Taurus SC would not be the most effective way of treating for drywood termites in an attic. You can treat the termite galleries in the wood with a product like Termidor Foam, which will leave behind a non-repellent residual that allows the termites to pick the product up on their bodies and transfer it throughout the entire colony in the wood to eradicate the entire colony. You can apply Bora Care to the raw, untreated wood in the attic a few weeks after using the Termidor Foam (you want to give the termites a chance to distribute it throughout the colony to eradicate all or most of the colony) which will protect the wood for the lifetime of it against wood boring pests like drywood and subterranean termites.
Taurus SC Termiticide could only be used as an exterior treatment for roaches, earwigs and black widows and cannot be used indoors. It is not a knockdown kill. For 6 month residual, you will mix at 0.8 fl oz per gallon and for quarterly treatments, you will apply at 0.4 fl oz per gallon. Spray 1 ft to 2 ft up and 1 ft out around doors, windows, vents, pipes, foundation cracks, drilled holes or around any exterior openings where listed pests could enter the structure. Make sure to treat the joint where exterior siding (wood, vinyl, aluminium or other similar materials) meets the cement, brick or block foundation.
Indoors, we would suggest using Temprid FX along baseboards, floorboards, around windows, doors, behind appliances, under cabinets, behind toilets, in closets, etc.
It is best not to apply Taurus SC if it is going to rain the same day. If possible it should be applied at least 24 hours before you are expecting any rain. As long as the product is applied on a non-windy day and at least 24 hours before rain, it will not wash away.
Taurus SC Termiticide is a restrive product in general in regards to where, when, and how often it can be applied even in states outside of California. Per the state and EPA, it cannot be applied in California between November 1 and February 28 per the label, and the label is the law. In general, November-February are considered winter months that no insecticides would normally be recommended for as this is not an active pest season or time of year. When registering the Taurus label and use in California, they made sure to specify to not use during these times of year to further reduce any unneccesary applications of the chemical.
Taurus SC Termiticide can be used around the outside of your home only for ants. You can also use ant baits indoors and outdoors for ant control. Ant Baits will be picked up by the foraging ants and carried back to the nesting area and shared. Most folks choose to use a combination of products. They use ant baits indoors and in sensitive areas and they use the liquid concentrates outdoors.
Taurus SC does not bond to rock, it bonds to soil, so if you fill in the trench with rock gravel, Taurus SC will not stick to it and it will leave you with a 6"x6" area of completely unprotected surface that the termites could pass through to get directly to your home. We understand that the digging of the trench is a pain, but it must be done each time and it must be backfilled with soil, and the soil that is backfilled must be treated as well if you want your home properly and completely protected.
Taurus SC Termiticide does list tree treatments on the label. However, it is only labeled for injection applications, and not for a general spray on or around trees.
Taurus SC Termiticide can harm honey bees and other bees if they contact a treated surface long enough to receive a lethal dose or if sprayed during application. To avoid this you can apply early in the morning or later in the evening when they are less active and less likely to be in the area.
Taurus SC is only labeled to be applied right up against a structure and cannot be broadcast across the lawn. To treat ants in the lawn, we would recommend using something like the Advance 375A ant bait granules. This type of ant bait granule can be broadcast all over your yard or you can use it on individual mounds and it is labeled for most ants. Using ant bait is beneficial because (unlike sprays that only kill the ants you see), ants consume the bait and carry it back to the nest, feeding it to all the other ants including the queen, getting rid of the entire colony.
Taurus SC is not labeled for mole crickets. You cannot use Taurus SC out in the lawn as this type of treatment is prohibited by the Taurus product label. Taurus can only be used on or within one foot of a structure. We have a great Treatment Guide for Mole Crickets here.
Taurus SC Termiticide works great as a termite preventative in soil. We would recommend applying Boracare as a wood treatment prior to sealing or painting. Please see our Termite Guide for the most up to date tips for termite treatment and prevention.
Taurus can only be applied with the backpack sprayer as long as its not going to cause the treatment barrier to be wider than the legal allowed range which is 1 foot up the side of the home and 1 foot out on the ground and around window and door frames or entry points for insects. If it will apply it in a wider range than this you would need to use a smaller hand held sprayer for the application.
Residential uses of diazinon were outlawed in the U.S. in 2004. We were able to find product labels by searching for "diazinon 4E specimen label", but we would still recommend contacting the manufacturer for advice on product usage and safety. We have several products for general pest control that are readily available and are safe to use around humans and pets. We do offer a granular bait that is labeled to eradicate ants called Maxforce Complete Granules. You can apply a liquid spray application with Taurus SC up against the structure (1ft and 1ft out) around the foundation a couple of times per year for a non-repellent barrier for ants. This transfers to other ants also. The Maxforce Complete Granules will be shared also. Please take a few moments to review our treatment article on How to Get Rid of Ants for a successful eradication program.
Taurus SC can be applied at 0.8 fl oz per gallon twice a year (1 ft up and 1 ft out) directly around the structures (except in CA). More than two applications of Taurus SC per calendar year can be made only if applied according to one of the following frequency and dilution rate application scenarios. DO NOT exceed the specified number of applications per calendar year.
The use directions include up to four (4) applications per year at the 0.03% dilution rate for outside surfaces and along the foundation perimeter of listed structures.
0.03% 4 times/calendar year OR
0.06% 2 times/calendar year OR
0.03% 2 times/calendar year and 0.06% 1 time/calendar year
Taurus SC Termiticide is not labeled for mosquitoes and cannot be used out on the yard or on ornamental plants where you will need to treat for mosquito control. We would recommend to use Talstar P instead. For heavy mosquito control, you can add Tekko IGR and ExciteR Insecticide to your solution, to stump their life cycle and get a quick knockdown on active mosquitoes. We recommend reading over our Mosquito Treatment Guide for further tips and information.
Taurus SC Termiticide should only be applied around the outside perimeter of a strurcture, 1 foot up and 1 foot out. You do not want to apply anywhere where it could run off into lake. It is toxic to aquatic life. Be sure that the application is at least 15 feet from lake.
Taurus SC Termiticide can be mixed in a pump sprayer with the nozzle set to a pin stream to apply into drilled holes.
Taurus SC Termiticide can only be applied right up against a structure and not broadcast over a large area, so there is not an acre rate.
We recommend that you trench and drill around the structure when applying Taurus SC Termiticide . Please refer to our Termite Treatment Article/Video for more detailed application instructions. It is very important to trench each side of the hollow blocks, even more important than drilling into each block to inject the Taurus SC Termiticide solution. The problem is that the termites will be still be able to build tubes on the outer areas of the blocks and still access your home. Your treatments will be far more successful if you trench and treat on either side of the hollow block. Bora-Care can be applied 90 days after the Taurus SC Termiticide application for treatment of the raw wood.
