The White House Wants a New Approach to Ticks & Mosquitoes. Here’s Why New Jersey Homeowners Should Pay Attention.
Helping New Jersey families rethink what tick and mosquito control can look like around the places they live, play and spend time outside.
The Federal Government Is Rethinking the Old Pesticide-First Model
The White House did not endorse Bite Back.
It did something potentially more important for the future of pest control:
it publicly acknowledged that controlling ticks and mosquitoes does not have to begin and end with conventional pesticides.
The September 29, 2026 Executive Order directs federal agencies to develop a new tick and mosquito control campaign in Washington, D.C. using approaches that include:
- habitat reduction
- better drainage and landscaping
- natural targeted controls
- monitoring and detection
- sterile insect technology
- beneficial biological approaches
- other new pest-control technologies
The order establishes measurable goals for 2028:
90% reduction in invasive mosquito populations.
50% reduction in tick populations.
Those targets apply to the Washington, D.C. initiative — not to private New Jersey yards.
But the philosophy behind the program matters far beyond Washington.
What the White House Actually Ordered
The Executive Order, titled Eliminating Disease-Carrying Pests and Restoring Enjoyment of the Great Outdoors, directs several federal agencies to work together on tick and mosquito control.
Those agencies include:
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Agriculture
- Environmental Protection Agency
- General Services Administration
- Department of Health and Human Services
The initial campaign focuses on Washington, D.C.
Federal agencies are directed to reduce habitat and breeding areas through measures such as better drainage, mowing and rain gardens while also exploring advanced tools including sterile-insect techniques and other biotechnology.
The order also directs EPA and other agencies to develop a regulatory framework for new mosquito and tick technologies and calls for additional research into non-chemical approaches.
And importantly, the order says successful techniques developed through the D.C. program could become a model for broader use across the country.
The White House Specifically Called Out the Historical Reliance on Conventional Pesticides
One line in the Executive Order deserves particular attention from homeowners.
The order acknowledges that historical tick and mosquito control approaches have relied primarily on conventional pesticides.
It then lays out a policy designed to expand other ways of controlling these pests — including smarter land management, natural predators, targeted controls, non-chemical methods and advanced technologies.
It also states that the D.C. effort should reduce ticks and mosquitoes without harming:
- beneficial insects
- native plants
- native animals
- parks
- waterways
- recreational areas
That is a major shift in how the problem is being framed.
The question is no longer simply:
“What can we spray to kill mosquitoes?”
The better question is:
“How can we control ticks and mosquitoes effectively while reducing unnecessary impacts elsewhere?”
That is a conversation Bite Back believes homeowners should have been having for years.
Why More Families Are Asking What Is Being Sprayed in Their Yard
Many traditional residential mosquito programs rely on synthetic insecticides from a class known as pyrethroids.
Depending on the company and product, those may include active ingredients such as:
- bifenthrin
- permethrin
- lambda-cyhalothrin
- deltamethrin
- other synthetic pyrethroids
These products can be effective mosquito-control tools.
That effectiveness is one reason they became so common.
Many are designed to leave residual insecticidal activity on treated surfaces so insects can be affected after the original application.
But effective pest control does not mean homeowners should stop asking questions about the chemistry being used around their property.
EPA notes that pyrethroids used according to their approved mosquito-control labels can be used without posing unreasonable risks to human health.
EPA also recognizes that this pesticide class can be toxic to aquatic organisms and bees and requires label precautions designed to reduce environmental exposure.
That distinction matters.
The issue is not that every conventional pest-control application automatically causes harm.
The issue is that conventional residual pesticides come with tradeoffs — and today homeowners have more choices than they did decades ago.
We Believed There Had to Be a Better Way to Protect a Backyard
Bite Back was built around a simple idea.
Families should not have to choose between:
living with ticks and mosquitoes
and
automatically relying on conventional synthetic barrier pesticides throughout the yard.
Those are not the only two choices anymore.
From the beginning, Bite Back chose a different path: an all-natural, essential-oil-based minimum-risk treatment program combined with targeted application and an understanding of how ticks and mosquitoes actually use a residential property.
We do not treat every square foot of a yard simply because it exists.
