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Pest control
Bugs shouldn't get to decide when you go inside. Sunday's pest control lineup helps you take back the patio and the kitchen counter with plant-powered sprays and baits. You apply them yourself in about 10 minutes.
Scroll on to see how we match the right product to the right pest.
About outdoor bug control
Outdoor bug control is about creating a comfortable space where you can actually enjoy the yard you're working hard on. You don't need to drench it in powerful pesticides to get there.
We build every pest product around Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. It works in this order:
- Identify the pest first. Mosquitoes rest in shaded, damp spots. Ticks wait in leaf litter and tall grass. Ants trail from mounds or foundation cracks. Fleas ride in on pets.
- Remove what's feeding or housing them. Standing water, overgrown edges, wood piles, and crumbs on the counter.
- Change the environment. Mow and prune to open up shade so pests have fewer places to hide.
- Treat as the last step, and only the zone where your family spends time.
When treatment makes sense, our formulas use targeted ingredients like cedar oil, lemongrass oil, spinosad, and pyrethrin (derived from chrysanthemum flowers). They work on contact and break down in your yard. No DEET, ever.
A healthy yard is a less pest-friendly yard, so pest control fits alongside your lawn and garden care rather than replacing it. Sunday is also a member of 1% for the Planet, because a better yard and a healthier planet go together. Read more about the Sunday approach to pest control.
Types of outdoor bug control products
Each product below solves one pest problem well. Use a targeted approach to control only the pests you have, instead of reaching for a single all-purpose spray.
Mosquito sprays
Mosquito Deleto Bug Control Spray uses concentrated cedar and lemongrass oils. Cedar oil kills adult mosquitoes on contact. It handles ticks and fleas too. Lemongrass oil repel newcomers for up to 4 weeks in dry regions. One 32 oz hose-end bottle covers up to 5,000 sq ft and takes about 10 minutes to apply. Safe for kids and pets when used as directed. Browse the full mosquito spray category for 2-packs and plans.
Tick sprays
Nix Ticks Tick Spray contains 17% cedarwood oil for ground-level application in shady, wooded edges where ticks live. It also kills fleas and repels mosquitoes. Each bottle covers up to 5,000 sq ft, and it's safe for kids and pets when used as directed. If your yard borders woods or tall grass, start with the tick spray category.
Ant baits and granulars
First, a quick word for the ants. Many species aerate soil and eat other pests. Reach for bait when ants are damaging your lawn or landscape, or when they're using your foundation as a front door.
Ant Adios Insect & Ant Killer is a spinosad-based granular bait that worker ants carry back, leading to full control of the colony, including the queen. Expect the colony to decline within 3 to 14 days, with full control in 2 to 4 weeks. It's OMRI-listed and also controls earwigs, cutworms, sowbugs, and other crawling insects. For mounds specifically, Fire Ant Fighter Ant Bait targets fire ants, which broad contact sprays don't touch. See every option in the ant bait category.
Barrier and indoor sprays
Bug Doom combines pyrethrin with canola oil. Pyrethrin disrupts the insect nervous system on contact, and canola oil suffocates. The gallon-with-wand version creates a perimeter around your foundation, from the ground up to the window frames and roof eaves. Reapply every 4 weeks during pest season, or up to every 2 weeks in problem areas.
If ants are still showing up in the kitchen or along baseboards after you've baited outside, that's when the ready-to-use indoor spray earns its spot. Find both in home pest control.
Pet-specific repellents
Pet Protect Bug Spray & Repellent uses cedarwood and soybean oil to repel ticks and fleas on dogs for up to 1 week per application. It's safe for use around kids and on pets when used as directed. Shop it under pet products.
Kits and subscription plans
Pest control kits bundle solutions, like crawling pests or indoor-plus-outdoor coverage, in a single one-time purchase. Combined coverage ranges from 1,500 to 16,500 sq ft, so check your yard size before you pick one.
Pest control subscriptions are plan-based, not product-based. Every plan ships a full year of product upfront, sized to your property from small to large. A personalized My Plan checklist tells you what to do and when. Choose Mosquito Control or Tick Protection for a single pest. Choose Total Home Pest Protection to cover mosquitoes, ants, ticks, spiders, flies, and fleas in one system.
Not sure which fits? Build a Custom Pest Plan based on your location and the pests you're actually seeing.
When to start your pest control routine
Most outdoor pests get moving once temperatures hold at 50 to 60 degrees F. Ticks start even earlier, at 40 to 45 degrees. Here's the seasonal rhythm we follow:
- Early spring: Apply your first tick treatment as soon as temps stay above 40 degrees. Lay down granular ant bait at the first mound or trail you spot.
