7 Management of annoying
pests outside the home
Contents
Table
7 Management of annoying pests outside the home
Punkies
(no-see-ums; sandflies)
Before deciding that control is needed, answer the following questions:
(1) Have you correctly identified your pest problem? If in doubt, your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or garden center may be able to help.
(2) Is the “pest” really a problem? Many insects are occasional invaders of homes and buildings and may only enter under adverse weather conditions or at one time of year.
(3) If a pesticide is needed, have you chosen the proper pesticide for your situation, and are you applying it in the correct way at the right time? Applying a pesticide for cluster flies, for instance, in June would be totally ineffective. If flies are a problem in
June, they are not cluster flies, which only begin to enter buildings in mid- to late August.
(4) Have you planned for future outbreaks? Harborage outdoors near the house foundation, doors, patios, or porches should be eliminated wherever possible. Clean up brush, accumulated dead leaves, and other debris; trim trees and shrubbery so that they do not touch the building; and select plants and mulching materials carefully to avoid future pest problems.
Table 7 lists some pesticides and other management options for annoying pests outside the home (see Tables 2 and 3 for toxicity information). Remember that pesticides are only one choice for managing pests and that they are temporary measures. Consider developing an integrated pest management plan optimizing cultural techniques for the future. See Part I, Cultural Methods.
Further Reading
Common Sense Pest Control Quarterly.
IPM Practitioner.
Common Sense Pest Control; Least Toxic Solutions for Your Home, Garden,
Pets, and Community. Olkowski, W., S. Daar, and H. Olkowski. 1991.
Complete Guide to
Table 7 Management of annoying
pests outside the home
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Pesticide
Management Options |
Ants
5/16 inch |
Baits containing borates or
insect growth regulator hydramethylnon, or fipronil bait stations, or
sulfluramid may also be used. Baits that offer both a sweet and protein
matrix work well for many species. Registered insecticides include
diatomaceous earth, Baygon, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, insecticidal soap,
permethrin, and resmethrin. |
Black flies
1//8 inch |
Use repellents containing, N-N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide
(formerly called N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) (DEET) to protect people. Also 10% soybean oil, p-methane-3,8-diol,
and IR3535 (some |
Boxelder bug
5/8 inch |
See Boxelder in Table 11, Tree and shrub pest management for treatment of the insects on the tree, or use bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, or deltamethrin for nuisance pests outdoors to spot treat accumulations of the bugs. |
Carpenter ants
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Baits are available for use out
of doors for carpenter ants around the home.
Baits stations containing borates or an insect growth regulator, or
fipronil are some that may be used.
Ants sometimes nest in trees in dead wood. Certified pesticide
applicators may treat with registered pesticides, e.g., Tribute. |
Carpenter bees
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If necessary, use commercial
wasp and hornet spray, Deltamethrin, Baygon, or cyfluthrin, to kill bees, and
spray or dust in the nest openings. With Baygon manufacturer recommends sealing
openings with small pieces of stainless steel wool after spray application. |
Chiggers1/8 inch |
Use repellents containing DEET
or p-methane-3,8-diol. Apply per label
directions; if you are walking through areas of low vegetation, only socks
and cuffs of trousers may need to be treated. If necessary, use deltamethrin
to treat infested areas: spray grass, surrounding weeds, and shrubs. Keep
grass mowed low. |
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Apply Baygon, deltamethrin, or
permethrin outdoors around window casings or door frames. Use deltamethrin or
permethrin to treat the soil in a band 15 to 20 in. wide around the
foundation wall. Use a turfgrass insecticide labeled for clover mite control
to treat lawn area near houses. |
Crickets7/8 inch |
If needed, use Boric acid baits
(like Niban) Baygon, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, or resmethrin:
apply in areas where crickets may hide around foundation perimeter,
especially near doors and windows. |
Earwigs
11/16 inch |
If needed, Baygon, bifenthrin,
permethrin, or resmethrin may be used outdoors around foundation wall as a
perimeter treatment. |
Fleas1/8 inch |
Spot treat pet resting and
sleeping areas with approved veterinary formulation. In severe infestations
it may be necessary to spray or dust pet yard with Baygon, deltamethrin,
malathion, permethrin, or resmethrin. |
House flies
3/8 inch |
Allethrin, Baygon, or
deltamethrin may be applied as a residual spray. |
Millipedes1 – 1½ inches |
Difficult to control with
sprays. If necessary, use diatomaceous earth, Baygon, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin,
deltamethrin, permethrin, or resmethrin near foundations, entryways, near
basement doors and windows, and other areas where millipedes occur. In very
moist years large numbers of millipedes may move near foundations to escape
excessive soil moisture, and control may be difficult. |
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The active ingredients of some
common repellents include N-N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (formerly called
N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) (DEET), citronella,
IR3535, soybean oil, and p-methane-3,8-diol. Follow manufacturers’ directions
carefully when using repellents. Space spraying with aerosol bombs provides
only very temporary control. For residual sprays applied to trees and shrubs
where needed, use malathion per label directions. Permethrin and resmethrin
are labeled for use on lawns and around shrubbery. Use Bti or over-the-counter methoprene for larvae per label
directions. Check with your department of environmental conservation
on legality before you apply anything to water. |
Moss |
Herbicidal fatty acids
(herbicidal soap) for moss and algae are recommended. |
Punkies (no-see-ums; sandflies)Smaller than a period (that’s why they are “no-see-ums”!) |
Use space sprays as recommended
for mosquitoes. The malathion residual treatment is also effective. |
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Slugs
and snails Size varies greatly |
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