If you are going to fight cockroaches with the help of dust, then, perhaps, the first thing that is important to know is that the products sold today as such are not dust.
The fact is that initially the word “dust” was called DDT powder (dichlorodiphenyltrichloromethylmethane), designed specifically to combat insects. Of all the insecticides known by the middle of the 20th century, it was one of the most effective (in truth, even today the vast majority of modern synthetic insecticides cannot surpass DDT in their strength).
But as it turned out later, dust was extremely toxic and dangerous to humans, animals, and the environment in general. After numerous checks and confirmations, DDT was banned for sale and use for any purpose, and today in the civilized world it is not used at all.
So, if you take any dust from cockroaches on sale today and familiarize yourself with its instructions, it turns out that, in fact, there is no DDT in it. So, such funds are called “dust” only conditionally.
Nevertheless, the word itself turned out to be very popular among the people, and it was not possible to refuse it. Today, the word "dust" does not determine the composition of the tool, but only indicates its powder form. In English, “dust” means dust, fine powder.
After the abolition of DDT for the fight against cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, ants, flies and other insects began to be produced and actively used means in the form of powders, but based on completely different active substances - chlorpyrifos, malathion, synthetic pyrethroids, etc. They are safer in application and also quite effective. Such dusts can be bought today in any market, in hardware stores and on the Internet.
The photo below shows an example of Pure House cockroach dust packing:
Feedback:
“I thought that cockroaches had long been extinct, but no. Last year, back from vacation, and what do I see? In the apartment cockroaches started, such small, nasty, whiskered, terrible stuff! It was clear that now they simply would not leave.I washed the kitchen, toilet, bathroom and immediately ran to the store for poison. I never poisoned cockroaches, I don’t know what to buy at all. The saleswoman gave me Dust Clean House, she said that she poisoned cockroaches to them. It cost very cheap, about 50 rubles. I somehow did not dare to poison this poison just on the floor, scattered on the lids of the bottles and put it behind the stove, under the refrigerator and in the kitchen wall. Plus, I also put it in the closet under the bathroom. I did not think that such an inexpensive tool will work so quickly. On the third day, the cockroaches were no longer seen, and, by the way, they didn’t find their corpses either. Very pleased with the facility. I didn’t clean the covers after that, I just change the dust from time to time ... ”
Marina, Kaluga
On a note
Good old-fashioned dust that insects used to poison in Soviet times cannot be bought today. But even if you manage to find this rare powder, it is better to refrain from using it, since DDT, according to some sources, has carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.
Fortunately today there are many much safer insecticidal dusts: Fenaxin, Absolute, Pyrethrum, Ecokiller, Fas, Tornado, etc.
How do they work and how effective dusts from cockroaches
According to the principle of action on insects, dusts used today are divided into three types:
- Nerve action - the majority. Getting into the body of a cockroach, the tool disrupts the insect's nervous system, leads to its paralysis and fairly rapid death. For example, pyrethroid-based dusts (permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin) and organophosphorus compounds (chlorophos, chlorpyrifos, karbofos) work according to this principle;
- Acute intestinal action - such agents kill cockroaches by entering into their digestive tract. The above mentioned pyrethroids and organophosphate insecticides have both neuroparalytic and acute intestinal effects. But, for example, boric acid and borax have only an intestinal effect;
- Leading to insect dehydration. For example, the diatomite in the composition of the dust from insects Ecokiller.
Dusts from cockroaches are good because most of them act in contact. That is, the insect does not have to eat the powder or the bait with the drug - it is enough that the cockroach simply runs through the scattered dust.At the same time, dust particles will stick to its paws and abdomen, and then through the integuments of the body the active substance will penetrate into the body - this is called contact action.
Nevertheless, the intestinal action also makes a significant (if not the main) contribution to the work of the tool: all modern dusts act faster if they fall into the insect's stomach. In this case, it is not necessary to make an attractive bait, since, simply by smearing in powder, the cockroach will inevitably swallow some of it when it is cleaning its paws and antennae.
On a note
That is why, on the basis of boric acid, it is not necessary to make baits - it can simply be scattered in places where insects accumulate.
With proper treatment of the premises with pyrethroid and organophosphate dusts, the main part of cockroaches die on the first night, and the rest are poisoned over the next few days. When using Ekokiller dust (based on diatomite), the process can last for one to two weeks, just like when using boric acid.
In those rooms where dusts are not removed during cleaning (for example, in basements), they work (retain their effectiveness) for 6-8 weeks.This allows you to use them not only for the rapid destruction of cockroaches, but also for long-term preventive protection of the premises from the penetration of new insects from the outside.