- Late spring: Start mosquito spray once temps are consistently above 50 degrees. Apply a second round within 7 days to lock in the barrier.
- Summer: Reapply mosquito spray every 14 days in wet or humid weather, every 28 days in dry stretches. Tick spray goes every 30 days. Refresh ant bait every 2 to 4 weeks and after heavy rain.
- Fall: Ticks spike again in early fall, so give them a second push. Keep treating until the first hard freeze. A late ant bait application means fewer ants next spring.
Best practices for effective yard pest control
- Pick a protection zone. Treat the patio, dining area, play space, and the lawn connecting them rather than every square foot of your property.
- Drain standing water weekly. Gutters, birdbaths, kids' toys, planters, and downspout extenders. Keep water features moving.
- Mow short and clear the edges. Short grass and trimmed shrubs cut the shade and moisture mosquitoes and ticks depend on.
- Spray a 12-foot swath where lawn meets trees. That transition zone is where ticks cross into your yard.
- Spray until blades and leaves are wet. Work up and down through the area. Skip blooming flowers and any spot where pollinators are visiting.
- Apply in early morning or late evening when bees and butterflies are less active.
- Don't spray a stressed lawn. Make sure grass is hydrated and not in drought or heat stress before you treat.
- Let everything dry before kids and pets head back out, and always follow the label.
- Stay consistent. Season-long reapplication beats one big treatment every time.
Frequently asked questions about outdoor bug control
What type of pest control spray do I need for my yard?
It depends on the pest. Mosquitoes respond to cedar and lemongrass oil sprays applied with a hose-end sprayer across your protection zone. Ticks call for a cedarwood oil formula aimed at leaf litter and tall grass along shaded edges. Ants damaging your lawn need a spinosad granular bait that reaches the colony instead of a spray that only hits the ants you see. Fleas on the dog call for a pet-specific repellent. Dealing with several at once? A pest control kit puts the right active ingredient on each pest.
Can I use mosquito spray and tick spray at the same time?
Yes. They use different active ingredients and go in different places, so they layer well. Apply Mosquito Deleto to open lawn and to shaded resting spots like under decks and around shrubs. Apply Nix Ticks to shaded wooded edges and ground cover. Both use the same dark blue Sunday pest sprayer with a 30:1 dilution and fan pattern, so there's no mixing or measuring.
How often should I reapply outdoor bug control products?
Reinforce tick and mosquito spray 7 days after the first application, then reapply mosquito spray every 14 days in wet conditions or every 28 days in dry conditions, and reapply tick spray every 30 days. Refresh granular ant bait every 2 to 4 weeks depending on pressure, and after any heavy downpour. Bug Doom perimeter barriers go every 4 weeks, or every 2 weeks in trouble spots. Sunshine and rain shorten how long a treatment lasts, so adjust after extreme weather.
Are plant-based pest control sprays safe for pets and kids?
Nix Ticks and Mosquito Deleto are safe for kids and pets when used as directed. So is Pet Protect. We recommend keeping everyone inside while you spray, then heading back out as soon as the product dries. For every other pest product, including Bug Doom and granular baits, follow the label closely and store out of reach of children. Keep pets away from treated areas until dry.
Do I need to get rid of every ant in my yard?
No, and you probably don't want to. Ants aerate soil and prey on other pests. Treat when they're building mounds that damage turf or landscape beds, when they’re biting, or when they're marching into the house. Start with Ant Adios outdoors and give it 2 to 4 weeks. Only if ants are still a problem after that should you add an indoor Bug Doom spot spray along baseboards and entry points. If they’re only an issue indoors, start with Bug Doom to keep them outside instead.
What is the difference between a pest control kit and a pest control subscription?
A kit is a one-time bundle built around one problem. You buy it once and reorder when you want. A subscription like the Total Home Pest Medium Protection Plan ships a full year of product sized to your yard, with a My Plan checklist for timing. Subscriptions address season-long mosquito and tick pressure. Kits are for shorter, targeted jobs.
You may also need
Pest control works best inside a complete yard routine. Round out your setup here:
- Mosquito spray for patios, dining areas, and swingsets
- Tick spray for yards bordering woods, tall grass, or heavy shade
- Ant bait for colonies and mounds in the lawn or landscape
- Pest control kits for bundled, one-time coverage across several pests
- Pest control subscription for a full year of property-sized product shipped upfront
- Home pest control for foundation barriers and indoor spot treatment
- Garden pest control for vegetables, flowers, and raised beds
- Pet products for flea and tick protection applied directly to your dog
Still not sure what's biting? Send us a photo and tell us where you're seeing it. We'll help you pin down the pest and the plan.