repellent active ingredient categories including DEET, picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus as effective options
4. CDC, Preventing Ticks in the Yard: Yard modifications like mowing, clearing leaf litter, and a 3-foot wood chip barrier between lawn and woods reduce tick presence
5. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Tick Management Handbook (PDF): Landscape modification along the wooded yard perimeter reduces tick encounters
6. PubMed, "Repellent activity of catnip, the pure nepetalactone and its isomers against mosquitoes": Nepetalactone and catnip oil derivatives showed repellent activity against Aedes aegypti in laboratory testing