Water Soluble Powders

barrier treatment

Solutions Pest & Lawn carries some of the best water soluble packets or soluble powders you will find on the market. These products are effective and are a great formulation to consider for your pest control program.

Soluble powders are a specialized formulation of insecticide where the active ingredient comes in powder form (much like wettable powders) but is able to blend into a complete solution which can the used and sprayed onto surfaces and into cracks crevices and voids to control various problematic pests.

On this page we will touch on the benefits of soluble powders, how they are formulated, and how to properly apply these products to achieve the best possible results.

What is a Water Soluble Powder?

Soluble powder formulations (also known as water soluble powders or water soluble packets and WSP for short) look similar to wettable powders. However, the main difference is that when mixed with water, soluble powders dissolve readily and form a true solution, much like when sugar dissolves into water.

A true solution is when one chemical is fully dissolved into another and the resulting liquid is clear (particles of added material completely disassociate into individual molecules). Particles in the solution cannot be seen, or separated by physical or mechanical methods.

Once soluble powders are initially agitated and thoroughly mixed, there’s no need for further shaking to agitate the chemicals. The amount of active ingredient in soluble powders ranges from 15% to 95% by weight; it usually is more than 50%. The percentage of active ingredient in a soluble powder is high compared to Emulsifiable Concentrates and Wettable Powders.

Water soluble powders have all the advantages of wettable powders and none of the disadvantages except the inhalation hazard during mixing. Few pesticides are available in this formulation because few active ingredients are readily soluble in water.

Conditions for Using Water Soluble Powders

Water soluble powders are great to use for general pest control sprayings indoors and around your yard. Depending on the active ingredient, it can be used to treat a variety of pests and in herbicide form it can eliminate invasive weeds.

Water soluble powders are used to treat pests in agricultural, ornamental and turf, forestry, structural, (residential and commercial), food processing, livestock and public health settings. They are also adaptable to many types of application equipment, from small, portable sprayers to hydraulic sprayers, low-volume ground sprayers, mist blowers and low-volume aircraft sprayers.

Water soluble powders often come in water soluble packets which make it convenient because the right dosage is in the packet and there’s no need to measure the powder to make sure you get the right amount.

Because the particle size of water soluble powders is larger than SC and EC formulations, they work very well on porous surfaces such as brick, concrete, and raw wood. The larger particle size sits on the surface and is not absorbed into the material.

Benefits of Using Water Soluble Powders

Water soluble powders contain much of the benefits of wettable powders. Soluble powders and water soluble packets are simple to manufacture, transport and store. They are not abrasive nor will they clog up screens and nozzles. Unlike wettable powders, WSPs leave no visible residue on treated surfaces and require little agitation because they will not settle out or separate when equipment is being used.

Water soluble powders are easy to use--simply mix a small amount of the powder or use a pre-measured water soluble packet with water according to the label instructions and you’re set. WSPs usually dry quickly and clear and give a great residual effect which may last between 28 to 90 days. Typically because of their high concentrations of active ingredient soluble powder products are cheaper to use for treatments which require a large amount of spraying.

Water Soluble Powder Drawbacks

There is a very limited availability and variety of water soluble powder products because not very many product active ingredients out there can dissolve into water to form a true solution.

Our Recommendations

Cyper WSP - Cyper WSP Insecticide is a cypermethrin water-soluble powder insecticide that comes in convenient water-soluble packets. The pre-measured packets are dropped into a spray tank and dissolve to make an insecticide spray. Cyper WSP controls over 30 insects and provides a powerful residual barrier.

Tools Needed

To use a water-soluble powder product you will need to dilute and mix the powder with water into a handheld sprayer. Please use the necessary PPE for safety before mixing and applying.

User Guide

Mixing packet of Cyper WSP

Step 1: Add Packet to Sprayer and Mix

Water Soluble Packets will either come with a dosing spoon or be in individual use packets. Determine how much Cyper WSP you will need by calculating the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, you will need to measure and multiply the area width times the length (length x width = square footage.) 1 packet of Cyper WSP can treat between 800 to 1,600 sq. ft. when mixed between 1 to 5 gallons of water. So for example, if you measured 1,500 sq. ft. to treat, you would need 1 packet in at least 1 gallon of water.

Fill the sprayer halfway with water, add the water-soluble packet into the sprayer and allow 1 to 2 minutes to pass for the packet to dissolve. Fill the sprayer with the rest of the water and then shake the sprayer well to properly mix the solution.

Step 2: Apply Product

Spray around your exterior windows, the eaves of the house and other areas where there are cracks and crevices. Once the product dries, the product is left on the surface as a residue. Outdoors, WSP solutions are great for spraying upon porous surfaces like brick or raw wood. The powder makes the product denser so it does not absorb into the material and will stay on the surface as a barrier.

Key Takeaways

What are Water Soluble Powders?

Water soluble powders are powders that dissolve easily into water much like sugar. This is a popular formulation in pest control because of ease of use since they usually come is pre-measured packets.