Defending home from insects

[HarleyDog]

Just curious if anyone sprays the outside of the house every year to decrease the amount of bugs that enter and what your suggestions may be as the best spray available on the market. I have a woods in my back yard so I typically will see the occasional big hairy spider that scares the hell out of my wife, or sometimes even silverfish. Not sure where the silverfish come from because I don't have a leak in the crawl space and I believe they are motivated by water? Anyway, recently I built the man cave and for some reason out there I have had a ton of those flying lady bugs (stink bugs). They are starting to migrate outside because the weather is nicer and I've swept up most of them and dumped them outside. Hoping to not have them come back in colder season.

I've had a few old timers suggest putting hedge apples around the house but seems a little unlikely that would do the trick. We have a very clean house, and although I know many times that doesn't make a difference, its not a result of clutter and overfilled clothes baskets. They are not bad right now, but would like to get a jump start and start treating.

[Cure4CF]

I use the Ortho Home defense spray every year. Seems to do a pretty good job. I will have a spider every now and then but not much else.

[HarleyDog]

(04-23-2017, 11:37 AM)Cure4CF Wrote: I use the Ortho Home defense spray every year.  Seems to do a pretty good job.  I will have a spider every now and then but not much else.

Is that year round protection or do you have to treat more than once a year?

[Cure4CF]

It says up to 12 months protection. I normally only spray once a year, both inside and outside.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ortho-Hmdefmax-Ins-Klr-1g/139534287?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2250&adid=22222222228066752677&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=170877787918&wl4=pla-276728544931&wl5=9015725&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=139534287&wl13=2250&veh=sem

[HarleyDog]

Inside? Yikes - that kinda scares me because we have 2 dogs. Well, 3 if you count me. Lol.

[xxlt]

(04-23-2017, 01:05 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Inside? Yikes - that kinda scares me because we have 2 dogs. Well, 3 if you count me. Lol.

You mentioned hedge apples. Haven't heard that term since I was a kid. An old timer then recommended 'em to my dad, but only if we didn't have pets - he said they could kill a cat or dog who ate them. Don't know what a hedge apple is, or if that is true, just passing along alleged truth. Sorry I don't have a meme to go with it.

Boric acid (available as the laundry detergent aid Borax) is wonderful. Sprinkle it in under your house and behind your washer and dryer and under your sinks and any where else the dogs won't walk through it (although they probably wouldn't eat it I still wouldn't want it on their paws even though it is naturally occurring and probably wouldn't hurt them) and you will be amazed at what it controls.

[xxlt]

http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/nebline/hedgeapple.htm

Correction, I do know what a hedge apple is. It is an osage orange. I just didn't know I knew that, lol.

For more about the mysterious apple/orange and its potential as an insecticide see above.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Ceadar works wonders although it can get expensive. Look at it this way, pay for the cedar now and never buy bug spray again plus you'll never have to buy another air freshener again either. If the cedar starts to lose its aroma, a quick once over with some sandpaper brings it back.

If I ever have a house built, it's getting framed with cedar. It's more expensive but worth the aroma and pest control.

I love the smell of cedar.

[*wildcats forever*]

(04-23-2017, 10:55 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Just curious if anyone sprays the outside of the house every year to decrease the amount of bugs that enter and what your suggestions may be as the best spray available on the market. I have a woods in my back yard so I typically will see the occasional big hairy spider that scares the hell out of my wife, or sometimes even silverfish. Not sure where the silverfish come from because I don't have a leak in the crawl space and I believe they are motivated by water? Anyway, recently I built the man cave and for some reason out there I have had a ton of those flying lady bugs (stink bugs). They are starting to migrate outside because the weather is nicer and I've swept up most of them and dumped them outside. Hoping to not have them come back in colder season.

I've had a few old timers suggest putting hedge apples around the house but seems a little unlikely that would do the trick. We have a very clean house, and although I know many times that doesn't make a difference, its not a result of clutter and overfilled clothes baskets. They are not bad right now, but would like to get a jump start and start treating.

