Contact Kill Aerosols

Types of Aerosol Contact Insecticides

• Aerosol mists, or space spray insecticides, are designed for flying insects. The spray is very fine particles of chemicals that are dissipated with a propellant.
• Insect “bombs,” or total release fogging systems can fill an entire space and are able to kill all insects out in the open of that space. Formulations for these fogging machines are a liquid, and the machine breaks up the particles and turns them into a mist. This type of insecticide is not residual, and will only kill the bugs present in that space.
• Small aerosol cans are useful for knocking down and killing flying insects like wasps and hornets. This type of insecticide is under pressure with inert ingredients that allow the spray to be propelled out of the can.
• Other aerosol sprays are meant for crawling insects. They have a residual effect so you can spray this insecticide and the chemicals will affect insects that move over this spray. They are less of a mist and more of a liquid spray.

Common Ingredients in Contact Kill Aerosols

There are many brands and formulas of contact kill aerosol insecticides, not only in the common commercially available brands but also in the professional grade types. In the misting aerosols, you will commonly find pyrethrin, d-transallerthrin, resmethrin, and synergists. Sprays commonly contain silica gel, propoxur, chlorpyrifos, as well as resmethrin and pyrethrins but neither type of aerosol is limited to these active ingredients.

Safety Precautions

As with any pesticide, there are pros and cons and safety precautions for contact kill aerosols. Risk of inhalation, risk of bursting from heat or punctures, limited use and sometimes-difficult usage are things to weigh when using these products. However, they are also very convenient. They’re ready to use and require no mixing or diluting, are extremely portable, easy to store, and you can purchase a small amount at a time.