Residual insecticides for controlling fleas, flies, ticks

Dr. Chuck Silcox, Product Development Manager, AMVAC Environmental Products

Different approaches are required to effectively control flies, fleas and ticks; however, residual insecticides like bifenthrin or lambda-cyhalothrin play an important role in controlling all three pests. Fly control typically involves applying those residual insecticides to surfaces where flies often land. This could be around outdoor garbage cans for house flies and bottle flies, or around windows on south facing walls for cluster fly control.

Flea control can be very challenging, with a three-pronged approach required for optimum success:

1. Have customers work with their veterinarians to treat their pets, either orally or topically.
2. Apply residual insecticides outdoors, concentrating on shaded areas where pets spend time.
3. Apply an insect growth regulator indoors to control developing flea larvae.

Tick control involves treating suitable tick habitat outdoors with those same residual insecticides. Make coarse fan spray applications to vegetation, rock walls and other areas where ticks have been observed. Rather than spot applications, apply the insecticide to the entire area where exposure to ticks may occur, using higher-application volumes in areas of dense ground cover or heavy leaf litter.