How to Use Pest Control Products
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When dealing with any pest, it is important to know what tools are available and how they work. When it comes to dealing with crawling and flying insects there are four main tools which can be incorporated together to effectively deal with the pests. The three tools include residuals, contact killers, baits and dusts.
What are Residual Insecticides?
Residual insecticides are aerosol or liquid products which leave behind a residue on the sprayed areas. This means that the surface sprayed has a coating which will kill insects if they crawl over or land on it. This product should be utilized in an area which is known or more prone to having insects. An area like this could include the threshold of doors and windows or along the walls of the garage. Products which contain a residual include OnGuard PNP and the EcoGuard aerosol line.
How to Effectively Use A Contact Killer
A contact killer is an aerosol which will kill insects on contact. Products such as this are used as a short term solution to insects. However, contact killer aerosols can be very useful if used properly. Contact killers will generally have a ‘straw’ included. The ‘straw’ is red in color and is used to apply the product inside cracks and crevices. This is beneficial as this can cause a variety of outcomes. One is that any insects being hit by the product will die. Another outcome is that the insects outside of the direct blast will move away to avoid the chemical. This can cause the insects to then crawl over areas which have been sprayed with a residual. Although, most contact killers will leave a small residual behind; as long as the sprayed areas are not damp or become wet. To summarize, this product can kill insects as they appear as a short term solution, or it can be used as a flushing agent to force insects on a surface sprayed with a residual. Products which categorize as a contact killer would be OnGuard Total Insect.
How to Apply Insect Bait
Another method of killing crawling insects would be using baits. These are most effective against certain species of insects. Certain species of ants, for instance, should not be treated by spraying residual insecticides. One of these includes Pharaoh Ants. Baits can come as a dust, gel or liquid. Baits are most effective when not used alongside any other treatment products. This is due to the fact that the insects must survive the journey back to their nest to distribute it amongst the colony. It is common for this method of eliminating crawling insects to take longer. This again is due to the fact that the colony must be destroyed through the bait being distributed and consumed. A bait includes Greenway Ant Gel.
Best Use of Insecticidal Dust
The last main tool for insect control are dusts. Insecticidal dusts are generally used within wall voids. This is due to the fact that dust can become airborne if it is applied in the open from wind and other means. The hazard of this would be inhaling the dust. Therefore, it is recommended to use within wall voids. Dust has two killing principles. Dust such as diatomaceous earth kills bugs that come into contact with it by destroying their exoskeleton. Another form of dust, like Pyrodust, is ingested by insects who then die as they groom themselves. A very important aspect of applying insecticidal dust is that it must be applied extremely lightly. The dust should settle on the ground or within a wall void similar to natural dust accumulating on a table. If it is applied to heavy than bugs will not walk through it. Insects will not walk into a small pile of dust.
Flying Insect Control
Flying Insects can be dealt with similar products as crawling insects. Albeit, there are a few products which are not interchangeable when dealing with flying or crawling insects.
How to Kill Wasps
Wasps are best dealt with as soon as possible. If more than a few wasps are routinely around a certain part of your property, it would be beneficially to do a circle check. This would include walking around the property to inspect for an exposed nest. Exposed nests can be dealt with a blaster or foam aerosol. If the nest is in a tree or up somewhere high, use a blaster on it. A blaster aerosol, like the OnGuard Hornet and Wasp Blaster, is a product which can propel the chemical more then ten feet. If the nest is lower, or you have protective clothing on, a foam aerosol can be used as well. This would include using a ‘straw’ which is thrust directly into the nest. Once the straw is within the actual nest, it should be activated till the nest is thoroughly soaked. Foam aerosols start out foamy but will over time turn into a liquid. This system helps the chemical fill every nook and cranny.
Some nests though are not exposed and can be within a wall void. These are tougher to deal with as you cannot be certain how far the nest is from the exposed crack or crevice. When dealing with a nest which is not exposed, it would be best to utilize a foam aerosol or a dust. A dust does require a separate tool though to push it as far as possible into the wall. This tool includes the Geotz Duster by JT Eaton. The foam aerosol in most scenarios would be sufficient as the propellant and its ability to turn into a liquid should prove to be an effective residual. A residual is a product which leaves behind a residue. This residue will kill insects that come into contact with the sprayed area. The residual does lose its potency though in damp spaces or when rained on.
