Delta Dust Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Please check out our article "How to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets". If you can get close we highly recommend applying a dust like Delta Dust that is water proof and when the yellow jacket comes in contact with it, the dust will transfer from bee to bee killing adults and larvae. This product would be great to use in those cracks in the cement blocks.

Cicada Killer wasps thrive in disturbed environments, such as landscaped yards and places where bare soil is exposed. You can discourage the wasps from nesting in your yard by cutting your grass on the highest setting and by adding a thick layer of mulch to flower beds during the Cicada Killer Wasp season. These wasps do not like over saturated lawns either, so over watering during their season will help prevent them. Unfortunately, there is no fool proof way to prevent cicada killer wasps. For current infestations, you would need to use Delta dust in each individual burrow.

The Delta Dust will work on any type of bee, but they may be further up in the void than the dust is reaching. Or they may have another exit point you can't see at the moment, or just a large colony in general. You can give it a few more weeks or potentially try a transfer spray like Phantom Aerosol which is a very slow kill but gets carried through the nest through touch a little better, in this case. 

Cicada Killer wasps thrive in disturbed environments, such as landscaped yards and places where bare soil is exposed. You can discourage the wasps from nesting in your yard by cutting your grass on the highest setting and by adding a thick layer of mulch to flower beds during the Cicada Killer Wasp season. These wasps do not like over saturated lawns either, so over watering during their season will help prevent them. Unfortunately, there is no fool proof way to prevent cicada killer wasps. For current infestations, you would need to use Delta dust in each individual burrow.


We also like to let our customers know that the Cicada Killer wasps are beneficial insects that provide free pest control for a couple months each year. Cicada killer wasps paralyze and provision their burrows with other insects to feed their young.  The beneficial Cicada killer wasps, while large and intimidating to see, are mostly harmless and there have been very few reports of anyone getting stung by just being near them. In most cases where a sting was reported, the wasps were being held or molested in some way. Cicada Killer Wasp stings are also reported to be almost painless.

For cicada killer wasps, it is commonly recommended to use Delta Dust in each individual burrow. Cicada Killer wasps thrive in disturbed environments, such as landscaped yards and places where bare soil is exposed. You can discourage the wasps from nesting in your yard by cutting your grass on the highest setting and by adding a thick layer of mulch to flower beds during the Cicada Killer Wasp season. These wasps do not like over saturated lawns either, so over watering during their season will help prevent them. Unfortunately, there is no fool proof way to prevent cicada killer wasps.

We also like to let our customers know that the Cicada Killer wasps are beneficial insects that provide free pest control for a couple months each year. Cicada killer wasps paralyze and provision their burrows with other insects to feed their young.  The beneficial Cicada killer wasps, while large and intimidating to see, are mostly harmless and there have been very few reports of anyone getting stung by just being near them. In most cases where a sting was reported, the wasps were being held or molested in some way. Cicada Killer Wasp stings are also reported to be almost painless. 

Since you are positive these are palmetto bugs, please visit out Palmetto bug control page. Use Delta Dust in wall voids. Alpine WSG can be used as a perimeter treatment. Treating the outside perimeter and entry points. Indoors cracks and crevices.

Delta dust is commonly applied in areas like electrical outlets, light switch plates and other areas where you do not want to apply a liquid insecticide. It will last if left undisturbed for 6-8 months. Bait gel (including Maxforce Roach Bait Gel) can be applied in that area (if there is not any dust present) but should be applied every two weeks to maintain a fresh food source for the roaches. It is only labeled for roaches. Delta dust can eradicate many other listed insects including roaches. If you are mainly treating roaches, we suggest applying a liquid insecticide mixed with an IGR (insect growth regulator) and water and treat on the exterior of the structure and the interior cracks and crevices. Apply the bait gel in areas (where you have not sprayed) like the cabinets, under the sink, behind the toilet, above the door frames, etc. Apply dust in the wall voids, outlets, light switch plates, etc. Bait is applied every two weeks, dust is applied every 6-8 months, liquid soultion is applied every 30 days outside and every 90 days inside. Please contact us if you have additional questions or concerns 866-581-7378 M-F 9-5PM EST.

How far an insecticide dust such as Delta Dust may drift before settling will depend on several factors such as what kind of duster is used to apply it, the humidity in the area, and any air movement in the space where it is applied. If you would like to share more about where you are treating, the target pest, and what kind of duster you are using, then we can better assist you. Keep in mind that Delta Dust is for use only in cracks and crevices and interior voids, not for use in open living spaces or outdoors.

Delta Dust will eliminate ants that cross over treated areas. That being said, ants can be very sensitive to synthetic pyrethroids like the active ingredient that is contained in Delta dust, and can avoid treated areas in some situations. It is helpful to use Delta dust to treat the ant nest directly to eliminate the colony or if that is not possible than to use the dust to treat all of the cracks or crevices where the ants are gaining access to the home. We also carry several products that are non-repellent to ants such as Alpine Dust, Phantom Aerosol and for outdoor use Termidor SC as well as several ant bait products which the ants pick up and carry back to the colony.

Delta Dust will not kill on contact.  In fact, no product will kill a bee or other insect immediately other than Wasp Freeze or a pyrethrin aerosol.  The bees that you covered with Delta Dust will die, but not until the bees ingest the dust.  When bees walk through a hole or land on a surface that you dusted, they pick up the dust on their bodies.  Later, when they groom themselves as most insects do, they will ingest the small dust particles and die soon after.  All dust products work better the less you apply.  You should only apply a very thin light dusting of the material.  Bees and other insects have thousands of microscopic hairs on their bodies and will pick up the dust quite easily.  A pile of dust in one place will look like a mountain to a small insect and they will walk around it instead of through it.