Pest Control

Sprays, Traps, Baits and Repellents

Four formats make up the collection and each is bought for a different situation. Sprays and aerosols are applied at the point of contact. Traps are placed and left. Baits are placed and carried away. Personal repellents are applied to skin or clothing.

The formats are not ranked.

A household dealing with an outdoor perimeter and a household dealing with fruit flies in a kitchen want different formats, and neither is an upgrade on the other.

Coverage Area on Outdoor Products

17 listings state a coverage figure in square feet, running 215 to 20,000 with 5,000 the most common. Coverage is printed on the label and describes the treated area at the stated dilution.

Measure the area before buying the concentrate.

A 5,000 sq ft product on a 12,000 sq ft lot means three purchases, and the concentrate sizes here do not scale linearly in price.

Concentrates and Ready-to-Use

17 listings are concentrates and the rest are ready-to-use. Concentrates state a dilution on the label and are sold in 16 to 32 fl oz bottles; ready-to-use products ship at the applied strength in 1 and 1.33 gallon containers with a wand.

Concentrate costs less per treated area and demands measuring and mixing. Ready-to-use costs more and needs nothing, which is why the ratio on this page runs so heavily one way.

Light Traps and Refill Cartridges

Zevo at 30 listings and the STEM line run light traps that take refill cartridges, and 53 listings on the page are refills.

The trap is bought once and the cartridge repeatedly, which puts this format on the same consumable logic as a plug-in air freshener.

Cartridges are brand-locked. Check the refill price before buying the trap, because the trap is the cheap half of the purchase over a season.

Insecticide-Free and Outdoor Formats

29 listings state natural and several of the light-trap lines state insecticide-free, describing how the product works rather than how well it works.

Thermacell at 25 listings covers the outdoor area formats, and 16 solar and 16 rechargeable listings cover powered outdoor devices. Surface cleaners used after a treatment sit in cleaning and cleaning tools.

Read the label rather than the category. Every product here is regulated on what it may claim, and the useful information on a listing is the format, the coverage and the application method.

Pest Control Formats Compared

Products aimed at plants and lawns rather than at the house sit in weed barrier and lawn treatments.

Pest Control Questions

What coverage do outdoor products state?

215 to 20,000 square feet, with 5,000 the most common figure. Coverage is printed on the label at the stated dilution, so measure the area before buying.

Are light trap cartridges brand-locked?

Yes. 53 listings here are refills, and the trap is the cheap half of the purchase over a season. Check the cartridge price before buying the trap.

Is concentrate better value than ready-to-use?

Per treated area, yes. It needs measuring and mixing, which is why only 17 listings are concentrate and the rest ship at applied strength.

What does insecticide-free mean on a listing?

It describes how the product works rather than how well. Several light-trap lines use adhesive and light instead of an active ingredient.

Which format suits indoor flying insects?

Traps, at 144 listings, since they are placed and left. Sprays are applied at the point of contact and suit a different situation entirely.