How to Eliminate Flies
While there are a variety of species of flies, there are a few methods of fly control which can work on the majority of them. One method of fly control which is constant would be to install a fly light. A fly light is useful since it uses a special UV bulb which draws flying insect in. To kill the flies, there are glue board and electrocuting fly lights. For minor to mild problems, it is recommended to use a glue board fly light. A glue board fly light is effective in kitchens, garbage rooms and other small enclosed spaces. One example would be the Envirolight FlyLight Jr. This is best for minor to mild flying insect infestations since the trap is only effective as long as there is space for flying insects to be stuck on the glue board. If the glue board is full, then no more flies will be trapped. When a problem is consistent and out of hand, an electrocuting fly light can be employed. These type of fly lights are commonly used in barns, industrial areas and other high volume spaces. An example of an electrocuting fly light includes the Gilbert 601TJ. Electrocuting fly lights lure in flying insects the same as a glue board fly light. The difference though is that is has a metal grid which has a current running through it. Once a flying insect touches the metal grid, it dies. Some electrocuting fly lights have a catch tray for easy disposal. However, if the problem is particularly bad, there are models without them. The flies simply fall on the ground. These lights are used if the catch tray is filled too often to warrant constant disposal.
Other means of eliminating flies would be lured glue sticks, contact killers and residual insecticides. One method of eliminating flies, from say a garage, would be a Catchmaster Gold Stick. These sticks have glue around its surface and reflects light. Not only does the reflection draw flying insects in, it also comes with a powerful lure. The lure is smeared on the Gold Stick to draw the flies in. This model comes both small and large. A contact killer, like Total Insect Killer, can be used to knock down single flies as they appear. A residual insecticide can be sprayed on a window sill where flies are constantly flying into or around. Once the flying insect lands or touches the sprayed area, it will start to internalize the poison and die shortly thereafter. If you are experiencing a drain fly issue, a popular product to deal with that would be Bio-Gen Drain Foam. This product flushes out drains by cleaning the debris caught inside. It is also this debris which the flies are feeding off of. So not only will this product clean the piping, it will prevent drain flies from reproducing.
Rodent Control
Effective Mouse Control
Rodent control in Canada is growing increasingly difficult for those without a license. This is due to the fact that most rodenticides are classed Commercial and requires a structural license to purchase and use. However, an effective mouse poison that be used by home owners is the Lipha Mhouse Rodenticide. When it comes dealing with mice, there are three other categories. These categories include glue boards, snap traps and repeater stations.
Repeater stations are an interesting device which utilize two one-way doors. Manufactures of these devices are JT Eaton and Kness. Mice will generally follow the walls of a room to navigate around. One way of detecting these movements would be to look for greasy smudge marks. These marks indicate that a rodent is using this path frequently and is leaving a dirty trail behind. When these pathing’s are found, a repeater station is an excellent way to catch the mouse. Simply place the repeater station against the wall where the rodent is navigating. Due to a mouse’s inquisitive nature it will walk within the device without the use of a lure. However, a lure can be used. Some lures include peanut butter, nuts or a lure produced by ProPest; like their Rat and Mouse Lure, which is food based itself and non-poisonous. As a warning, it is sometimes unwise to use peanut butter as a lure since it can attract insects. When the mouse walks within the repeater station it is stuck since there is no way to get out as the one-way doors only allow the rodent to walk in and not out. A glue board can be fitted in the device to kill the rodent and makes for easy disposal. Two glue boards which are a perfect fit include the Victor 72 TC and the Catchmaster 72 TC. However, for those who would rather relocate the rodent, the device can be taken somewhere outside and the lid can be lifted to allow the mouse to escape.
Glue board are another commonly used method to kill rodents. The glue board can be placed in areas where rodents are travelling between or placed as in way of preventing rodents from intruding within. A common glue board for catching mice would be the Catchmaster 5lb 72 MB. These glue boards come unscented and peanut butter scented. They glue boards can be placed flat or formed to create a tunnel. The glue board is designed to fold together and retain the shape of a tunnel. When the tunnel is formed, it can be placed in areas where laying it flat would not be possible. One such area includes beside or behind a fridge. The rodents will trespass onto the glue board and will become stuck to it. The rodent, more often than not, will tire itself out and induce a heart attack due to panic. While this is indeed unsettling, there are few ways to try and eliminate the mouse without using such tactics. Rodenticide is also a painful death for the rodent that ingests it.
