Pyrethroid
I called Mosquito Terminators this morning and used a $30 coupon to make an appointment next week to have the yard sprayed. Just now, I sprayed a bottle of Cutter to get us by until then. The bottle lists the active ingredient as Lambda-Cyhalothrin:
Cyhalothrin is a pyrethroid insecticide, an ingredient in the Karate brand of pesticides sold by Syngenta.
From Wikipedia:
A pyrethroid is a synthetic chemical compound similar to the natural chemical pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and C. coccineum). Pyrethroids now constitute a major proportion of the synthetic insecticide market and are common in commercial products such as household insecticides. In the concentrations used in such products, they may also have insect repellent properties and are generally harmless to human beings in low doses but can harm sensitive individuals.[1] They are usually broken apart by sunlight and the atmosphere in one or two days, and do not significantly affect groundwater quality…
Pyrethroids were introduced thirty years ago[contradictory] by a team of Rothamsted Research scientists led by M. Elliott, and represented a major advancement in activity and relatively-low mammalian toxicity. Their development was especially timely with the identification of problems with DDT use. Their work consisted firstly of identifying the most active components of pyrethrum, extracted from East African chrysanthemum flowers and long known to have insecticidal properties. Pyrethrum rapidly knocks down flying insects, but has a low mammalian toxicity and negligible persistence – which is good for the environment but gives poor efficacy when applied in the field. Pyrethroids are essentially chemically stabilized forms of natural pyrethrum and belong to IRAC MoA group 3 (they interfere with sodium transport in insect nerve cells).
From Wikipedia:
Pyrethrins are used in many varieties of insecticide, fogging products and in some pet products and have been used as an insecticide for over 100 years. They affect the flow of sodium out of the nerve cells in insects, resulting in repeated and extended firings of the nerves, causing the insects to die. [5] Piperonyl butoxide, a synergist, is often used in combination with Pyrethrin, making the mixture more effective by not allowing the insect’s system to detoxify the Pyrethrin.[6] Although it is used as an insecticide, it also may be used as an insect repellent. Observations in food establishments demonstrate that flies are not immediately killed but are found more often on windowsills or near doorways. This suggests that, due to the low dosage applied, insects are driven to leave the area before dying.[7] Pyrethrin and the synergists are biodegradable and rapidly disintegrate in sunlight and air, thus assuring that there will be no excessive build-up of insecticides dispensed in the area being treated. Pyrethrin is often used by the Vexcon exterminators as portrayed in Dirty Jobs and their television series Billy the Exterminator.
So, why can’t I just buy one of these preparations at Home Depot or Lowes?
I just walked out back to look at the raised beds and was immediately attacked by a mosquito. Cutter doesn’t cut it. The bottle says it’s in a solution of .16%. Is the answer to spray the concentrate undiluted?
7-1-11 15:00: Ace Hardware carries Spectrazide Triazicide, which I sprayed. It leaves a noticeable smell. We’ll seen how it does over the next few days.
The dumbest conversation I had today, with the nitwit at Southern States:
Me: What you got for mosquitoes?
Nitwit: Do you have any standing water?
Me: Of course not.
Nitwit: Then, where are the mosquitoes coming from?
Me: The neighbors, I suppose.
Nitwit: Then, you need to see if they have any standing water.
