Talstar P Professional Insecticide - Questions & Answers

The only product that we know of that is recommended for the Sri Lanka Weevil is Talstar, but Talstar will not kill the eggs. (Talstar is not labeled for the Sri Lanka Weevil but is recommended by many universities that have done research on this pest) We recommend that you contact your local cooperative extension as they may have more information on the Sri Lanka Weevil that is invading your region.

Talstar P is labeled to be used in poultry houses and chicken pens so it should not harm your chickens or their eggs. You must make sure your chickens are out of the area while you apply Talstar P and then they can return to the area as soon as it is dry. You should dilute 1 ounce of Talstar P per gallon of water and using a hand pump sprayer apply the solution on all door frames, window frames, areas where utilities (cables, pipes, wires) enter into the structure, a band of soil 6 to 10 feet adjacent to the structure, also to a height of 2 to 3 feet on the foundation where pests may be active or may find entrance.

During the warm months of the year you can apply Talstar P once a month. As the seasons cool and the insects become less active you can apply Talstar P once every 3 months for general pest control.

Talstar P is labeled to safely be used on trees, bushes and other ornamental plants. Talstar is not labeled to be used on vegetables or any type of edibles, so you should discard any edible vegetation that has come in contact with this product.  

Talstar P is our most popular selling product for mosquito control.  It is a liquid concentrate that you mix with water and apply using any hand pump sprayer or backpack sprayer.  The key is to apply it to all shrubs, trees, and other foliage around the house or patio you are trying to provide relief at.  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.  It should be applied every 30 days for optimum control.  It is also very good for bees and wasps, however you would not want to apply it or any other product directly to play sets where children will touch treated surfaces.  Also, Talstar P is labeled for over 100 different insects and will work in just about any situation. 

Generally, it should take any where between 30min-1hour to dry. After the treated area has completely dried it is safe for the pets to re-enter.

Talstar P should be used within 3 years of the date of purchase. It is important to keep the product out of direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.

Talstar P is specifically labeled (page 4 of the product label) for a number of medically significant spiders including Black Widow, Brown Recluse and Hobo Spiders. It is important to remember that Talstar P does not give an immediate knockdown but instead works over a period of several hours to kill spiders that have come into contact with the product. Talstar P will also help to get rid of the insects that spiders feed on and that will help to stop new spiders from moving in. Indoors, spray around all baseboards, door frames, window frames, under appliances, in closets and storage rooms and in areas where utilities enter into the structure. Outdoors you should spray around the bottom of the foundation, on the ground adjacent to the foundation, door frames, window frames and places where the utilities enter into the structure. Brown recluse spiders are a bit trickier to eliminate because they often stay hidden in areas where people do not or cannot spray. We recommend that in addition to the Talstar P, you also use glueboards in areas where spraying would not be appropriate and to help monitor the infestation (cabinets, closets, under furniture, storage areas)

Talstar P is the #1 recommended product for bagworm control. TalstarP is known to have a very low toxicity for mammals making it safe to use around people and pets. Please visit the Talstar P product page where you can review the product label as well as the MSDS. Talstar P applications should start in April and continue monthly through June for bagworm control. Be sure foliage is sprayed thorughly to the point of runoff to achieve adequate coverage.

No, most states do not allow you to buy Talstar P locally. You can however purchase it on our website anytime and we always provide fast, free shipping.

Bayer Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed is not labeled for bagworm control. The imidacloprid products that we carry are not labeled for bagworms and we would not recommend that you try to use them for bagworm control. We recommend that you choose a product that lists bagworms on the product label such as Talstar P (Talstar P is the product most commonly selected by pros for bagworm control), Thuricide, Mavrik, or Permethrin SFR. Please take a few minutes to read our article Bagworm Control to learn when you should start spraying for bagworms.

Like any other concentrate product of this sort, Talstar P needs to be used with 24-48 hours after mixing. After that point the product will start to not only break down and be less effective, but will eat at your sprayer parts as well. If you do not think you will need the full 1 gallon of solution for the area you are treating, you can cut the dilution in half and mix up only half a gallon at a time.

Talstar P could potentially harm earthworms and other benficials should they come in contact with it; however, a surface application would not get deep enough into the soil for this to be an issue. Keep in mind, also, that earthworms have a coating that protects them from exposure to many products that would easily kill insects.

Talstar P is a water based insecticide and it takes the same amount of time as water to dry. In most cases it is dry within 1 hour.

Spraying the baseboards with Talstar P is not considered a crack and crevice spray.  Although pest control companies used to just go around the inside of a home and spray down the baseboards, it is not really considered acceptable practice any longer.  99% of all pests enter the home from the outside so the most important treatment of any home is the outside perimeter.  On the inside you should just hit the "hot spots" which are underneath and behind appliances, inside water heater closets, and in wall voids where pipes go into walls and cupboards behind toilets and under sinks. We actually have an instructional video that demonstrates how and where to spray around and inside your home.

Talstar P and Demon WP are both synthetic pyrethroid products and work in a very similar way. The key difference here would be that the Demon Wp is a wettable powder and as such, it is able to stay on the surface of porous areas allowing insects to come in contact with it a bit better. That being said Demon WP also leaves a white powdery residue that is visible on dark surfaces. Talstar P is a concentrated liquid that is odorless, dries clear and is labeled for a huge variety of insects (including roaches) and areas making it a bit more versatile.

Yes. According to the Talstar P product label:

Mole Cricket adults: Achieving acceptable control of adult mole crickets is difficult because preferred grass areas are subject to continuous invasion during the early spring by this extremely active stage. Applications should be made as late in the day as possible and should be watered in with up to 0.5 inches of water immediately after treatment. If the soil is not moist, then it is important to irrigate
before application to bring the mole crickets closer to the soil surface where contact with the insecticide will be maximized. Grass areas that receive pressure from adult mole crickets should be treated at peak egg hatch to ensure optimum control of subsequent nymph populations (see below).

Mole Cricket nymphs: Grass areas that received intense adult mole cricket pressure in the spring should be treated immediately prior to peak egg hatch. Optimal control is achieved at this time because young nymphs are more susceptible to insecticides and they are located near the soil surface where the insecticide is most concentrated. Control of larger, more damaging, nymphs later in the
year may require both higher application rates and more frequent applications to maintain acceptable control. Applications should be made as late in the day as possible and should be watered in with up to 0.5 inches of water immediately after treatment. If the soil is not moist, then it is important to irrigate before application to bring the mole crickets closer to the soil surface where contact with the insecticide will be maximized.

Talstar P will last up to 30 days outside.  You do want to apply about 24 hours before you are expecting any rain.  After that point, rain will not affect it. 

Yes. Unless other wise noted,  the pesticides on our website are safe to use in a home with children. As with any product, it is important to follow the label instructions and precautions to ensure safety. Talstar P is non-irritating, non-staining and contains no odorous or plant-damaging solvents. It's even labeled for food-handling area.