Talstar P Professional Insecticide - Questions & Answers

We do not carry or distribute the in wall systems so we cannot advise what to use.  We do know that most of those systems require a pressurized piece of equipment to properly treat the lines which most homeowners do not have.  We will say that the downside to those systems is that they do not prevent pests from entering your home since the bugs have to come inside the walls to come into contact with anything.  It is a much better approach to treat the exterior of your home with a professional product like Talstar P every 3 months which keep insects out of your home in the first place.  And all you need is a hand pump sprayer, not a specialized piece of equipment.

The selection of the proper product would depend on several different factors. What type of insects are your main concern? Are you doing clean outs or just preventative treatments? What state are you in? Do you need an immediate knockdown or residual control or both? Most professionals would not limit themselves to just one or two products because their clients will have very different needs. We will say that Talstar P is one of the most popular products on the market for indoor use because it dries clear, does not have an odor and has a very broad label and works well for a general insecticide.

Termidor or Talstar P cannot be used in the manner you have described and neither are labeled for use on. Termites do not normally attack live, healthy trees so you most likely will not find any products that will work as a ground barrier around the trees.  Most people are primarily concerned with protecting the big investment, their home, and Termidor would be the product to use for that.  It is only labeled to be used adjacent to the structure though.  Please take a moment to read over our article on "How to do a Termite Treatment" for complete details.

It all depends on the insect that is walking over the area treated with Talstar P, but most will die rather quickly, which means within 20 to 30 minutes to a few hours.  Larger insects can take longer, such as roaches, scorpions, and spiders can take a day or two sometimes.  Definitely not 7 to 10 days.  Most pest control companies say this however for a few reasons.  They want to make sure that you give it time to work and also they do not want  you calling the following day because you see an insect.  They want to give it time to work.

Talstar P is one of our most popular insecticide concentrates and should do a great job for you. Talstar is best applied with a sprayer. Mix 1/2 or 1 oz. of Talstar P in one gallon of water and apply to the outside foundation of the structure, approx. 3 feet up the side of the structure and 2 feet out from the structure. Also spray entry points into the structure such as around windows, pipes, doorways, etc. We sell several high quality sprayers which will last for years when maintained properly. Our most popular professional sprayer is the B&G 1 Gallon Sprayer + 18-inch wand - N124-S-18 and our most popular consumer sprayer is the Chapin Premier 1 Gallon 21220. We also have a great article called Apartment Pest Control for Building Owners that will explain step by step how you can keep pests out with a minimum of chemicals.

Talstar P is the most popular choice for army worm control. You should spray later in the evening when the worms are most active. You will continue to see moths, but it is only the actual worm that causes damage. The Talstar P product label recommends:

"To ensure optimum control, delay watering (irrigation) or mowing for 24 hours after application. If the grass area is being maintained at a mowing height of greater than 1 inch, then higher application rates (Up to 1 fluid oz. per 1000 square feet) may be required during periods of high pest pressure"

Talstar is not labeled for application to carpet and is not recommended for indoor flea control because it is restricted to cracks and crevices only indoors. Ultracide would be a much better choice for indoor flea control. It is our recommendation and industry standard that you vacuum immediately before the application of Ultracide and every day or every other day after the application for the next two weeks. Vacuums can physically remove a decent percentage of flea eggs that are in the carpet, along with much of the organic crud that the flea larvae feed on.  The vacuum will also stimulate the flea adults still in their pupa form to quickly emerge as the adult, and at this point perhaps be sucked up in the vacuum or exposed to the Ultraicde application.  After two weeks most infestations require that you do a second application of the Ultracide and continue with the vacuuming. You should use a product that is registered to use on your pets for fleas such as Frontline or Advantage. TalstarP can be used effectively outdoors for places where your pets may frequent and also moist shady areas where fleas are likely to develop. Treating outdoors will help prevent your pets from re-infesting your home.

Talstar p should not be used for indoor flea control because it is restricted to cracks and crevices indoors. Ultracide would be a much better choice for indoor flea control. It is our recommendation and industry standard that you vacuum immediately before the application of Ultracide and every day or every other day after the application for the next two weeks. Vacuums can physically remove a decent percentage of flea eggs that are in the carpet, along with much of the organic crud that the flea larvae feed on.  The vacuum will also stimulate the flea adults still in their pupa form to quickly emerge as the adult, and at this point perhaps be sucked up in the vacuum or exposed to the Ultraicde application.  After two weeks most infestations require that you do a second application of the Ultracide and continue with the vacuuming. You should use a product that is registered to use on your pets for fleas such as Frontline or Advantage. Talstar P can be used effectively outdoors for places where your pets may frequent and also moist shady areas where fleas are likely to develop. Treating outdoors will help prevent your pets from re-infesting your home.

According to the Talstar P product label "all pesticide handlers must wear a respiratory protection device when working in a non-ventilated space." Respiratory devices are not required for well ventilated spaces or outdoor applications. The Talstar P product label also says "all applicators should wear longsleeved shirt and long pants, socks, shoes and chemical-resistant gloves."

Unfortunately, Talstar P is not labeled to be used on edible vegetables. Please click the link below for a list of products that can be applied to edibles.

Products for Edible Gardens and Plants