In fact all the products we have listed in our MOTH CONTROL article can be safely used in kitchen area as well as the pantry. There are safety video's on each product page which covers all the details you need to know in order to both use and store the items safely and these directions are easy to follow.

From this site we have several alternative products that are organic which can be substituted for the traditional pesticides listed in our article. In place of the Baygon Aerosol, you could go with the KO EXEMPT AEROSOL. But you'll still need to set out some MOTH TRAPS to make sure you get them all.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Moth Control:  http://www.indianmealmoths.com/meal-moth-control

KO Aerosol:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/aerosols/eco-exempt-ko-contact-aerosol-14-oz

Moth Traps:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/meal-moth-2-pk

On this site, the NBS product page has the pricing listed just below the "documentation" section. And here is a direct link to it in our shopping cart:

NBS: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz

As for it's frequency of use; you may reapply it as a spray as often as you'd like. No doubt using it this way won't yield the same results (it won't last as long when used as a spray compared to a stain or paint additive) but it can be used this way for sure.

You have what's called DIGGER BEES. There are thousands of species throughout the world and what's most interesting about this bee is that they tend to nest in close proximity whether they're a communal or solitary species. The net result is that you can have thousands of them in the yard and they can appear "suddenly" and almost overnight. This will usually happen in the spring.

Now if they're a communal species, they will be closely linked to a central nest. This will be in an area the size of a kitchen table. But if they're solitary, they will be dispersed over a large area, maybe most if not all of the yard, with hundreds if not thousands of individual nests.

Based on your message, there would have to have been some nests in the yard last year which were obviously successful. What we find commonly happens is that nests will start small and innocently one year and then explode the next year. Since some of these species can lay thousands of eggs, just a few in the yard one season can easily become a few thousand a year later.

To control the problem you'll need to apply the granules and liquid spray listed in our Digger Bee article. These products are quite strong and will provide quick results. The organic option would be to substitute the products listed in our article with ECO GRANULES and BUG PATROL (these are listed on this site). Keep in mind the products listed in our article are more "traditional" pesticides and will no doubt work faster. The ECO Granules and Bug Patrol will be shorter lived; expect to get about a month from the ECO Granules and just 1 week with the Bug Patrol.

It's also important to understand the "surge" in population you're seeing is because you have a lot of pupae hatching. This is the third stage of the bee and when lying in the ground, these cannot be killed by the treatment. Since they don't all hatch at the same time, it will take several treatments to eradicate them because every time there are new ones hatching after you spray, you'll start seeing new ones in the yard. This is perfectly normal. So don't feel the spray isn't working when you first start using it. We've found it can take 4-8 weeks for the pupae to all hatch out so be diligent and stay the course if you want to get rid of them once and for all.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Digger Bee Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/diggerwasps.html

ECO Granules:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/granules/eco-exempt-granules

Bug Patrol:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/bug-patrol-rts

Thank you!

All the products featured on this site are what we consider to be "low impact" or "organic" so you've come to the right place. We have many alternative options to the items listed in our article and these are what we consider to be the "best of the best". Use any of the following and you'll get almost as good results compared to the more traditional items we suggest.

Since it sounds like these guys are up under the siding, a good dusting is in order. In our BOXELDER BUG CONTROL article, we list DRIONE DUST. On this site, either ECO DUST or MOTHERS EARTH DE would be good alternatives.

The aerosol we list in our article is PHANTOM. The alternative listed here is ECO KO AEROSOL.

Lastly, if you want to spray the outside of the structure to repel them every fall when they come to hibernate, use the NBS INSECT REPELLENT instead of the CYPERMETHRIN listed in our article.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Boxelder Bug Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/boxelder.html

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

ECO Dust:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/dust/eco-exempt-dust

Mothers Earth Dust:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/dust/mothers-earth-diatomaceous-dust

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz

ECO KO:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/aerosols/eco-exempt-ko-contact-aerosol-14-oz

NBS:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

Go with any of the following: MULTIPUPOSE INSECE KILLER, BUG PATROL RTS or NBS REPELLENT.

The Multipurpose can be used with any of these SPRAYERS and will both kill and keep these beetles away for a week or longer. The Bug Patrol comes in a hose end sprayer so just hook it to your garden hose and spray away. It will work like the Multi Purpose in that it will both kill and repel for a week or longer. The NBS is just a repellent so it won't kill anything. It can be sprayed with anything.

All these products are organic and safe to be used on the building.

First, I can't imagine any pest control service that would knowingly destroy the finish where they spray so I think you may have misunderstood what they intended on doing. The products we use in homes for pest control have changed quite a bit and currently there are some which go on "dry". My favorite is PHANTOM. It's odorless, slow acting and works great on spiders. My home has hardwood floors so anything wet is out of the question. I use the Phantom throughout and it works great. At no time can you tell anything has been applied because when used properly, you can't see it. I also use it on my boat. The boat decking is quite shiny and again, if there was ever a chance of something being left behind following the treatment, my boat would be where it could be seen. If you're wanting the best option for this problem that's both low odor and safe for use around people and pets, I'd go with this option.

Second, since you feel these weevils are in the wall, I'd apply some there too. Phantom is slow acting and won't kill anything for a few days following the initial application but this is by design. Alternatively you can go with the MOTHERS EARTH DUST in the wall void which would no doubt take them out too. The key with dusting will be making sure you get good coverage in the space. Use a HAND DUSTER to get it applied and if done right, one dose will last 6-12 months.

