For those of you who spray for bugs yourself
 

How often do you spray around the outside?

Do you also spray the inside of the house?

thank you.

Most outdoor sprays won't last more than one rainstorm. I spray lightly once a month following recommended mixing on the label. Inside I do use the ant and roach baits out of sight in the cabinets and closets. I also will use a product called talstar granules on the grass and flower beds. The rain breaks down the granules releasing the chemical.

I spray home defense around the house every 2 months, the only inside spraying I do is the lanai. Nearly 4 years and no bugs since I started using it. I also spray my shrubs and flowers as needed for various outdoor pests.

I spray the house perimeter with ortho termite and carpenter ant killer once a year. Twice if my wife gets "antsy" LOL. I also spray the window sills and entry ways.

I spray an all purpose 3-in-1 bug/disease killer on my shrubs each spring. Another time if I see any bug activity.

I don't spray in the house unless I see a bug (rarely).

Overall, I've seen very very few bugs.

My husband sprays outside around house once a month with Home Defense and no spraying inside. We do have roach and ant baits under appliances. Here 10 years and no problems.

No bug problem. I spray inside monthly with home defender. Outside I spray every two or three months. The outside spray also kills termites. I also have a company that does termites mostly because it is an insurance policy against damage and termites present a risk if not handled properly.

We (surprisingly !) have not found it necessary. We do spray the entire perimeter of the inside of the garage and of course the entire outside perimeter about every 3 months, sometimes four. Do not spray in kitchen or other interior rooms, but do keep bug/roach trap under refrigerator and under sink in far back corner, and one under the dishwasher (that one does involve taking the two screws off that hold the the trim strip, but does not take long to do !). We spray the perimeter of the lanai and also keep boxes of mouse bait in the attic and noticed when changing these that those large palmetto bugs seem to also take the mouse bait ! Good ! LOL ! Have never had bug problems using this very simple and inexpensive routine !

Well, you have palmetto bugs in your attic?

Be careful with baits.

I spray the perimeter every 6 months as suggested by the label on Talstar P. Haven't seen hardly anything in 2+ years. Before that it was a mess. Someone here recommended that stuff and it worked like a charm. Water based and safe for animals and children outside and inside. It's a concentrate mixed 1/2 to 1oz per gallon of water in a pressure sprayer. It seems the one bottle i have should last probably 10 years for around $25.

Talstar P (Pro) Insecticide | Fast, Free Shipping - DoMyOwn.com

[QUOTE=EdFNJ;1926314]I spray the perimeter every 6 months as suggested by the label on Talstar P. Haven't seen hardly anything in 2+ years. Before that it was a mess. Someone here recommended that stuff and it worked like a charm. Water based and safe for animals and children outside and inside. It's a concentrate mixed 1/2 to 1oz per gallon of water in a pressure sprayer. It seems the one bottle i have should last probably 10 years for around $25.
:coolsmiley:

Spray outside with home defense twice a year, spray inside 4 times a year, spray inside the garage twice a year. Been here 20 years, no problems. Easy to do yourself.

use a bug bomb in the attic every 3 months or so, works good.

My husband sprays about every 3 mos. He also sprinkles a granular substance around the base of the house to form a barrier. About twice a year (or less) we pull all the stuff out from under the sinks, bath and kitchen and he puts a little spray where the pipes come in. Works beautifully and much cheaper than commercial companies.

When we first moved here I sprayed Home Defense inside and out. As time progressed we seemed to be having more and more bugs. The Home Defense outside did not seem to work. The bugs still came in the house and the Home Defense inside would kill them inside. Finally last year I tried Spectracide granules from Home depot around the outside of the home. Since starting this, we have no more bugs inside our home. Not sure how often I will end up doing the outside, still fine tuning the timing. Thinking once every 4 to 6 months. Inside once per year with Home Defense. However, if the bugs are kept out of the home, may not spray inside anymore.

Generic for talstar
 

The active ingredient in talstar is bifithrin. Any product which has this as the main ingredient will work as good as talstar. Talstar was the first of this product and very effective. It is also considered a termiticide.

[QUOTE=La lamy;1926395]:ohdear: Might have been a little fast on the "thumbs up"! I googled it and got this:

How dangerous is talstar?
It is toxic to humans and pets if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. ... Talstar P is highly toxic to aquatic organisms like fish, so make sure that you cover all aquatic sites near the application area or avoid those applying this insecticide in areas that are near aquatic habitats.May 13, 2020 :ho:

What he said above. Bifithrin is the key. why pay for the water in the the "home defense" get a bottle of Bifithrin at Home Depot, Ebay, Amazon and mix and spray will save a bunch of $$$