Demon Max lasts approximately 30 days outdoors. We would recommend using Suspend Polyzone if you are wanting a longer residual. It also features a proprietary polymer layer that protects the active ingredient from weather, irrigation and mechanical abrasion. The residuals outdoors and indoors is about 90 days. This can be used around the perimeter of your home and does dry clear. We would recommend not spraying this while your birds are in the area. They can return once the product dries.
A good IGR (insect growth regulator) is Gentrol IGR. It is labeled to work for up to 4 months for roaches. This can be mixed with insecticides as well in the same sprayer.
Demon Max CANNOT be used in poultry houses. Depending on what you are treating for you, can use Bifen IT, as it is listed on the product label to be used in poultry houses. It can take up to 2 hours to dry. Do not apply where they may graze.
Demon Max is a great product to control a broad spectrum of insects including earwigs. We usually do not recommend an oil based product such as Demon Max for indoor use due to temporary staining and odor that it leaves. For indoors, I would recommend using an water based product labeled for earwigs such as Suspend SC, which has virtually no odor or staining. Apply as a coarse, low pressure spot or crack and crevice spray to areas that these pests normally inhabit. Pay particular attention to dark corners of rooms and closets; floor drains; cracks and crevices in walls; along and behind baseboards; beneath and behind sinks, stoves, refrigerators, and cabinets; around plumbing and other utility installations; doors, windows and in attics and crawl spaces. Applications may be made to floor surfaces along baseboards and around air ducts. Let surfaces dry before allowing children or pets to contact surfaces.
If you need anymore information on treating for earwigs, you can read over our guide on How to Get Rid of Earwigs .
Demon Max should not be mixed with Talstar and Cy-Kick CS. Each product should be used alone with water. Mixing insecticides like this could cause the products to be less effective. Cy-Kick CS will give you the longest residual as it is microencapsulated.
Demon Max provides excellent perimeter control of all common roaches and most other common crawling pests, however a treatment for subterranean termites is very different from the treatment for General Pest Prevention because these pests do not crawl on the surface of ground like other insects. The most popular insecticide for liquid termite control that we sell is Termidor SC. Please see our article Subterranean Termite Prevention for instructions on how to perform a termite treatment.
Demon Max is not labeled to be used to treat for mites. We advise to find the source of the infestation and removing the infested nest and doing a thorough cleanup is necessary. For treatment in the home, we recommend you frequently vacuum all carpet and upholstry and dispose of the bag of vacuum contents in a sealed bag outdoors. Spray Sterifab on couches, chairs and other upholstered furniture where you may spend time resting. Use Cimexa Dust in all cracks and crevices around the perimeter of the room. Apply a thin coat of MotherEarth dust to rugs and carpets. Rake (not sweep) back and forth, causing dust to enter rug or carpet. Let product sit overnight. Repeat application as necessary and vacuum every 3-4 days for effective control. Onslaught can be used for a faster knockdown. Thoroughly apply as a fine particle broadcast spray using a hand pump sprayer to infested cracks and crevices around the perimeter of each room. Put all clothes through the dryer on high heat to help kill mites and their eggs. We have had many customers use the above recommendations with great success. Most customers report that it could take several months to get rid of all the mites. Finding and removing the source of the infestation is very important and is the key to getting rid of the mites.
Any of these insecticides would be a good choice for perimeter control of crawling pests. You would not need to mix insecticids as these all have similar active ingredients, and using too much may cause pests to avoid the area rather than coming into contact with the application. An advantage to using either Demand CS or Temprid SC is that these are both water-based, rather than oil-based insecticides. They will have much less odor and can be used safely indoors as crack and crevice and/or spot treatments.
Please see our General Pest Prevention Guide for more information.
For Termite Treatments, you will need to apply products much differently. Please view our Termite Pest Guide for more information about how to Identify, Inspect, Treat, and Prevent Termite Infestations.
Demon Max will kill ticks when used as directed on the product label. It is pet safe also when used as directed on the label. Pets should be out of the area during treatment until dry. Please refer to our guide here on the best advice on treating for ticks.
Demon Max will not prevent any fleas or other insects from getting into the house but is a great product to use outside for fleas to help control them outside. Please refer to the product label for complete instructions on treating lawns for fleas. Pets that go inside and out should be treated to help prevent fleas being brought in. Please click the link below for tick control products that can be applied to pets.
We would recommend our Indoor Flea Kit which provides you with the necessary components to completely eliminating fleas in your home the most efficient way. We also have a video on that page that and in our "Learn Videos" tab that shows you step by step how to use the products.
Yes, Demon Max is labeled to control chiggers. You can use either a hose end or a hand pump sprayer to apply. You will need to use 1/2 oz. of Demon Max per gallon of water for chiggers.
Ground bees, also known as digger bees, can be very difficult to control no matter what product you use and they most likely will come back to your property year after year unless you do your part to alter your property to make it unfavorable to the bees. Ground bees prefer dry soils with thin grasses so irrigating the area frequently and correcting any issue that causes your grass to be thin will help deter the bees from nesting. In areas where you do not have grass, a layer of mulch will help deter the bees from nesting. Ground bees are solitary bees and are not very aggressive and are known to be a beneficial insect which is why you will not find any products specifically labeled for this type of bee. Talstar P can help provide some level of control but it will not get rid of all of the ground bees on your property. You should use Talstar P at a 1 oz of product to 1 gallon of water for a 1,000 sq ft area ratio. This will give you the fastest knockdown and the longest lasting residual. Talstar P does not offer an instant knockdown but will kill insects that come into contact with treated areas over a short period of time.
The Demon Max label (page 7) states that liquid may be sprayed directly into gallery entrance holes mixing at 1/2 fl oz per gallon of water. It is recommended to spray around the holes so when the Carpenter Bees land on the surface, they will pick up the active ingredient. Spraying the whole house would be unecessary and better to focus on areas where holes are already present. Following treatment, the entrance holes may be left open 24 hours to be certain that returning adult bees are killed. When there is no activity, the hole may be closed with wood putty.
