Dust has come in many make ups over the years but in today’s pest control world, boric acid, Delta Dust, diatomaceous earth, and silicia gel are the most common. They all are used to control insects but there is a little difference. Boric Acid and Delta Dust both have an effect on the insects exoskeleton but the also work by poisoning the insect with the active ingredient. Diatomaceous earth and silicia gel just work on the dehydration of the insect. They are all very effective with the proper placement and can give you a nice long residual.
So what’s proper placement you ask? Generally a good rule of thumb is if it looks like Christmas in July around your house (like it snowed), you our your pest control professional may have gone a little overboard. When it comes to pesticide, the more is better line of thinking doesn’t always work. When powder is put down heavy, I find the pests will avoid it and your pets and children will not. Dogs smell everything and kids want to put their finger in it. Not to mention the white staining that some products cause can be very tough to clean up after the powder is put down. A very thin application that you can just barley see will do the job.
My personal opinion on dust is it works really good in places that are out of the elements and out of reach of pets and children. In Prescott and the Verde Valley, we get a lot of spring wind and dusting on the exteriors can put the dust in a lot of non-target areas as the wind carries it. So before you or you pest professional dusts, ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. You can find more information on proper dusting at the Bayer website.
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