In general, the dusts used to fight cockroaches are practically as effective as the more usual aerosol preparations, and in most cases they are more effective than glue traps and insecticidal crayons.
Features of dust, which must be considered when baiting cockroaches
However, with a specific preparative form of dusts are associated with some features of their use in the fight against cockroaches.
First of all, it is necessary to consider the following nuances:
- Doust works passively, that is, the cockroach itself must run through it or eat it in order to get poisoned. Because of this, dust, unlike aerosol insecticides, is difficult to poison cockroaches quickly. But on such a passive fight against cockroaches do not have to spend a lot of time and effort - the powder is simply poured in where insects are often, and after that the pests are poisoned themselves;
- To increase the effectiveness of the use of dusts, it is sometimes advisable to use in conjunction with food baits.Baits force cockroaches to aspire to those places where poison is scattered, or even to eat the dust itself, mixed with food bait;
- Do not forget that dusty dust and, in general, reduce the level of cleanliness in the room. Therefore, it is desirable to use them using special lure stations (closed boxes with holes through which insects can climb inside). This is especially true if children and pets live in the room to be processed;
- Dusts in most cases fail to properly handle vertical surfaces - walls, legs of chairs and tables, furniture doors. In this regard, pencils and gels from cockroaches are more preferable.
On a note
With other things being equal, poisoning cockroaches will turn out to be the more effective, the smaller its particles - a thin powder more easily clings to the insect's paws and whiskers and is more likely to remain on them until the time when the cockroach starts cleaning itself.
A significant advantage of dust compared to other means is a successful combination of high efficiency, affordability and low cost.Insecticidal dusts are sold today in many hardware stores and are very inexpensive (compared to, for example, aerosol preparations). In many ways, it is precisely because of the simplicity of the purchase and the cheapness of the dust that has retained its popularity as a means of fighting cockroaches, and is used no less than other types of tools.
On a note
Another advantage of insecticidal dust is the ability to use them in the fight against fleas and bed bugs. Since these parasites do not feed on anything other than blood, they cannot be attracted to poisoned baits.
Types of insecticidal powders: choose the most effective
As a means of fighting cockroaches, the following dusts are quite popular today:
- Dust Clean House based on cypermethrin and karbofos, reinforced with piperonyl butoxide. By the way, many aerosol insecticides have a similar composition. The drug is sold at a price of about 50 rubles for a bag of 50 grams. One such package is sufficient for a complete surface treatment of 10 m²;
- Ecokiller - in fact, diatomite, he is mountain flour. It is allocated among other dusts with almost absolute harmlessness for domestic animals and humans.It is not toxic to mammals, when inhaled on their body or into the digestive tract, it is inert, but it acts lethal on insects, because, due to its abrasive properties, it disrupts the integrity of the external integument, which leads to rapid dehydration of the body;
- Ants & Cockroach Fas-Double powder, containing zeta-cypermethrin, es-fenvalerate and piperonyl butoxide as active ingredients. Its properties are quite similar to the Clean House Dust. It costs about 70 rubles for a bag of 125 grams;
- Fenaksin on the basis of fenvalerate, safe enough for humans (it is important to buy exactly powder from Fenaxin cockroaches, and not pellets, which are used in gardening to protect the plot from the bear);
- Pyrethrum powder - from cockroaches it is as effective as it is from ants, bedbugs, moths and other pests and parasites. Its active substance is crushed Dalmatian chamomile flowers, which is a source of natural pyrethrins. The tool is quite effective from cockroaches, but its main advantage is safe. For humans and pets, pyrethrum is significantly less toxic than other dusts (with the exception, perhaps,Dousta Ekokiller, which is also safe to use);
- Cockroach Powder Regent. Its active ingredient is fipronil;
- Doust Absolute. Contains fenthion and deltamethrin, a fairly effective drug, but requires careful use;
- It is also worth noting borax and boric acid (sometimes called boron powder from cockroaches). Sold, including in pharmacies, are used both for simple sprinkling in the places of movement of cockroaches, and for the preparation of poisoned baits. Practically safe for humans and domestic animals, since they can be poisoned only by purposefully eating a significant amount of powder;
- The so-called cable powder (thiuram) - a tool used in the rubber industry as a vulcanizer. There are many reviews of its effectiveness against cockroaches. But to buy tiuram in ordinary stores is unlikely to succeed;
- Dust Tornado with cypermethrin and boric acid.
…Other. Many of them are produced by the domestic industry, others are imported drugs.
