Why do you recommend Demise or Pyganic Dust rather than the cheaper Delta Dust? If I buy Delta Dust to control carpenter bees instead of Demise, do you feel it will be less effective? It seems you do not sell Delta Dust. Thank you.

In fact we sell most every dust. Our selection can be seen here:

Dusts:  https://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust

And if you read through our CARPENTER BEE article, you’ll learn why we recommend the DEMISE and PYGANIC only. The reason is simple; these are the only products that can last long enough to provide complete control. You see, Delta Dust is a true insecticidal dust. And that means the active will wear out in a few months so there won’t be anything left to work on the bees after the Deltamethrin is gone. Now since the eggs and pupae won’t hatch for many months (sometimes a year or more) following the treatment, you need something in the nests that will last long enough to insure complete control.

Now it is true that both Demise and Pyganic have some insecticide in them (pyrethrin) but this is gone in a month or so too so why do we still recommend it? Well that’s because even after the pyrethrin is  gone, these dusts are made from a base which works an insect “dehydrator” and will therefore remain active for many years. Since the mode of action for this is mechanical and not insecticidal, the pyrethrin wearing off is immaterial.

This means that any eggs or pupae that might hatch a year or so following the initial application are sure to die. And what we find when Deltamethrin Dust is used is that the bees will many times prevail and persist from year to year so it’s obvious this is not the best treatment option for the long term control of this pest. And if you’re going through all the work, why not apply the best product?

Lastly we know there are many companies suggesting Delta Dust and since it will work for a month or two, most users won’t even realize the dust they’re applying is the reason why they still have to treat from year to year where as if they had applied the Demise, the problem would be gone for good. So in summary, there is no reason to use the Delta Dust once you consider it’s shortcomings because in the end, getting rid of these bees for good is what you’re trying to accomplish and for that to happen, Demise is the clear choice.

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

Demise:  https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/drione-demise-dust-6-oz

Pyganic Dust: bugspray.com/exempt/dust/pest-xempt-dust

Delta Dust: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/deltamethrin-dust

Carpenter Bee Control: www.carpenterbees.com

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290