Here's a photo of the some of the insecticides, etc, that I have stored in my garage.  The products that I would consider heroes would be the Spectracide Bug Stop, Bengal Wasp and Hornet Spray and the Archer Flea products.  I guess I would give these products hero status because they work pretty good.  I do notice a decrease in the roaches and spiders outside with the Spectracide product.  I like the fact that it already to go and be used with a sprayer attached(no mixing), I like as little contact with these sorts of products to begin with, so the less I have to handle them the better.  The large gallon bottle with the sprayer attached is convenient to use and to store away if I didn't use it all up in one application.  These products are satisfying to use because they are pretty easy to apply and store away.

I like these sorts of products in general with the insecticide already mixed up in a large bottle with a sprayer attached.  If I had to complain about these products and point out weaknesses, I would say that sometimes they are not as effective as I would like them to be.  I think that insects are pretty tough(roaches in particular) and something stronger would be welcome.  That said, I worry about the toxicity of these insecticides to my family and pets, so something stronger might not be a good idea.  I think it's a balancing act between effective bug control and making something safe for people and pets to be around.  Sometimes I wish that these products would be effective for longer periods of time, but I guess it is ok.  All in all I think I am pretty happy with these products.

The Bengal wasp and hornet spray is great because it shoots a concentrated stream a long distance, which is nice when you have to kill a yellow jacket nest.  I had to spray a large nest a couple weeks ago and it worked great.  It knocked the yellow jackets down pretty fast and I was able to spray from a safe distance.  I do wish it killed the yellow jackets a little faster, they were still writhing around on the ground for several minutes after spraying and I had to go step on them to finish them off.  I really don't like to make animals, even insects suffer more than they have to.  A quicker death would be better.

3.  The products I have on hand that I would consider zeros would have to be the Cedarcide liquid and granules, and also diatomaceous earth powder(dust).  I like the idea of a natural insect control, so these products really appeal to me.  I really wish that they worked better though.  The idea behind these products is Cedar woods natural insect fighting properties.  Generally bugs will not eat cedar wood and are repelled by it, so the idea follow that if you sprinkle or spray cedar oil based products around, it will be a natural deterrent to insects and they will leave you yard for easier living.  Unfortunately they don't work as well as advertised.  The diatomaceous earth product does not work so well either.  The idea here is that since insects have an exo-skeleton, the diatomaceous earth will penetrate the joints of their skeleton and they will then become incapacitated and die, sort of like throwing sand inside a car engine.

The diatomaceous earth washes away after a rain and becomes useless, you have to re-apply the product all around the yard again and hope it doesn't rain.  Since this stuff is a powder, it is not good to breath in and you must take precautions to avoid this.  As I said earlier, I really like the natural approach to bug control, if it worked!  Maybe I have been using the wrong products, but I haven't had great success with them.  

My hero bug product would obviously kill bugs effectively but would also be completely safe for all the beneficial insects, pets ,and humans.  I guess something that targeted only the insects you wanted to kill and nothing you don't.  I don't want to harm the bees, little green lizards, ladybugs, birds, etc.  My ideal product would probably be in a bottle with sprayer already attached,  because it is easy to apply and store.  The granules that you sprinkle around are also a convenient form for use and storage. It would be hard to decide between the two because they each have their good points. My ideal product would be friendly to all the beneficial insects and deadly to all the unwanted ones, safe for humans and pets.  The ideal product would also be effective for long periods of time and not cost a fortune, although I would have no problem paying more for this hero product. 

Over the past year, we have had problems with roaches and fleas in our yard.  This past summer we had problems with roaches and fleas in our front and back yard.  The spot in our back yard that is the hardest spot to deal with is our deck.  I believe it's a problem spot for reasons that I find it difficult to get insecticide under it.  I figure all the bugs are finding a safe haven under the deck.  In this situation I need a product that can be sprayed as far as I can get it under the deck and also something that might last awhile before getting washed away or becoming ineffective.  I spray the whole deck and hope that when it rains, the rain will wash some of the insecticide down through the gaps and under the deck. My family uses the deck frequently, so I don't want something that would be harmful to us or our dog or cat.  I guess this is the trick, to have something safe for humans and pets but deadly to unwanted insects.  My treatment approach has been to use liquid insecticide in a sprayer, sometimes in a pump sprayer and sometimes in a container you attach to your garden hose.  I fiqure the liquid approach might be best because it can be sprayed almost anywhere and like I said, I hope it will wash down between the cracks on the deck and get under there and kill bugs.  My specific goal is to kill roaches and fleas, spiders, etc in and around the yard and house.  My approach of the liquid insecticide seems to work pretty good sometimes and other times maybe not so good.  I don't know if anything was lacking from the products I have used, I think they work pretty well.  I do wish their effectiveness lasted longer, because I really hate to spray that stuff myself.

