Talstar P is a liquid concentrate that must be diluted with water and applied using a hand or backpack pressurized sprayer. Talstar should be applied only as a spot or crack and crevice treatment indoors. Please refer to the product label for complete mixing and application instructions, as well as the required protective equipment. If you are applying inside a school, be sure to check with the governing authority on what products are allowed to be used in that environment.
Tempo 1% dust is the most effective dust to treat for hornets and yellow jackets. Be sure to treat in the times of the day when they are less active (earlier morning or later evening). You may also want to use a ready-to-use knockdown insecticide such as PT Wasp Freeze II. This spray will spray up to 15 away for safe and quick knockdown of flying, stinging insects.
According the University of Florida Extension, the active ingredient in Talstar (Bifenthrin) can be used on coconut trees as long as they are non fruit bearing. Please refer to Table 7 for a list of approved insecticdes in the State of Florida. You may also reach out to the Local Cooperative Extension office to speak with them directly on application recommendations.
Talstar P and Tempo SC Ultra are very good products for gnat control. The biggest difference between them is that they have two different active ingredients. They are both great insecticides and can be alternated so that there is no pest resistance built up. Be sure to inspect the lawn for any ways to control moisture build-up such as eliminating standing water and trimming trees and shrubs to allow moist soil to dry.
Talstar P (Talstar One) should be applied in the morning or evening especially during the summer. You really just need to focus on the tree line. Spray the undersides of leaves on the trees and shrubs. Focus on debris piles like leaf piles, pinestraw and shaded moist areas. Please see our Mosquito Pest Guide for more information about treating for mosquitoes.
Talstar P will kill Cicada Killer that come into contact with treated areas for a sufficient amount of time to receive a lethal dose. You will need to dilute 1 fl oz of Talstar P per gallon of water and broadcast spray over the areas where you have noticed activity. Most folks notice only very limited results from broadcast sprays of insecticides for cicada killers because they don't land and walk around for a long enough time before entering their underground burrow. Please read below for the most effective treatment method:
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 prevention you can try to use a granular insecticide such as Talstar PL Granules in the couple of weeks before this pest is known to emerge. 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.
