- (301) 829-0060
- Mt. Airy, MD
- info@pestshieldinc.com
Pest Shield, Inc. (MDA #30263) has provided tick and pest management across Frederick County since 2011, with over 75 years of combined pest management experience across the team. Owner Troy Yowell brings approximately 35 years of field experience to every inspection, and Jeffrey Allwine — Pest Shield’s on-staff entomologist — provides species-level diagnostic depth that most small pest control companies have to outsource. Pest Shield has earned 338+ five-star reviews across Google and HomeAdvisor, including recognition as Best of Frederick MD Pest Control (2021) and Best of Nextdoor for four consecutive years.
How it works
Four steps. No surprises. Same answer whether it's your first call or your tenth.
You reach Troy or someone on his team directly. No call center, no dispatcher, no routing.
Same-day or next-day for most calls. Emergency stinging-insect situations and real-estate WDI deadlines get priority.
We identify the species, locate entry points, and find the source — not just the symptom.
Written recommendation, straightforward pricing, no obligation. If you don't need treatment, we'll tell you.
Brunswick homeowners are finding ticks on family members and pets after time in the yard — not just after hikes on the C&O Canal towpath, but after routine time in the garden, near the wood line, or in unmowed grass along the property edge. That’s the reality of living in a trail town at the edge of the Potomac corridor. Brunswick’s wooded slopes, leaf litter, and sustained deer movement through residential neighborhoods create tick habitat that’s active from early spring through late fall — a longer season than most homeowners expect.
Three tick species are active in Frederick County, and each carries a different disease risk:
The habitat conditions that concentrate ticks on Brunswick properties are specific and predictable:
Maryland’s tick season runs from March through November, with black-legged tick nymphs peaking in late spring and early summer — the period of highest Lyme disease transmission risk. A single treatment in May doesn’t hold through October. The season is long enough that tick pressure returns well before a quarterly treatment schedule would catch it.
60+ years of combined experience. Tell us what you’re seeing — we’ll come look, no obligation.
Pavement ants raided our basement this morning and I was desperate for someone to come today! After calling around and being told they recommended a quarterly service before even seeing our problem and couldn’t come out until Thursday(!!!) I called pest shield and they came this morning. He explained the problem and found the source. He sprayed the area and around the house and doesn’t think we need a service plan. He is also knowledgeable about mosquitoes. Call them!!
Elise Richard · June 2024 Read on Google →
Pest Shield has been absolutely wonderful! We had an issue with mice, and Pest Shield was the ONLY company we could get to come out to our house on the same day which happened to be a Sunday. The technician, Troy, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and honest. He saved my husband and I a lot of money. Most companies would have taken advantage of the situation. It’s been 30 days and we have not had any more issues. We were so satisfied with the company and the services we received, that we also signed up for the pest (bugs) control service last month. Since then, we have not seen any bugs (including those nasty centipedes and camel crickets)!!! Thank you so much, Pest Shield!!!!!
Myah Moxley · February 2015 Read on HomeAdvisor →
We have used Pest Shield twice so far and each time we had an exceptional experience. We found Troy to be very honest, knowledgeable and professional. This company is built on integrity and will not overcharge you for services that are not needed. They know the biology behind the pests and the problem and won’t just spray to spray something. I highly recommend this company.
Jennifer Swistak · April 2025 Read on Google →
General pest & rodent control
Pest Shield’s tick treatment starts with a property inspection — identifying the specific habitat zones where tick pressure is concentrated on your lot. Troy Yowell or a Pest Shield technician walks the property, assessing the wooded edge, leaf litter transition areas, shaded zones near structures, and any deer corridors or tall grass borders that are driving tick activity. Jeffrey Allwine, Pest Shield’s on-staff entomologist, provides species-level diagnostic support when identification warrants it. The inspection is free for all new clients.
Treatment targets the zones where ticks actually live and quest — not a uniform yard spray. The focus areas are:
Pest Shield’s approach is exterior-first: treatment is applied to the property perimeter and habitat zones, keeping product application out of the home’s interior. EPA-approved products are used throughout; nontoxic and bio-pesticide options are available for households with young children and pets.
Because Maryland’s tick season runs from early spring through late fall, a single treatment doesn’t maintain protection across the full active period. Pest Shield’s Standard Care Plan addresses this directly: treatment every 60 days on a bi-monthly cadence — more frequent than the industry-standard quarterly schedule, and calibrated to stay ahead of tick activity through the full season. The plan includes a 100% effective guarantee and free retreatment if tick activity returns between scheduled visits. You don’t need to be home for treatment; Pest Shield handles the exterior work on schedule.
