Links to other  informative website articles:  Chemicals—Friend and Foe?    

Here at Bugaboo Pest Control we have elected to use safer, more natural methods to control pests. For the majority of our treatments we generally try to use products that are safer and environmentally more acceptable. Many of them are available for those who choose to do it themselves. Baits are becoming more and  more popular since the amount of toxin is usually so small it poses little or no danger to pets and children. Many baits today use boric acid, Hydramethylnon, and Abamectin. Abamectin is derived from a natural material that occurs in specific soils. It contains .05%. That is less than 1/100 of one percent.  Very little.

On the other hand, rodent baits still require a great deal of caution when used around pets and children, but are, never the less, highly effective.  We have had the most success with Maki Paraffin Blocks which works on Norway rats, Roof rats, house mice.

When it comes to sprays, Pyrethrin and synthetically based Pyrethrins are considered much much more friendly as compared to some of the other less friendly types. 

Boric acid is making a come back.  It is used in many baits and dusts. Boric acid is formulated from borate material that occurs naturally lakes and other deposits In high concentrations.  borax/boric acid/boron is found in many household products from laundry detergents to health care products such as antimicrobials and antiseptics.

*Fipronil Common products containing fipronil are Frontline® used for flea control for dogs and cats by veterinarians. 

* Diatomaceous Earth is 100% natural and is composed of the skeletal remains of plankton from the sea

*Pyrethrins are an extract of the pyrethrum daisy Chrysanthemum cinaeriofolium. (Chrysanthemum flowers) They are the most widely used botanical insecticide.

*Boric acid is one of the oldest inorganic compounds known to mankind in treating pests. It is mined from the Mojave Desert in California.

*Cyfluthrin is a member of the pyrethroid chemical class (a synthetic Pyrethin) It is considered to be moderately toxic to mammals

*Abamectin is derived from a natural material that occurs in specific soils. It is often the main active ingredient used in medicines to control tapeworms in horses and heart worms in dogs.

What are synthetic pyrethrins?

• Natural pyrethrins are an extract of the pyrethrum daisy Chrysanthemum cinaeriofolium. (Chrysanthemum flowers)
• They are the most widely used botanical insecticide.
• They are the active ingredient of many household sprays and home vegetable-garden preparations.
• They are used in flea dips and ointments for horses eyes.
• Chemists have built upon the basic pyrethrins molecules, producing a whole new class of useful pesticides--the pyrethroids.
• These are synthetic pyrethrins with improvements, such as extended persistence or the ability to control other pests, that make them more suitable for pest management.
• Pyrethroids have been the fastest-growing class of new insecticides over the past decade and include products such as Permethrin / TENGARD, and Intruder HPX which last much longer.
• Synthetic Pyrethrins  (the pyrethroids) / Last Longer  See information on Permethrin and Tengard product 
• The  Advantages of Pyrethrins are that they are highly irritating to insects and provides rapid "knockdown."
• One of the Disadvantages of Pyrethrins are that they  have a short residual effect, hence the need for longer lasting synthetic versions (the pyrethroids) that don’t  break down in sunlight in just a few hours. 

   

  As mentioned above natural pyrethrins work good but only for just a short time; hours, when exposed to sunlight.

What is Piperonyl Butoxide?

• Another naturally occurring material, often used in conjunction with permethrin products, is “Piperonyl Butoxide”.
• When Piperonyl Butoxide is combined with pyrethin as a synergist, it gives it faster knock down.
• Piperonyl Butoxide is derived from Sassafras trees

What is a IGR?  NYLAR IGR  DEMIZE   See Insect Growth Regulator page

   Insect Growth Regulators (IGR's).  It works by disrupting the growth and development processes specific to insects.

   It causes sterilization of adult insects.

   The active ingredient is Hydroprene.

   (Linalool is found in lavender flowers and is one of the constituents of lavender oil)

   Some also contain Permethrins (permethrin is a synthetic pyrethin)

What are the baits do you use?  See Baits Available for purchase

   The baits we use vary with the type of ant and the time of year. 

   Sometimes protein based other times carbohydrates.

   Some liquid some granule. (not ant traps). 

  Advance Carpenter Ant Bait  is one such bait that contains Abamectin. 

   Abamectin is the active ingredient in Avert cockroach bait. 

   It  kills cockroaches by acting as a "gabba blocker."

   Abamectin is derived from a natural material that occurs in specific soils. It contains .05%. That is less than 1/100 of one percent.  Very little.

   Abamectin is often  the main active ingredient in medicines to control tapeworms in horses and heart worms in dogs. 

Copyright © 2001 [Alan Luke]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 06/25/10. Home