Our technicians focus on the locations where pest pressure is most likely to develop:
- woodlines
- shaded property edges
- dense landscaping
- shrubs and hedges
- fence lines
- groundcover
- under decks and steps
- brushy transition zones
- other cool, protected areas
Open lawn, flowering areas and food-growing areas generally do not need to be treated simply for the sake of covering more square footage.
The goal is not to spray more.
The goal is to understand the yard better.
The Future of Tick & Mosquito Control Is Bigger Than the Product in the Tank
One of the most encouraging parts of the White House order is that it treats mosquito and tick control as a system rather than a single spray application.
That is how Bite Back looks at residential properties too.
Modern pest control should combine several tools:
1. Understand the pest pressure
Ticks and mosquitoes are influenced by season, temperature, rainfall, humidity, vegetation and local habitat.
2. Find the habitat
A shaded hedge beside a patio does not present the same mosquito conditions as the middle of a sunny lawn.
A wooded transition zone does not present the same tick risk as a driveway.
3. Remove conditions helping the pests
Standing water, clogged drainage, dense groundcover, overgrown edges, leaf litter and heavy vegetation can all contribute to backyard pest pressure.
4. Treat strategically
Target the locations where control is needed rather than assuming more chemical coverage automatically means better pest management.
5. Monitor and adjust
No two seasons — and no two properties — behave exactly the same way.
Good pest control adapts.
Data Should Help Decide When and Where We Act
The White House repeatedly uses the phrase technology-enabled.
That matters because outdoor pest pressure is constantly changing.
Bite Back has been moving in the same direction at the residential level.
Our free Backyard Bite Index gives homeowners a local look at changing tick and mosquito conditions instead of treating every day of the season as identical.
Our Mosquito Magnet Score helps explain why some people seem to attract far more mosquito attention than others.
Neither tool replaces professional inspection or treatment.
They help homeowners understand something important:
Pest control works better when decisions are based on conditions instead of habit.
Washington’s 2028 Goal Does Not Protect Your Backyard Today
The new federal program is focused initially on Washington, D.C.
It does not create a federal residential mosquito or tick service for New Jersey homeowners.
And it does not mean families here should wait for new technologies to arrive.
New Jersey already deals with substantial tick and mosquito pressure.
The New Jersey Department of Health actively tracks vector-borne illness and tick-related activity throughout the state and emphasizes preventing tick bites as an important part of reducing disease risk.
Homeowners can act now without waiting for a federal pilot program.
Start with the property
Look for dense vegetation, brushy boundaries, groundcover, leaf litter, wooded edges and standing water.
Reduce unnecessary habitat
Drain water-holding containers, maintain gutters and drainage, trim overly dense vegetation and manage leaf litter where appropriate.
Understand current pressure
Use local conditions and activity data instead of assuming mosquito and tick risk remains constant throughout the season.
Choose your treatment philosophy carefully
Ask what product is being applied, where it will be applied and why.
You should know what is being sprayed around your home before the technician ever starts the equipment.
The Order Even Addresses Alpha-Gal Syndrome
The Executive Order goes beyond Lyme disease.
It specifically directs federal agencies to explore labeling options for foods and drugs containing significant amounts of alpha-galactose because of growing concern surrounding alpha-gal syndrome.
Alpha-gal syndrome is a potentially serious allergy that can develop after certain tick bites.
In the United States, the lone star tick is most commonly associated with the condition.
People who develop alpha-gal syndrome may experience reactions after consuming red meat or encountering certain products made from mammals.
This issue is relevant here at home.
The New Jersey Department of Health began statewide surveillance for alpha-gal syndrome in 2022, and lone star ticks are established throughout parts of the Northeast.
That is another reminder that ticks are not simply an annoyance.
Laurie’s field note
What caught my attention wasn’t a percentage or a government program.
It was the acknowledgment that the old answer cannot always be simply reaching for more conventional pesticide.
That’s the problem Bite Back was created to solve.
We wanted families to have another option — one built around understanding the yard, targeting the places ticks and mosquitoes actually use, choosing a different type of treatment and continuing to improve as the science improves.
Washington is talking about what pest control could look like in the future.
For us, that conversation started years ago in New Jersey backyards.