[Dr. Howard]

(07-28-2015 08:22 AM)Repo Wrote:  

What type of dusts Howard? From my knowledge the only ones that really work for bed bugs specifically aren't typically available for consumer purchase. Most good stuff I thought you had to be an exterimator/have a connect for.

I used to be licensed in Canada and the US to apply agriculture/forestry pesticides so yes there is some stuff that is restricted but not much and its really expensive so exterminators won't even use it until 'normal' chemicals fail.

As for what works on bed bugs it depends on whats in it chemically and what the concentration is. Most of the 'exterminator' stuff is just higher concentrations of the same active ingredient you buy premixed, which you can replicate by buying concentrates yourself and mixing them the right way (which is in the instructions). Home depot etc does not usually sell concentrates because well...that would be asking for problems when joe sixpack uses it wrong and poisons his family.

Deltametherin is the active ingredient I'm referring to in this case and can be found in all sorts of products at varying concentrations and formulations (liquids powders etc) it acts on bugs in the same way as DE does, by drying the bug out via breakdown of its exoskeleton. It works well on hard shell bugs like spiders and earwigs as well. Deltametherin in a dust formulation is very fine and using a bulb duster can be "puffed" into cracks and behind outlets so it gets in way behind where you can reach and it just sits there with a long residual time. Those two characteristics are why I like it for low traffic areas, its not something you want to be breathing in so don't be spraying it all on your mattress etc like you can with DE.

Websites like "do my own pest control" sell a lot of pesticide concentrates, which work well if used properly and under caution. The largest danger from pesticide exposure isn't spraying some on your toes or licking a baseboard that has been treated its having the concentrate get on you/into you while mixing it.

Some concentrates make 2 gallons of pesticide that kills scorpions on contact with only .8 oz of concentrate added. Imagine if you spill a 10 oz a bottle of that concentrate and it splashes into your eyes or mouth...you've just come into contact with effectively 25 gallons of pesticide on one spot of your eye. That is why I look like a Hazmat worker when I'm mixing my pesticides.

Last, in most states you need to be licensed to apply pesticides to another person's property for free or not, but you can pretty much buy and do whatever the hell you want to your own property with no regulation or training.