2. Of all the bug problems I have outside, the biggest frustration has to be the large roaches.  These are the biggest problem because they also like to come inside the house.  Battling roaches seems like a no win situation.  They are tough!  I believe roaches to be very adaptable and resistant to poison.  I wish the insecticide would last longer so I wouldn't have to spray as often.

3.  Over the past year the only other treatment I have used besides insecticide is an organic product called cedarcide.  It's a natural cedar oil treatment that you attatch to the hose and spray around.  Also there was cedar saw dust particles that I sprinkled around the yard.  These were store bought products, but not insecticide treatments.  I do like these ideas for their natural bug fighting ability without harmful poisons, but I don't think they work as well.  Other than this I really didn't have any bug problems that I didn't use insecticide on.

4.  I get advice for the treatment of bugs from lots of places. I rely on advice from friends and family, newspaper columns, radio programs, television shows, neighbors, etc.  You hear about a lot of different approaches for bug problems.  I like Howard Garrett's column in the newspaper, I read the labels of the insecticides I buy for treatment directions.  Internet sources are helpful.  I learned about insecticides with Insect Growth Regulation that helps control flea problems on an internet web page about flea problems for dog owners.  I am open to most any source for insect control.

Images for blog # 1

2.  The role of bugs in my life apart from the beneficial aspects of insects like bees and such, is one of annoyance and irritation.  I hate bugs inside my house the most.  Roaches, ants, spiders are bugs I wish I could erradicate entirely from my house and yard.  Our bug problem inside the house comes and goes, we have never been what I call "infested",some months of the year seem worse than others.  Having bugs inside my home does make me feel differently about my house.  It makes me feel like I am not providing a clean environment for my family to live in.  It makes me feel like the house is not clean.

B.  Bugs do get in the way of my life when they are inside the home.  I have a wife and a daughter and neither one wants to pick up a dead roach on the floor or kill a roach, that duty seems to fall on me and it is annoying to stop what I am doing and go and kill some roach and then clean it up.  Bugs just add one more level of irritation to my life I don't need.  We live in an old house and there are a thousand small cracks and crevices that roaches and other bugs can travel into our house through.  If there were no bugs, I would have less anxiety.  It irritates me that sometimes I can't control the environment in my own house and keep it bug free.  Seeing bugs makes me wonder if the house is clean enough.

3.  Fleas at times have been a big problem in our yard at times.  I have a dog and some cats that get fleas on them and it really irritates me.  I am a little more tolerant about the bugs outside the home, I know it is harder to control them.  Having bugs outside the home does make me feel differently about my home, nobody wants the be bitten by fleas or have a bunch of other bugs.

b.  Having fleas in the yard is no fun.  Nobody wants to get bitten by fleas when your are out in the yard.  If the yard was infested with ticks, it could be really alarming for the health issues associated with tick bites.  I would feel relieved if there were no bugs in the yard, less anxiety.

4.  I feel like insecticides are a necessary evil needed to control bugs.  I really don't like spraying poison in the house or yard.  I worry about the harmful effects to all the beneficial insects like bees and the little green lizards, ladybugs, etc.  I also worry about the harmful effects to humans these insecticides have.  I have tried several different treatment options that are "eco friendly", such as cedarcide and diatomaceous earth powder.  Cedarcide is natural cedar sawdust and you just sprinkle it around the yard, diatomaceous earth is a powder that is sprinkled around that yard and in the house too.  Generally, I have found these treatments to be less than effective at controlling bugs.  I do like the idea of a non-poisonous treatment option.

Hello, my name is Daniel Nichols.  I am 45 years old, have been married for almost 20 years now, my wife and I have a 13 year old daughter. Time really seems to be flying lately, it seems just yesterday we had a little baby girl.  My wife and I are both lifelong Dallas residents.  My family has owned a retail flower shop for the last 45 years and I have worked in the business most of my life.  I feel fortunate to get to work with my family.  I enjoy spending free time with my family, going out to eat, seeing friends, movies, or just watching tv together  My daughter and I like to go ride bikes to the park and around the lake, kick the soccer ball and walk the dog.  I enjoy woodworking and playing guitar.