Ontario Mosquito & Tick Learning Centre
Everything a GTA homeowner needs to understand mosquitoes and ticks — how they live, the diseases they spread in Ontario, and exactly how to fight back. Written in plain language by the BuzzSkito team.
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What will you learn here?
The BuzzSkito Learning Centre explains mosquito and tick biology, the diseases they carry in Ontario, and step-by-step ways to combat them. Five plain-language guides cover the mosquito and tick life cycles, the four illnesses GTA families should know (West Nile virus, Lyme disease, EEE, and anaplasmosis), and detailed 10-step plans for controlling each pest in your own backyard.
The Mosquito Life Cycle
Egg, larva, pupa, adult — the four stages every GTA mosquito passes through in just 8-14 days, and why the cycle is the key to control.
Read the guide →The Tick Life Cycle
The two-year journey of Ontario’s blacklegged (deer) tick, and why the poppy-seed-sized nymph is the stage that spreads most Lyme disease.
Read the guide →Mosquito & Tick Diseases in Ontario
West Nile virus, Lyme disease, EEE, and anaplasmosis — what carries them, the symptoms to watch for, and how to lower your family’s risk.
Read the guide →How to Combat Mosquitoes
A practical 10-step backyard plan — from eliminating standing water and larvicide to professional barrier spray and season-long maintenance.
Read the guide →How to Combat Ticks
Ten steps to keep blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease away from your family, from yard-edge barriers and repellent to safe tick removal.
Read the guide →Other household pests
Complete, source-cited references on the four pests readers ask us about most. We do not treat these; the guides are written for readers anywhere in the US and Canada.
Bed Bugs
How to identify every life stage, the signs of an infestation, what the bites mean, and each treatment that works, from heat to encasements.
Read the guide →Ants
How colonies work, how to tell the common household species apart, why they come indoors, and why bait beats spray.
Read the guide →Mice
Species, signs and health risks, how mice get in, and the seal-up, trap-up, clean-up sequence that ends an infestation.
Read the guide →Cockroaches
The species found in homes, where they come from, the health effects, and the sanitation and bait program that controls them.
Read the guide →Printable guides and checklists
One-page guides you can print or save: recipes with exact measurements, identification charts and step-by-step checklists, each with notes on pets and children and the sources behind it.
Homemade Ant Killer: 4 Recipes With Exact Ratios
Homemade ant killer recipes with the ratios universities publish: a weak borax sugar bait, a peanut butter bait, a vinegar trail wipe and a soap spray, plus pet and child safety notes.
Read the guide →Tick Identification Chart: Deer Tick vs Dog Tick vs Lone Star Tick
A side-by-side chart of the blacklegged (deer) tick, American dog tick and lone star tick: size by life stage, markings, diseases, range, and a printable tick-check card.
Read the guide →Pet-Safe Pest Control: What Is Lower-Risk for Cats and Dogs
How borax baits, peppermint oil, diatomaceous earth, vinegar, traps and other pest remedies rate for cats and dogs, checked against veterinary and poison-control sources.
Read the guide →Natural Garden Pest Control: A Season-by-Season Guide
A season-by-season plan for natural garden pest control: the order to work in, which companion plants have research behind them, how to protect bees, and what to do each season.
Read the guide →How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats: The Full Kill Chain
How to get rid of fungus gnats in houseplants in five steps, with the soil-drying depth, Bti label rate and peroxide ratio that extension sources publish.
Read the guide →How to Get Rid of Aphids Naturally: 6 Controls and the Ant Connection
How to get rid of aphids naturally: hose them off, prune, protect their predators, then use soap or neem at the published rates. Plus the ant connection and pet and child notes.
Read the guide →How to Get Rid of Whiteflies: Identification and Natural Control
How to get rid of whiteflies: the tap test, a look-alike chart, the life cycle timing behind repeat sprays, and six natural controls with university-sourced rates.
Read the guide →Natural Weed Killer: What Works, With Exact Ratios and Honest Limits
Natural weed killer checked against extension sources: the 1 gallon, 1 cup, 1 tablespoon vinegar recipe, boiling water, mulch depths, corn gluten meal and pet notes.
Read the guide →Ready to put it into practice?
Reading is step one — a professional barrier spray does the heavy lifting. BuzzSkito treats mosquitoes and ticks across 19 GTA cities, backed by 150 five-star reviews.