The last method for eliminating mice would be using snap traps. There are a couple manufacturers of snap traps. They include Victor, Bell and Eaton. The Victor snap traps are the most commonly utilized and are the snap traps with the wooden base. The pressure plate which causes the trap to be released has a lure on it which does not require the use of peanut butter. The other snap traps are easier to set. The Victor snap traps require it to be carefully set by the user while the Eaton and Bell snap traps are set by pushing the back down. It locks itself in place. The Eaton snap traps are called Jawz and the Bell are named T-Rex. Both of these snap traps are made out of a durable plastic. These last two snap traps also have a section to place a lure within. The lure, like a peanut or peanut butter, can be placed within the housing and then the snap trap can be set. The use of snap traps is in tight fitting areas, or in areas where rodents are frequently travelling between. You will have a much better chance of catching mice with a snap trap when compared to catching rats.
Crawling Insects
How to Get Rid of Ants
It is recommended to use a bait insecticide to kill ants. Certain species of ants, like pharaoh ants, when sprayed can create additional colonies which makes eliminating them much more difficult. An efficient ant bait includes the Greenway Domestic Ant Gel. This gel is for both sugar and protein feeding ants. Due to this, Greenway Domestic Ant Gel is effective on nearly all species of ants. Another reason why it is not recommended to use residual insecticides or contact killers on ants is that this will never kill the Queen of a colony. Spraying a residual or using a contact killer merely kills the worker ants. The key to have the ants disappear is having a bait brought back to the ants nest so it can be dispersed within. Once this occurs, the ant colony will collapse and die. In addition, ants must live to carry the insecticidal bait back to their colony. If a residual was sprayed first and then a bait was placed down, the ants would die in transit. The bait would then be useless. Two stations which can be used to house ant bait include Greenway Bug Bar and Kness Ant-No-More. The bug bar is a plastic station which snaps together. It can safely store bait for indoor use so it does not need to be places directly on a surface. For outdoor use, a Kness Ant-No-More can be used. These are pushed into the ground which allows ants to crawl inside and obtain he bait. Once ants find these stations they coat it in a pheromone which alerts other ants of its location. The ants then travel back and forth carrying the bait back to their nest.
How to Treat Cockroaches
Cockroaches can be a difficult insect to treat. One important thing to remember is having a clean environment. Cockroaches are not able to thrive if there is nothing for them to sustain themselves on. Trying to treat an area which is dirty will not be as effective as using product on surfaces which are uncluttered and clean. So first things first, clean up the space cockroaches are present in as much as possible. When the area is cleaned, a residual insecticide is a good start to killing the cockroaches. Residual insecticides are sprays which leave behind a residue of chemical on the sprayed surface. Since cockroaches are more active when people are not present, this is the most effective way to treat cockroaches. Some examples of residual sprays would be OnGuard PNP, OnGuard P-22 and EcoGuard Crawling Insect Killer. The OnGuard PNP is an oil based residual which enables it to last longer on the sprayed surface. Residuals need to be reapplied if the surface becomes wet as it will dilute the product to a point which renders it useless. Residual spraying is a good start, but other methods can be used as well. Since cockroaches harbor themselves in hard to reach areas, a dust can be utilized. These hard to reach spaces include cracks, crevices, under the fridge and stove as well as near water sources. Cockroaches are commonly found under the fridge due to the warmth of the motor. Insecticidal dust`s must be applied lightly. The dust should be as fine as though it is dust accumulating on a table. Insects need to walk through the insecticidal dust in order for it to kill them. If it is piled up or too thick than the insects will not coat themselves in the dust. Dust kill insects by them ingesting it as they groom themselves. An example of dust is Pyro-Dust. Another way to kill cockroaches would be to use a contact killer. However, since cockroaches are not as active with people nearby, contact killers can be sprayed into hard to reach areas to flush them out onto your sprayed residual. OnGuard Total Insect is a contact killer and comes with a straw attachment for it to be sprayed in wall voids, cracks and crevices. Using these combined methods are effective at eliminating cockroach infestations.