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.
We have a great article here on doing your own quarterly pest control.
Talstar granules are one of the most effective chinch bug treatments on the market. Chinch bugs infest the base of grass plants and are often found in the thatch layer. Irrigate the treated area with up to 0.25 inches of water immediately after application to activate (release from the granule) the insecticide. Chinch bugs can be one of the most difficult pests to control in grasses and the higher applications rates will be required to control populations that contain both nymphs and adults during the summer. It may also be necessary to remove the thatch layer if it exceeds 1 inch in thickness to allow the Talstar to penetrate down to the soil.
If you have a few small spots the St. Augustine runners might fill it in this season (of course water, fertilizer, and lots of sunshine helps). If large portions of the lawn were damaged it will likely be late spring or later of next year before the lawn recovers. Very heavily damaged areas may need to be resodded.
If you are spraying porous surfaces you would want to choose a product such as Demon WP. It will stay on the surface of porous areas allowing insects to come in contact with it a bit better. That being said, Demon WP also leaves a white powdery residue that is visible on dark surfaces. Talstar P is a concentrated liquid that is odorless, dries clear and is labeled for a huge variety of insects and areas making it a bit more versatile. If you need to spray plants, trees and siding Talstar P would be a great choice.
For control of larger roaches outdoors, you will usually see best results using a granule bait for the insects applied in areas such as under decks and porches and around landscaping. Niban Granular Bait is a great option for this application.
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 (including ants, roaches and silverfish) 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.
For mounding ants in the yard you may also want to consider using a bit such as Extinguish Plus. The bait will kill both the workers and other ants in the colony and sterilize the queens so the mounds won't keep moving and popping up in other places. (by using just a topical spray such as Talstar, only the ants that contact the treated areas are killed but the other ants that remain in the colony usually just move and make a new mound).
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 is also available in a granule formula called Talstar PL if you prefer to use granules.
Based on the fact that you are in Texas and the description you gave, the multi-legged critter with the stingers on the back end sounds like it could be the Texas Red Headed Centipede (they are venomous) but we can't say for sure without seeing a picture of the insect. You can Google Texas red Headed Centipede to do a comparison if you like.
There are typically no issues mixing different kinds of sprays together, such as an insecticide and fertilizer or fertilizer with herbicide. We always recommend doing a small jar test for compatability when mixing any products together for the first time, unless the product labels expressly address the tank mix you are using.
There are two things I would caution you against with these mixtures. One is if you are using herbicides for your turfgrass and wanting to use an insecticide for mosquito control at the same time. For mosquito control, you want to use a product like Talstar P on ornamental shrubs, tree branches, etc.; however, you should not spray post-emergent herbicides like Drive, Tenacity, or Trimec on these areas since those herbicides would damage your ornamental plants.
We would also be careful about mixing more than 2 herbicides at one time since this could cause extra stress on your turfgrass.
Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Our most popular general use product is called Talstar P Professional Insecticide. 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 30 outdoors and to 90 days indoors between treatments. It is also labeled for lawn and ornamental use. It 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 is also available in a granule formula called Talstar PL if you prefer to use granules.
