Talstar P Professional Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Talstar P cannot be used on edible plants as it not labeled for use on any type of edible vegetation. We do carry a full line of products that are labeled for use on edible plants which you can see here: Edible Garden Products

Since pine borers are a type of bark beetle you must apply a product directly to the bark to control the beetles and these products are only available in liquid form. Unfortunately there is no easy solution when it comes to pine beetles. Infected trees should be cut down (before the newly hatched beetles fly out of the trees in the spring/summer) and the wood burned or chipped, while other still healthy trees should be sprayed annually to protect them. Because of the natural boring behavior of the beetle they are protected from topically applied insecticides and systemic insecticides (those injected into the tree or applied as a root drench) have proven ineffective for pine beetle infestations. Healthy trees can be protected before the beetles attack by topically spraying them with a synthetic pyrethroid like Talstar. The tree should be sprayed from the ground to 15 ft up the trunk to prevent future infestations. You should contact your local cooperative extension office to find out the best time to start spraying in your region.

You picked the exact products we would have recommended for your use. Demon WP will hold up very well outdoors as wettable powders are considered very stable formulations. Of course the only downside to wettable powders is that they can leave a white powdery residue behind so we usually will recommend using a product such as Talstar indoors if the powdery residue in a concern.

Talstar P is not labeled to be used on edible plants. The manufacturer does recommend that you discard any fruit from the tree for this growing season if the tree was sprayed with Talstar P.

If you wash down the areas where you have applied Talstar P you will remove the residual effect left behind by the product. Talstar P is a crack and crevice spray only so if you just want to clean up any drips that didn't actually get into the crack or crevice that would be fine and would not have any effect on the efficacy of the product.

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.

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.

These products should not be mixed together. There is no valid reason to mix Cyper WP and Talstar P together.  Talstar P is a synthetic pyrethroid and Cyper WP already contains a synthetic pyrethroid, so there would be nothing to gain by mixing these products together. Making a pesticide too strong can actually backfire. Areas that are treated with this overly concentrated spray will be repellent and insects will simply avoid the treated areas prolonging the infestation.

You can use a product like Talstar P to treat for crickets.  Apply Talstar P as a crack and crevice or spot spray to areas where pests hide, such as baseboards, corners, storage areas, closets, around water pipes, doors and windows, behind and under refrigerators, cabinets, sinks, furnaces, stoves, the underside of shelves, drawers and similar areas. Do not use as a space spray. Pay particular attention to cracks and crevices. We recommend treating the outside perimeter to help stop insect pests from coming indoors to start with. Apply Talstar P to a band of soil and vegetation 6 to 10 feet wide around and adjacent to the structure. Also, treat the foundation of the structure to a height of 2 to 3 feet.

Talstar P (Talstar One) lasts for about 5 years in the ground and works as a repellent, killing only those insects that come into contact with the treated area. If you want to pre-treat before the slab is poured to control termites, Termidor SC would be the product of choice. Pre-slab and barrier treatments can last for up to 10 years for subterranean termite control.  

If you are going to apply a ground sterilant you would do se after applying the Termidor SC to the soil.

 

Talstar P (Talstar One) is labeled for Japanese Beetles and you can add a product such as Exciter for a quick knockdown for insects.  Rotating insecticides is a good idea to prevent resistance, but this normally takes years to happen. Some customers rotate every year or when they start to notice the product may not be working as well as it did at first.  It would not hurt to use another active ingredient for your next treatment. It is important that you treat for the insect larvae, the grubs. Dylox 6.2 would be an excellent alternative when treating for grubs that are actively feeding. Please read the product label for application instructions.  Arena Granules, Merit Granules or Dominion 2L will work well as a preventative if applied prior to egg hatch. You should check with your local cooperative extension office and speak to the master gardener on staff to establish the best time to put down a preventative treatment in your region. Please take a few moments to review our article on Grub Control also.

According to the Talstar P product label, "Fire Ant Mound control is optimized by combining broadcast applications that will control foraging workers and newly mated fly-in queens with mound drenches that will control existing colonies. If the soil is not moist, then it is important to irrigate before application or use a high volume application. Apply broadcast treatments at 0.5 to 1 fluid oz. per 1,000 square feet. Use enough finished volume to penetrate thatch or sod. Treat mounds by applying 1 oz of Talstar P per mound in 1 to 2 gallons water by sprinkling the mound until it is wet and treat 3 feet out around the mound. Use the higher volume for mounds larger than 12”. Treat mounds with sufficient force to break their apex and allow the insecticide solution to flow into the ant tunnels. For best results, apply in cool weather (65 - 80 degrees) or in early morning or late evening hours."

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.

Talstar can work great on ants and a variety of insects in the lawn, however the level of control you will see will depend on colony size and activity. You can use the Talstar to drench individual mounds to eliminate them quickly, and the spray the entire yard to help control any new activity that emerges over time. Ground bees are hard to control with sprays as they can often move between the blades of grass and directly into the holes without touching the leaf surface that contains the chemical. While tedious, the best way to eliminate a ground bee nest is to dust it with a product like Delta Dust which will get picked up on their bodies as they move in and out of the hole and get transferred to other bees. Dust in the late evening when they are less active and then give it at least a week or two for you to not see any more activity. 

Talstar P (Talstar One) is mixed at 1 fl oz per gallon of water. It can be applied safely to ornamentals (nothing edible). While it might kill broad mites as well it is not labeled for them so we cannot recommend it for this use.

Unfortunately the state of Connecticut has limited most of the products out there on the market these days that can be shipped into the state without having a license to purchase them. Pest Xpert Home Barrier would be one option of a comparable insecticide spray to Talstar that could be used in CT.  An all natural option that works similarly is Essentria IC3 and can cover a wide range of pests and usage areas like the Talstar as well. 

Talstar P is labeled to treat for termites and lasts for about 5 years in the ground and works as a repellent, killing only those insects that come into contact with the treated area. A better option for subterranean termites non repellent termiticide such as Termidor SC or Dominion 2L. Termidor will last up to to 10 years in the soil and Dominion 2L will last 5-7 years. Non repellents work slower but much more effectively when treating a termite colony as they are able to be transferred thorought the entire colony therefore eventually elimating the colony. Talstar P will only repel the termites, not kill the entire colony. 

Yes, Talstar can be mixed with Riptide but only if applied with a back pack or hand pump sprayer. If you are looking to add something for knockdown, we suggest mixing with ExciteR.

There really is not time restrictions between applications of Talstar P (Talstar One) and an herbicide in the same area since they are different types of products.

Yes, Talstar P (Talstar One) can be applied in the State of Washington as directed.