I've had success using Home Defense once in the Spring, and once in the Fall. I spray every door frame, window frame, all along the perimeter of the house, and all floor, wall, and roof penetrations of piping, vents, door thresholds, and ventilation openings. You gotta think like a bug seeking shelter from the elements 

You should also caulk all of the above listed areas to help prevent any infestations.

[*bfine32*]

One thing that will help with the insects and add beauty is a bird house.

[jfkbengals]

(04-23-2017, 11:37 AM)Cure4CF Wrote: I use the Ortho Home defense spray every year.  Seems to do a pretty good job.  I will have a spider every now and then but not much else.

I have some of that, but can't say I find good results for prevention.

We used to have a BIG problem every year with sugar ants invading the kitchen every spring and fall.  We would spray and kill them, then spray the perimeter indoors and out, but they would return the next time the temperatures changed.  We had a local company (Greenshield) come to the door offering bi-monthly service using pet safe treatment inside and out as well as cleaning the cobwebs from the porch at each visit for $75 per treatment.  We figured we would try it out, and they treated indoors and out on the first visit.  They've never treated indoors since, only because I have never seen anything inside that didn't fly in an open door and thus don't have to be home when they treat.  5 years now, and the sugar ants are a thing of the past.

I still keep the Home Defense on hand for spot use outdoors as needed, but it never could solve the sugar ants as this company did.

[samhain]

I soak the outside of my house in Home Defense. Window trim, doors, foundation, all of it. I wait for a weekend when the wife and boy go out of town, and do the same inside. I soak the garage pretty thoroughly, too.

I also got rid of every bit of mulch in my garden last year. I heard from several people that mulch will attract ants and termites, so out with that shit immediately.

[Goalpost]

I smoke bomb my house every couple/few years.

I really don't mess with the outside at all.

[Benton]

(04-23-2017, 04:20 PM)bfine32 Wrote: One thing that will help with the insects and add beauty is a bird house.

That was going to be my suggestion.

If you've got woods, you're going to have bugs. Add bird feeders, and they'll eat the insects.

Other big thing is get rid of what they eat. If you have a particular kind of bug, find out what it eats and get rid of it. If it's a general eater (roaches, ants, etc), make sure all your food is in containers. We had ants a few years ago. Only way we got rid of them was to clean all the cabinets and put everything in plastic containers. And to flush the drains with hot water after cooking/washing dishing.

[fredtoast]

GAU-8 Avenger

Flamethrower

a few claymore's


You can never be too safe.

[WeezyBengal]

Speaking of instects, has anyone had an overwhelming amount of those japanese beatle things this spring?

They are over taking my front door and porch. Every morning when I walk outside there are like 50 dead on the porch.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

When you absolutely have to kill every mother ***** (bug) in the room......(and their nest)








This shit even kills carpenter bees.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(04-23-2017, 07:46 PM)samhain Wrote: I soak the outside of my house in Home Defense.  Window trim, doors, foundation, all of it.  I wait for a weekend when the wife and boy go out of town, and do the same inside.  I soak the garage pretty thoroughly, too.  

I also got rid of every bit of mulch in my garden last year.  I heard from several people that mulch will attract ants and termites, so out with that shit immediately.

Yup....I went to large river rock in my beds....like Harley, we have woods behind our house, so we get a few.  This year has been exceptionally bad due to the mild winter.

[grampahol]

Here in South Carolina it's both fire ants and those HUGE roaches people call palmetto bugs. 
Two things.. Ants ,well most species find coffee to be highly toxic and it'll kill them. Just mix some sugar (not much) into used coffee grounds and that'll do them in, but here the ants are just too prolific and we get these huge ant hills that literally pop up over night so I've taken to using Sevin5 dust on them and it'll take out a 5 foot fire ant hill in a few hours. Fire ant granuels have nothing over Seven dust and the dust is a fraction of the cost.
Inside the house we sprinkle some stuff called diatomaceous powder wherever they hang out like the kitchen. It's non toxic, but its finely ground sea shells and it rips their exoskeletons apart and kills them. For bugs it's like walking through a field of razor blades. Harmless to humans, but deadly to insects and it's cheap online. You can get it at earth.com and amazon.. It'll also kill off cockroaches.. Diatomaceous has a lot of other uses as well..look it up. 

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]