Also today, Chinese dusts from cockroaches are popular.It is believed that these tools are very effective, because the Chinese are not particularly worried about safety and add the most powerful poisons to their powders. In actual fact, however, it turns out that Chinese dusts from cockroaches contain the same active ingredients as, for example, in the familiar Clean House or Fas, and they do not exceed the efficiency of domestic insecticidal preparations. At the same time, it is more difficult to buy Chinese insecticidal dust than domestic, and therefore the pursuit of them, in principle, does not make much sense.
On a note
Earlier, the popular powder from the Halek cockroaches (the country of origin is Syria) today for obvious reasons, it is almost impossible to buy. And as often happens when the drug disappears from sale, the trademark quickly acquires a lot of myths and becomes almost a panacea for all ills. So it happened with Dust Khalek - in reviews, the drug is often called the most effective tool that mows cockroaches in an apartment clean and for many years. Something this story resembles the situation with tire powder (cable), that is, tiuram, which many had time to experience about 15-20 years ago, took one way or another from the factory and are now actively seeking.
In fact, Halek Dust is difficult to call some unique means - the active substance in it (cypermethrin) is standard for many insecticidal preparations.
By and large, to combat cockroaches, you can buy any of the above dust, but it is advisable to decide in advance on the requirements of the tool. If the drug is used in a house where pets and children live, then it is advisable to acquire the safest means. And, for example, in the basement, cellar, or in the attic, you can use the most powerful drugs, because besides cockroaches there is no one else to poison.
Feedback
“We recently moved out of a small family, and there we saw plenty of cockroaches. I never thought that there are so many of them. Miraculously managed to poison them. We were advised to dust Fenaxine, we scattered it wherever we could - under the beds, on baseboards, on the closets and under them, in the bedside tables, under the sink. Already after being scattered, they saw cockroaches crawling out of the cracks, but then they left for a day. When they returned, there was nowhere to step literally, as many of their corpses lay everywhere. Already crunched underfoot.We swept out the whole thing, and then once again sprinkled the plinth with powder, but only where the child lacks them. ”
Alexandra Voynichuk
How to poison cockroaches dust?
To treat the area of an apartment from cockroaches, dust is simply applied in places where pests accumulate and move - on the floors along the baseboards, around the toilet bowl and bin, under the sinks in the kitchen and in the toilet, as well as in other places where cockroaches are seen most often.
Important!
Using insecticidal dusts against cockroaches, it is necessary, as far as possible, to completely eliminate all available sources of insect water in the room — drops in the sink, leaking pipes, and unfinished tea on the table. If the cockroach drinks a lot, the insecticide is faster excreted from the body, and the drug has less effect. In situations where the poisoning dose received by a cockroach is minimal, but sufficient for poisoning, access to water can save his life. This is especially true for boric acid and Ecokiller powder.
In the case of using synthetic insecticide-based dusts, it is advisable to carry out the treatment overnight. After 3-8 hours after spraying the powder, it should be collected with a broom, and the treated places should be cleaned so that pets can not get dirty in the dust residues.In rooms in which neither pets, nor children appear, dust can be left on surfaces for a longer period, up to several weeks. In general, the effectiveness of the drug is usually maintained for 6-8 weeks.
In residential areas, you can also use the baiting stations (they are also called houses, traps). They can be bought or made independently from cardboard boxes or cigarette packs. The essence of their application lies in the fact that the powder is poured into the box, holes are made in it, through which cockroaches can climb into it, and such a trap is installed where the cockroaches are likely to be found.
Inside the baiting station, along with the dust, you should put a strong-smelling bait - bread dipped in vegetable oil, an apple or a piece of sausage. Pets will not open such a station and will not get dirty in the dust, and cockroaches will easily climb inside and be poisoned.
To increase the effectiveness of the fight against cockroaches, it is advisable to use traps for cockroaches, gels or insecticidal pencils together with dusts. The more different types of means will be used, the less chance the cockroaches will survive. In addition, many of these additional funds are also quite effective and inexpensive.
As noted above, dusts can also be added to food bait, which significantly speeds up the process of exterminating cockroaches. Let's look at a few of these options ...
Dusts as components of poison baits
Usually borax or boric acid is used as a poisonous component in baits for cockroaches, although another powder containing insecticides can be quite suitable.
Poisonous baits for cockroaches can be prepared, for example, according to the following recipes:
- It is mashed from one boiled potato and one boiled egg, a tablespoon of powder is added to it and everything is thoroughly mixed;
- A spoon of boric acid or borax is mixed with a spoon of powdered sugar and a spoon of flour, all this is kneaded with water to obtain a pasty mass;
- To 60 g of starch, 30 g of vanilla sugar, 60 g of powdered sugar and 200 g of boric acid are added, everything is diluted with water and kneaded to the consistency of dough.
