I have my interior and exterior of my home sprayed for bugs every 3-4 months. I pay about $90 for each visit. Total time to spray is about 15 minutes. Not a bad payday for the time, effort, and overhead.

It got me thinking. Why can't I just do it myself. I realize that the insecticide they sell at places like Lowes or Home Depot are not the good stuff which the professionals use. Anyone here do their own spraying? If so, what do you use? I've googled and found many different brands of insecticide but I would like some advise as to what brand is the best. I'm looking for something that is non-toxic, does not stain, long lasting, and kills a variety of bugs.

 

What kind of bugs are you dealing with? There are plenty on the shelf insecticides that will cover a large variety of bugs for general prevention. They are typically not as strong on any one bug as opposed to buying a more specified type.

For general prevention I use 10% Sevin Dust around the exterior parameter for fleas, ants, and spiders + a few other things. Then I mix a light solution of liguid diazanon concentrate and spray on the base of the parameter walls of the interior and under all cabinets.

 

Just the normal everyday bug. Don't get me wrong, I don't have bug problems. More for preventive measures. Just looking to save the money spent on having someone come and do something that I'm capable of doing.

Isn't diazinon very toxic?

 

I typically use malathion and diazanon and Turfguard (Scotts granuals). I spray one wait a few months then spray the other. The reason for this is your body gets rid of malathion while it retains the diazanon, where it eventually becomes toxic. I figure if I only use it once a year it'll take about 80-90 years to reach toxic levels and I'll be dead by then. Another considerationis some bug develop a resistance to the poisons, ****roaches are a good example. By changing up the chemicals it keeps the resistance from developing. It also allows for a better kill, because some critters are more vulnerable to certain chemicals over others.

I've found that controling the bugs on the outside tends to keep the bugs out of the inside. Down here you also have to realize that certain amount of bugs in your house is a requirement. Make sure all of your plumbing, where it enters under your sink, is sealed up (no gaps between the pipes and the drywall). I have also used Boric acid. Just spray (it is a powder) it between the electrical boxes and the drywall of your house. If any bugs walk through it, it will kill them. It only needs to be done every other year and a small squeeze will do the job.

 

I do my own spraying now. We bought an old fixer upper that had a bug problem. German roaches being one of the.
A friend of mine recomended a product called Suspend SC, made by bayer. I bought a pint off of ebay for 50 bucks or so. It is enought to make 20 gallons.

I put down an interior barrier around all the baseboards once every three months. The first application was a double concentrate. Havent seen a bug since. wonderful product.

 

Probably wouldn't want to use it as seasoning on your food...
It's all toxic.. If it wasn't toxic then the bugs would live.
I do mix it much lighter than if used on exterior applications and I keep it away from consumables goods. I apply it in the morning before work and let it dry while we are gone to work and kids are in school. We also take the dog to a friends house for a day too. As far as I can tell no one is glowing in the dark and we are all in good health. I figure that the neighbors are using it outside so that means that it is going straight to the water supply. The plants are consuming it, then we eat the plants or the animals eat the plants and we eat the animals. Plus we drink the water. So we are already exposed to it. We are bigger than bugs so it takes a larger amount in our system to become lethal to us.

I forgot the boric acid... I use that in the bathrooms and in the kitchen around the pipes too.

 

Oh something I forgot to mention. Suspend SC is FDA approved for use in food processing/handling environments. If you have any birds though remove them from the area before spraying and leave them out for 4 hours. They have very sensitive respitory systems

 

I thought diazinon was pulled off the general market due to it's toxicity? I couldn't find it, the bags of crystals or the liquid concentrate at the local Home Depot type places anymore around here. I know it did a number on the fire ant hills we had around our house...spot application with diazinon crystals on the hills and spraying around the perimeter with diluted concentrate. Boric acid is killer on roaches, we use that for spot application around the house where pipes and cables pass through. Since I haven't been able to find diazinon, I've gone to sevin powder spot applied as necessary...roaches really aren't a problem around here, it's fire ants.

 

They changed the % or took out an ingrediant or something, I can't remember exactly what it was, that was about 2 years ago that they did that. I bought 2 bags of granules to put on the yard about 2 weeks ago at wal-mart. It's not the same stuff we had 2 years ago. Got rid of our ticks and chiggers though. That was the main purpose for this application, they were eating us alive.

 

I googled Suspend SC and from what I read about it appears to be a great product. I think this is what I will use. I'll try ebay first to see if I can get a good deal before ordering it from an online store.

Thanks for the replies.

 

got mine on ebay from epestcontrol.com, real good folks. super helpful