After initial treatment, tick activity typically drops significantly within the first week. The Standard Care Plan maintains that reduction through the season — the 60-day interval is short enough to address mid-cycle reinfestation from deer movement or adjacent habitat. If you’re actively finding ticks before your first scheduled visit, Pest Shield can prioritize scheduling. In the meantime, keeping grass mowed short, clearing leaf litter from the wooded edge, and keeping pets on tick prevention reduces exposure while you wait. Properties dealing with overlapping pest pressure may also benefit from mosquito control in Brunswick, since the same shaded, moist habitat zones that harbor ticks also support mosquito activity. The products Pest Shield uses are EPA-approved and safe for homes with children and pets once dry; your technician will confirm any specific precautions for your property at the time of service.
Owner
Founded Pest Shield in 2011 after years as a pest management contractor on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Around 35 years in pest management. Personally handles or leads the majority of service calls.
Pest Management Specialist
Field technician handling residential and commercial service calls across Frederick, Carroll, and Montgomery counties.
Pest Management Specialist
Field technician handling residential and commercial service calls across the service area.
Our Entomologist
Consulting entomologist on species identification, conducive conditions, and treatment strategy for difficult cases.
Brunswick sits at the western edge of Frederick County along the Potomac River, bordered by the C&O Canal National Historical Park and the Appalachian Trail corridor to the south and west. US-340 connects Brunswick to Frederick to the northeast and to Harpers Ferry, WV to the southwest. The town’s wooded residential lots descend toward the river on the south side, while the northern edges border agricultural land and open fields — both of which funnel deer and wildlife movement directly through residential neighborhoods.
The C&O Canal towpath and the wooded slopes above the Potomac create a sustained deer corridor that runs through and around Brunswick’s residential streets. Deer are the primary reproductive host for adult black-legged ticks, and consistent deer movement through a neighborhood means consistent tick deposition in yards, gardens, and lawn edges. Properties that border the canal park, back up to wooded slopes, or sit near trail access points carry meaningfully higher tick pressure than typical suburban lots — and that description fits a significant portion of Brunswick’s housing stock. For homeowners managing this level of ongoing pest pressure, pest control in Brunswick provides the broader seasonal coverage that complements targeted tick treatment.
One treatment reduces tick activity significantly but doesn’t maintain protection across Maryland’s full tick season, which runs from early spring through late fall. Ticks are reintroduced continuously through deer movement and wildlife activity — particularly in Brunswick, where the C&O Canal corridor sustains year-round deer pressure. Pest Shield’s Standard Care Plan treats every 60 days on a bi-monthly cadence, which is more frequent than the industry-standard quarterly schedule and is designed to stay ahead of reinfestation through the full active season. The plan includes a 100% effective guarantee and free retreatment if tick activity returns between scheduled visits.
Yes. Pest Shield uses EPA-approved products and offers nontoxic and bio-pesticide options for households with children and pets. Treatment is applied to exterior habitat zones — wooded edges, leaf litter areas, shrub borders — not inside the home. Your technician will confirm when treated areas are safe to re-enter and note any specific precautions for your property at the time of service.
Three species are active in Frederick County. The black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), also called the deer tick, is the primary Lyme disease vector and the most common tick found on people and pets in this area — its nymphs are the size of a poppy seed and are responsible for most Lyme infections because they’re easily missed. The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is larger and carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can progress rapidly without treatment. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) transmits ehrlichiosis and has expanded its range into Frederick County in recent years. All three are present in the wooded and trail-adjacent habitat that characterizes much of Brunswick.
Maryland’s tick season runs from approximately March through November, with black-legged tick nymphs peaking in late spring and early summer — the period of highest Lyme disease transmission risk. Adult black-legged ticks can remain active on warm days into December. Year-round treatment isn’t typically necessary, but protection through the full spring-to-fall window is. Pest Shield’s Standard Care Plan on a 60-day bi-monthly cadence covers that window effectively, with treatment timed to stay ahead of seasonal activity peaks rather than reacting after tick pressure has already built up.
A one-time treatment knocks down existing tick populations in the treated habitat zones and provides protection for several weeks, but it doesn’t account for reinfestation from deer movement, wildlife activity, or adjacent wooded areas — all of which are ongoing in Brunswick. The Standard Care Plan treats every 60 days through the active season, maintaining a consistent barrier against reinfestation. It includes a 100% effective guarantee and free retreatment between scheduled visits if tick activity returns. For properties with wooded edges, trail access, or regular deer pressure, the ongoing cadence is what produces reliable, season-long results rather than a temporary reduction.
