DIY Pest/Bug Control?

[WallyBalls]

Anybody have an experience with it?

House had a few ladybugs and the occasional stink bug last fall/winter. Resealed a lot of little openings, so I'm not really worried. But the Wife is a bit of a bug-o-phobe, so she's fairly insistent we have somebody come out and spray.

Those Dayton's commercials pushing their 'power spray' caught her attention. I'm not very big on signing a service agreement with someone, so...

Anybody ever done it themselves? I've got sprayers so that's not an issue. Any advice on products?

Or just better to have somebody come out?
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[YorkVol]

Try essential oils like peppermint and lavender. Stink bugs hate lavender so you can mix some lavender oil with some alcohol in a small spray bottle and spray all around the house (windows, doors etc). You can also plant lavender all around the house to ward them off.

Other bugs hate peppermint as do mice.

Also, don't kill lady bugs or crickets, both are beneficial and kill other bugs like aphids and spiders.

 

[Obsessed]

Bifen or Talstar.

You can get them at your local co-op. One treatment should get you 4-6 months of coverage.

 

[Coug]

The pros get the good stuff. My uncle does pest control, he gets this stuff that's micro-encapsulated so two months later when a bug walks over it it bursts and kills them. Stuff is legit. He just got a new ant bait a few months back that apparently works great. Took care of my sisters ant problem in like just a few hours. Baits are what you want to use for colony insects like ants, roaches. Sprays just kill what you see and then they reroute.

 

[alaVOL]

I've never tried it, but I had one bug guy tell me to use ammonia around the outside of your house for cheap bug control. Since bugs use scent to mark and follow trails he said it will deter them as good as poisons. FWIW

 

[WallyBalls]

Also, don't kill lady bugs or crickets, both are beneficial and kill other bugs like aphids and spiders.

No worries of that, I just don't want them in the house. If I found them they just got dumped outside.

Oddly enough, aside from a few camel crickets that show up in the garage every once in a while, I don't really have many crickets to deal with. I don't know if the dogs eat them or what.

Bifen or Talstar.

You can get them at your local co-op. One treatment should get you 4-6 months of coverage.

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.


Not really wanting 'contact sprays', just more of a barrier type treatment.

 

[YorkVol]

Jerry can help you out as well:

Jerry Baker, America's Master Gardener