From the mass obtained according to any recipe, balls roll about the size of a pea, which are laid out in those parts of the room where cockroaches are most often seen.It is only important to place the bait so that children and pets do not get to them.
Feedback
“I made potato balls with boric acid, laid it around the apartment and after about three days all the cockroaches were gone, and we didn’t even see dead ones. Then after a while they appeared again (apparently, someone from the neighbors was persecuting). We again with boric acid got rid of them in two days. Then the same thing happened in the new apartment, again boric acid helped. And no dangerous chemistry is needed. ”
Lily, Samara
When it was possible to poison cockroaches, it is important to take measures in order to prevent their reappearance in the apartment in the future, and the main thing here is to block access paths for pests (to repair and putty all gaps in the walls, between the pipes of the risers, ceilings and floors, to insulate the gaps in door frames and window frames). Such measures will guarantee that the cockroaches will not penetrate the apartment in the future.
Security measures when working with insecticidal dust
All work with the use of insecticidal dust should be carried out in a respirator, rubber gloves and clothing with long sleeves.It is allowed to replace the respirator with a dense cotton-gauze bandage, which will save the respiratory tract from the ingestion of dusting agents.
On the expiration of the recommended time after treatment (it is indicated in the instructions for the preparation), the apartment is thoroughly aired, it is cleaned, all dust is swept away and then washed off.
If dust is poured where children and pets can get it, they must be removed from the premises before the end of the cleaning after treatment.
If people living in the house are prone to allergic reactions, then it makes sense to abandon the use of products containing “chemistry” (synthetic insecticides from the group of pyrethroids, organophosphate, neonicotinoids, etc.) and limit the use of glue traps, gels, boric acid or Ecokiller powder.
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“For as long as I remember my childhood, my grandmother always poisoned cockroaches with dust. Smelly was, contagion, but worked. Now I also bought a dust and was very surprised that he did not smell at all. Decided - modernized the tool, made safe. But somehow it was not impressed at all. I scattered this dust under the bedside tables, under the sink, even poured it on the shelves of the walkway.I did everything according to the instructions, and after a day I washed it. But cockroaches and run. Now I’m thinking what to finish off ... "
Pavel, Voronezh
What can replace dust in the fight against cockroaches?
Sometimes it makes sense to replace the dust with other means. For example, if you use aerosol poisons, you can get rid of most of the cockroaches in an apartment in just 2-3 hours, and then immediately bring the apartment into a residential form. With Dusts this speed will not work. Therefore, if the priority is the most rapid destruction of all cockroaches, it is better to give preference to aerosol preparations (in cans or in the form of concentrates for dilution and subsequent spraying).
On a note
From sprays and aerosols, it makes sense to choose products based on the so-called microencapsulated insecticides, odorless and remaining after drying on the surface in the form of a thin, inconspicuous film (Get, Xulat Micro, Delta Zone, Lambda-Zone, etc.).
Also cockroaches are effectively (but not quickly) destroyed by glue traps. Perhaps, if there is no rush, then glue traps, because of their safety, are even more preferable than dust.It is enough to put a bait in the center of such a trap, and most of the cockroaches will soon be caught. With the right approach and a relatively small number of cockroaches in the room of all pests can be completely removed with such a tool in one to two weeks.
Insecticidal gels (Brownie, Absolute, Globol, Dohloks, Fas, Kapkan and others) are also very effective against cockroaches, and their use can be easily combined with the use of dust. Gels are well suited, for example, for processing vertical surfaces. It is not unreasonably considered that exactly gels are today one of the most successful preparative forms of insecticidal agents.
It is an integrated approach, that is, the simultaneous use of several different types of tools, as well as preventive measures (overlapping of migration routes) in practice gives the greatest effect in the fight against cockroaches. Therefore, if there is a possibility, then the use of dusts should always be combined with other types of drugs, and at the same time not forget about the possible presence of cockroaches in neighboring apartments.
Feedback
“I somehow didn’t have a relationship with the poison.In the dormitory cockroaches there was a horror of how many, they even ran around the table during the day, sometimes even found them in bed. I tried different dichlorvos, crayons, all to no avail. I decided to buy Dust Clean House, check. She scattered him everywhere, where he would not fall under his feet, and indeed, after a couple of days the cockroaches disappeared. But not for long. Five days later, she began to notice them again, bought another pack, processed it again. Again a week of rest, and again they are. No matter how much sea, but to win does not work. Apparently, the tool works, but if in the neighboring rooms these parasites exist, then they will return anyway. ”
Oksana, Zhytomyr
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