Lastly, you could opt to apply some HOUSEPLANT INSECT KILLER. It's organic and does not provide any residual. This means you'll have to spray over and over as new weevils appear. But this would be the "safest" option because it's not persistent or long lasting.

And don't rule out installing some WEEVIL TRAPS. These can prove helpful and are very safe since they're not a spray. Traps won't solve infestations but can help to monitor and reduce the amount active in the living area.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz

Mothers Earth Dust:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/dust/mothers-earth-diatomaceous-dust

House Plant Insect Killer:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/aerosols/houseplant-insect-killer-10-oz

Hand Duster:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/crusader

Weevil Traps:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/3pk-cf-rf-k-rw-st-pp

My plantains (similar to bananas but generally used after they're cooked) have borers called Black Weevils.  These borers make the bodies of the plant weak and decrease the sizes of the bunches by about one third.  Here they sell Feridine (sp?) to kill them and that is a deadly chemical. I don't want to use this on my plantains but instead want one of your organic products.  What I need to know is do you have something that will kill this particular weevil?  I do not even know what it looks like, but when I harvest the fruit and cut the plant down (they only fruit one time) I see the dark brown holes in the bodies of the plants make by these bugs.

Please let me know if one of your products will kill them.  I must stay organic so your product qualifies in that respect.

Thank you, Nancy B.

Go with the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. It's organic and we have had great success using it for all kinds of weevil pests here in the states. I'm not sure when your plants are being attacked so I would recommend using it at least every two weeks whether you have signs of the weevils or not. I say this because Multi Purpose won't last more than a few days so it's not nearly as long lasting as traditional products like Feridine.

Multi Purpose Insect Killer: http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz

This is a great question and one we get quite often. To best understand the answer it's important to understand the difference between "ready to use" products versus concentrates like we sell.

For starters, ready-to-use sprays don't need to be mixed; they usually come in a spray jug or bottle and can be used immediately as is. Concentrates will require mixing. In most cases water will be the "carrier" but many concentrates can be mixed with deodorized oil. Ready-to-use sprays are very dilute and to keep them in this form they require a lot of stabilizers. These additives insure the active ingredients don't break down so that over time the spray will remain intact as long as the product is stored at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Concentrates cannot be used this way. Once mixed, they'll be vulnerable to rapid depreciation in their sprayable form. In other words, where sprayed they can last weeks or even months because this is how they were designed to be used. But these areas will quickly dry and assuming they're protected, the active ingredient can persist. In general, it won't do nearly as well if stored in water because the active isn't meant to be kept this way. But this is by design and not a shortcoming. Let me further explain.

One of the big "drawbacks" of any ready-to-use spray is that it has all kinds of toxic additives. Referred to as "solvents, stabilizers or suspension agents", in many cases these additives are more hazardous compared to the active ingredient! Additionally these very same additives can many times smell strong, burn plants or stain surfaces where sprayed and in general cause a lot more problems then they're worth. On the other hand concentrates mixed with water will be as close to pure as possible and many times won't have any odor or chance of staining. This would be one of their advantages. Additionally, it's always nice knowing every time you need to spray you can have a "fresh" batch of product made for the job at hand. No doubt storing a ready-to-use spray over time will have a negative impact on just how much active ingredient is actually in the spray the next time you go to use it.

Another problem with the ready-to-spray formulations is that the stabilizers don't actually do their job that well.. Many times they'll actually break the active down when kept in storage and this can be to the point where the active is barely detectable or useful anymore. Unfortunately there is no practical way to guage or test how much active might be left in any spray so in the end, you can very well buy a product that is already in it's "useless" range. To avoid this problem, the use of concentrates is the way to go and the only products we sell.

Of course, the big drawback of the concentrates we sell is that you need to mix them up. This does require a little effort and some precise measurement to make the finished spray just right, but fortunately the advent of small easy to pour "tip'n measure" containers are in use. They've made it easy to get exact measurements out of the container and into your spray tank. But another short coming is that the finished spray mixed won't last long in the spray tank. In general, it might be good for 1-2 days but don't store it any longer. Some concentrates might coagulate which can clog a sprayer. Others will simply loose their strength and won't work when applied. But again, they don't have all those "extra" ingredients the ready-to-use have so this is to be expected and not something we try to hide. In fact, it's something we embrace. Here's why.

If you have a vegetable garden you want to spray but are unsure of how much to mix, don't make an entire gallon to start. Instead, mix up just 1/2 gallon. After treating the given area a time or two you should know exactly how much you'll need and from then on, make only that exact amount. It might turn out to be just 1/2 or maybe 3/4's of a gallon. Regardless, any of the sprayers and concentrates we carry including the NEEM can be mixed to a specific amount of finished product. And it's quite common for people to only mix as little as a quart at a time for small applications so this is perfectly normal to do. In the end, using up what you mix the same day is the best way to go and definitely what we recommend.

Hopefully this answers your question and if you need some help determining how much concentrate you'll need to add to get the finished amount needed for your target site, give us a call toll free at 1-800-877-7290 and one of our reps will be able to assist.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Neem Garden Spray Concentrate:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/garden-defense-neem-concentrate