Talstar P Professional Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Our most popular general use product is called Talstar.  It is widely used by pest control companies because it is labeled for almost every insect you could have a problem with and you can use it outside the home as well as inside, it is odorless and very safe for use around children and pets.  It is a liquid concentrate that you mix with water in a one gallon hand pump sprayer.  It will last for 60 to 90 days outside in between treatments.  It is also labeled for lawn and ornamental use, and can be used on trees, plants, bushes and shrubs for all sorts of ornamental pests including Japanese beetles, mosquitoes, and other leaf eating pests.

Talstar P mixed with an Insect Growth regulator such as Nyguard IGR would be a good choice for tick control. Talstar P would work to kill ticks that come into contact with treated surfaces while the Nyguard would work to help stop juvenile ticks from reaching sexual maturity. You should remember that ticks may be hidden in tall or dense brush so higher treatment volumes may be needed to treat the entire plant, not just the top side of the plant where it is easiest to spray. You should try to get the application on the underside of leaves and all the way to the bottom of the plant. We recommend treating the entire infested area (no spot treating). When you are dealing with an area that has a high tick population you may be required to treat once a month from spring through to the first frost, no matter what product you use. Be sure all pets are treated with a product labeled for tick control. The problem on your property may be that ticks are being reintroduced into the area on a consistent basis by wildlife such as deer, raccoons or birds. You will be required to use non-chemical means to reduce the tick population in addition to insecticides. As with most pests you can modify the environment on your property to make it less favorable to ticks. Keeping grass and weeds cut short in tick infested areas increases tick death during hot weather, discourages wildlife and will reduce the amount of vegetation which may need a pesticide application to kill ticks. Clear away yard debris such as old firewood or leaf piles. Remove old or abandoned bird nests and rodent nests. Patch fences where wildlife may be gaining access to your property. It may also be helpful to have the ticks identified. By identifying the type of ticks you can better understand what type of animals may be bringing them to your property and you can modify the environment to make it less favorable for that host animal. You can contact your local cooperative extension office to request an insect identification.

Talstar P cannot be used on any type of edible vegetation. We do carry a wide variety of products that can be used on vegetables. You can type in the name of the vegetable you need to treat into the search window (upper left hand side) of our home page and this will help narrow down the choices. When you see the products come up you can click on them and you will be able to see the full product descriptions as well as the product label. We encourage our customers to read the product label of the product they are interested in purchasing to be sure it will fit their needs.

Talstar p does not contain a surfactant. A surfactant is not usually need but can be used if you are trying to protect a plant with waxy leaves and need the product to stick a bit better.

Talstar P should not be applied to raspberries or anything edible.

Yes, Talstar P (Talstar One) is labeled for aphids and can safely be applied to plants. Y

Talstar P can be used to help control cluster flies and lady bugs indoors and outdoors. If the cluster flies have already made their way indoors, they will be harder to control because they usually hide in a wall void or other inaccessible area and are only visible when the house warms up. If the cluster flies are in an attic or drop ceiling or other dark area, a fly light would do a great job controlling the population. Using small fly lights such as the Fly Web in the house would also help to catch the flies. Spray Talstar P directly on baseboards, window frames, door frames, and places where utilities (pipes, wires, cables) enter in to the building and any other crack, crevice or gap where insects can enter.

Talstar P could potentially harm earthworms and other benficials should they come in contact with it; however, a surface application would not get deep enough into the soil for this to be an issue. Keep in mind, also, that earthworms have a coating that protects them from exposure to many products that would easily kill insects.

Talstar P does work for spider mites and can be used on most non-edible plants. We do recommend that you spray a small portion of one of the plants and then wait a couple of days to make sure there is no damage before proceeding with the treatment.

First, do you have mulch or pinstraw around your home? If so, pull that off your house.  Talstar P would be a great choice for earwigs. You can spray both indoors and outdoors with this product. Talstar P, one of our best sellers, has a long residual, is odorless, dries clear, leaves no stains, is non-irritating to the skin, and wont break down easily with rainfall. Also, be sure to focus on mulched areas, or areas that hold moisture in the lawn.