Insect Repellent Myths

This page is a general article that discusses some common myths associated with insect repellents. Here you can find accurate information to most common insect repellent products as well as increasing your personal knowledge and success for home treatments. By reading this DIY guide, you can find professional quality products, facts, and have a greater control of insects inhibiting your property.

While there are some insects that are beneficial for the environment they can easily become a nuisance and potentially harmful to homeowners. For this reason, homeowners are searching for ways to repel or eliminate insects or the seek the cause of infestations. This may seem like an overwhelming task, but through the use of insect repellent products these populations are prevented or controlled.

Insect repellents containing Deet are often the go-to-product for controlling pest populations like mosquitoes. Its worth noting that not all insect repellents will contain this ingredient and various types of products may be required for eliminating unwanted insects.

With that said, it can be confusing deciding which insect repellent products are best at repelling insects from your yard, garden, or home while at the same time limiting the use of unwanted materials.

As many insect repellents there are on todays market there is also the same amount of false information surrounding these products. Our DIY guide will help to expand and dispel misleading information associated with insect repellents and increase your knowledge to avoid unnecessary purchases or loss of time.

Plants Repel Insects

Every homeowner loves remedies that do not call for heavy involvement during insect application. One of these options is plants like citronella or lavender, which are often suggested for natural insect control in your yard.

Although these plants do serve some protection they must be crushed or burned to effect insect populations. Simply placing plants in your garden bed or across your property will not decrease growing insect populations or activity.

Fact: The chemical found in most insect repelling plants can be located in various pesticides known as biochemicals. Products made with these biochemicals or other man-made ingredients like permethrin, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, bifenthrin, or fipronil.

For example, Supreme IT is a liquid insecticide containing bifenthrin 7.9% that works to repel and eliminate numerous species of insects for up to 90 days. Bifenthrin is an ingredient that falls under the pyrethroid family. Pyrethroids are manmade chemicals that of pyrethrin, which derives from chrysanthemum flowers.

Natural Ingredient Products Work The Best

Using products that claim having natural ingredients and non-harmful effects to the environment will make any individual feel good about their purchase.

On the other hand this falls into a complicated discussion about whether ingredients in these natural products are actually toxic or safe. Depending on the product being used it could fall into this category, but there are some products that contain a mix of natural and harmful chemicals within the same concentration.

Fact: Terms used on products such as clean, chemical free, non-toxic, or toxic-free are not regulated by the FDA. One of the things we strongly recommend doing is referring to the active ingredients on the product label before application.

Sounds Irritate Insects

When products are not producing the results you wish to see some individuals turn to new, relative technologies such as ultrasonic devices.

These devices are somewhat new on the market that use high frequency sound waves that pests are suggested to be sensitive too and other electronic means to repel insects. However, there is little scientific data to prove these type of devices have any significant effect on insects such as mosquitoes.

Fact: Ultrasonic insect repellent devices have no real effect on insect populations and may cause enough time to pass for breeding activity or bites on skin.

The only way to repel and control insect populations is to use scientifically-formulated insecticide that is labeled to treat that pest. Insects may learn to avoid the area the ultrasonic repellents are located or adapt to the sound emitted from these devices.

High Amount of Active Ingredients Means Better Protection

With insecticides, there is a common misconception that higher levels of active ingredients is better. It seems reasonable to think that the more amount of product you place on foliage and other surfaces will result in faster elimination and decrease of populations.

The percentage of an active ingredient simply means that this product will work to protect your treated areas and eliminate certain type of pests for a set number of days.

Fact: Residual insecticides are products that work for some length of time depending on the formulation, application site, and condition of foliage.

Depending on how much time you wish to commit to an insecticide application schedule and the type of insect invading your home or yard will determine the type of pesticide used.

We recommend using a long-lasting insecticide such as Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, Supreme IT, or Termiticide products.

Community Pest Fogging Guarantees No IPM Needed

Many people ask does community mosquito fogging or licensed pest control vehicle sprays mean that you do not have to spray for insects. Unfortunately, community spraying will only occur when pest populations are deemed high or necessary as according to the ordinance making these applications.

Without this knowledge, many homeowners assume that licensed applicators will make frequent treatments leading to no maintenance on their end and increasing pest populations.

Fact: There are chances that the pesticides being used by community sprayers are not being applied to specific target areas for pests. If communities are making these insecticide applications then there is a chance that parts of your yard will not be treated with pesticide material. Another reason for increasing pest populations like mosquitoes or flies could be based on any standing water sources in tires, flower pots, bird baths, swimming pools, and ponds.

To control insect populations, you will want to conduct an integrated pest management at the first sign of pest activity. This begins with inspecting your yard or home for areas that potential pests may hide then removing these conditions. You will then conduct a treatment control while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). We recommend using a liquid insecticide such as Flex 10-10, which will remove mosquitoes, cockroaches, and other types of insects from your property.

Flex 10-10 may be applied with a backpack sprayer, hose-end sprayer, spray-rig, ULV machines, compressed air equipment, and automatic misting systems. For small areas, you will want to use a handheld pump sprayer.

Key Takeaways

Why Should Insect Repellents Be Used

• Using an insect repellent allows you to avoid unwanted pest activity and interaction such as foliage being consumed by chewing or sucking insects to crawling insects like cockroaches invading the interior of your home.

Does Insect Repellent Last Long

• The duration of insect repellents is based on the amount of product used, percentage of active ingredients, formulation of product such as liquid or granule, and the conditions of the plant.

What is the Most Effective Insect Repellent?

• Insect repellents containing permethrin, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, bifenthrin, or fipronil have shown to be effective in controlling pest populations.