Talstar P Professional Insecticide - Questions & Answers

The application usage rate that you noted in your question is correct for mosquito control. Most folks do not treat the entire acre but instead choose to treat in the areas where the mosquitoes will actually make contact with a treated area. The key is to apply it to all shrubs, trees, and other foliage around the house or where you are trying to provide relief.  It should be directed not only on top of the leaves and plants, but on the underside of the leaves as well which is where the mosquitoes hang out during the heat of the day.  Talstar should be applied every 30 days for optimum control.

Pentatomidae aka stink bugs can be killed by Talstar now or any other time they are present. However, if they are indoors right now you will only see limited results because stinkbugs hide in areas that are usually inaccessible which means only once they come out of hiding and cross over a treated area will they be killed. Outdoors you can spray all of the areas where they are active (except edible vegetation). Once stink bugs cross over treated areas they will die within a couple of hours in most cases.

According to the Talstar P product label "all pesticide handlers must wear a respiratory protection device when working in a non-ventilated space." Respiratory devices are not required for well ventilated spaces or outdoor applications. The Talstar P product label also says "all applicators should wear longsleeved shirt and long pants, socks, shoes and chemical-resistant gloves."

As long as you are using the Talstar P at the proper dilution rate in the tank, the metering rate would just be dependent on how quickly you are walking during application.  Unfortunatley, we do not carry Stihl blowers so we cannot give you an exact answer.  However, we can thell you that with our Solo 451 blower, we suggest a metereing rate of 2 (from a range of 1-4) for a normal pace during application.  For most applications, you will mix 0.5-1 oz per gallon per 1,000 sq ft. 

Dursban was banned by the EPA around 2000-2001 because of concerns for the health of humans and wildlife. When products such as Dursban are misused or over-used by people this is often the outcome. The pest control industry has produced other products that are as effective as Dursban, but they do not have the same health risks. Talstar P, Suspend SC, Cy-kick CS are a few of the most commonly used pest control products today.

Of course you can do your own pest control!  We have sold product to hundreds of thousands of people who want to save money and treat their pest problems themselves.  Bifenthrin is an excellend active ingredient that is not only good for ants, but just about any insect problem you may have.  Typically you would treat around the home every 2 to 3 months depending on climate and part of the country you live in.  Our most popular product containing bifenthrin is Talstar One. 

We would recommend our most popular insecticide, Talstar.  It is a very safe product to use around children and pets and is widely used by professional companies every day in thousands of homes across the country.  It is odorless, can be used indoors and outdoors and it is labeled for over 80 different insects.  You would apply it using a one gallon hand pump sprayer. 

Talstar is not labeled to be used on vegetables or anything edible.  Most pest control products are not labeled for this use.  Talstar is safe for use around pets when used according to the label.  You should always keep children and pets away from the area while you are treating, and then once the treatment is dry it is perfectly safe to allow pets to re-enter the area.  We do have a product called Malathion 57% which is labeled to apply to vegetable gardens.

You should avoid getting Talstar P into swimming pools though small amounts that accidentally get in a pool will be so diluted that there shouldn't be any concern. Talstar P is labeled to be used in food handling establishments and food handling areas but all of the food prep surfaces and food products and utensils must be covered and the application must be kept to cracks and crevices only. Talstar P is only labeled for use in cracks and crevices when using indoors which is why we would have said no to spraying on the surface of a seat (Talstar P is not labeled to spray on any furniture in general). If you choose to spray around or on your A/C unit you should shut it off prior to the application and resume operation after the application is dry. You should not spray the surface of your lawn furniture with Talstar P (or any other insecticide). If the surface has already been sprayed you should thoroughly wash it with soap and copious amounts of water. When used as directed on the Talstar P product label this product  and the dry residual it leaves behind is safe for people and pets.

Unfortunately, Talstar P is not labeled to treat for fruit flies. Getting rid of fruit flies doesn't have to be diffucult. The most important step is to be sure that you discard or refrigerate any ripe produce as insects are naturally drawn to overripe, rotting, and spoled produce. Regularly rinse out and clean gargabe cans and recycling bins. Most times doing these small little things will take care of the problem. However, should you need to use a product to help you get rid of them one of the best ways to kill fruit flies is to use a fuit fly trap like the Vector 960 Furit Fly Trap. These have attractants in them that attract the fruit flies to them, and once they are inside they cannot get out. You can also use an aerosol product to help with the populations as well like 565 Plus XLO.