Dichlorvos and its use from cockroaches: reviews and instructions

Next you will learn:

• How does the old Soviet Dichlorvos differ from modern analogues and is this difference significant from a practical point of view;
• Do modern Dichlorvos help against cockroaches and what active substances underlie these aerosol preparations;
• What brands of Dichlorvos are the most popular today and does it make sense to choose the best among them;
• What is the mechanism of action of the aerosol on cockroaches - how does it kill them;
• How to use Dichlorvos correctly in order to get the maximum effect against cockroaches and what safety measures must be taken into account (including those that you are unlikely to find in the instructions for the drug).

It would seem that Dichlorvos, which confidently occupied the highest step of the podium among all home remedies for cockroaches in pre-perestroika times, continues to be actively used in everyday life to this day - you can buy Dichlorvos Varan on the market, Dichlorvos Neo, Eco, Extra, Terminator, etc.However, in reality, today these cockroach aerosols have practically nothing to do with the old Soviet Dichlorvos, which our grandparents used to treat apartments.

Perhaps, first of all, it is useful to keep in mind that the old version of the aerosol and its modern substitutes are based on completely different active ingredients.

Soviet Dichlorvos contained an organophosphate insecticide called dimethyldichlorovinyl phosphate (dichlorvos for short) as an active ingredient. - the substance is quite toxic not only for cockroaches and other insects, but also in relation to humans and domestic animals. At the time this product appeared, it had practically no worthy competitors: a more powerful dust was too toxic for humans, and those products that could be comparable to dichlorvos in terms of safety had little effect on cockroaches.

But the chemical industry did not stand still, and safer to handle and at the same time quite effective insecticides of a new type were developed - the era of the so-called pyrethroids has come.

On a note

Natural analogues of pyrethroids - pyrethrins - are found, for example, in the flowers of Dalmatian chamomile. That is why the dried and crushed flowers of this plant (pyrethrum powder) have long been used as an effective insect repellent.

It turned out that some pyrethroids are more effective against cockroaches than organophosphate dichlorvos, retain their effect longer and, most importantly, are safer for humans (and some, moreover, have almost no smell).Dichlorvos gradually began to be replaced by such aerosol preparations for baiting cockroaches as Raptor, Raid, Combat, which contain cypermethrin, deltamethrin, tetramethrin, permethrin, etc.

But the holy name will not lie idle: the memory of the Soviet Dichlorvos lived on, and many buyers were looking for it, despite the appearance of imported products on the shelves. Not surprisingly, enterprising manufacturers quickly registered several trademarks and produced drugs that combined the famous name and modern insect poisoning components.

Review

“Everyone knows that Dichlorvos is the best remedy for cockroaches. Ask the grandmothers how they poisoned them, and what kind of cockroaches they drove out - huge ones! I used to get lice out of them before. It is clear that everything is changing, our Dichlorvos is already different. But the main thing works and the smell is not so sharp. We poisoned my mother’s old apartment, where the walls moved from cockroaches. And nothing, for two times everyone was taken out, for how many years they have not returned ... "

Irina, Gatchina

So, Dichlorvos was left without dichlorvos itself (more precisely, without dimethyldichlorovinyl phosphate), but at the same time continued to successfully poison cockroaches. How and due to what - let's figure it out ...

 

What are modern Dichlorvos?

Perhaps, among modern aerosol preparations that have the word "Dichlorvos" in their name, the most popular are the following:

• Dichlorvos Neo;
• Dichlorvos Varan;
• Dichlorvos Eco;
• Dichlorvos Super.

All of them have synthetic pyrethroids in their composition and allow you to quite successfully poison cockroaches (at the same time, it is quite difficult to say which Dichlorvos is better in terms of efficiency, since the result in practice in most cases will be approximately the same).

In particular, Dichlorvos Neo contains the following components:

1. Permethrin;
2. Cypermethrin;
3. Piperonyl butoxide;
4. Auxiliary components - solvents and fragrances.

The active ingredients are almost the same as, for example, the aerosol from crawling insects Raptor (the latter instead of permethrin contains tetramethrin, which is similar in nature). The instructions for using these cockroach remedies are also almost identical.

On a note

Other pyrethroids can also be found in some insecticidal products: vaporthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, allethrin, tau-fluvalinate, tefluthrin, esfenvalerate, etc. Many of them vary greatly in the level of odor created in the room.

Dichlorvos-L aerosol is also known, containing only permethrin and intended for removing lice - accordingly, such Dichlorvos from cockroaches will be of little use (including because it contains only one active substance, which increases the likelihood of development of resistance to the drug in the population of cockroaches). All other Dichlorvos are most often used against cockroaches.

Review

“The cockroaches have overcome, there is no life. Brrr, they crawl right on the table at which we eat. I bought myself an interesting such dichlorvos neo, it was written that it was odorless, at a price of 80 rubles. This aerosol can is designed to kill flying and crawling insects, sprayed them with all the cockroach loopholes in the kitchen, the smell is actually there, but not strong. Not as vigorous as it used to be from dichlorvos. We are waiting for the effect ... "

Lena, Moscow

 

And further: Aerosol Raid killed all cockroaches in 26 seconds. Incredible! See our experiment...

Mechanism of action and effectiveness of modern Dichlorvos

The active components of modern Dichlorvos (pyrethroids) have a nerve-paralytic effect on insects. Once in the body of a cockroach, they lead to disturbances in the transmission of nerve impulses, which rather quickly entails paralysis and subsequent death of the pest.

Thus, the main task of the person who treats the apartment with Dichlorvos is to ensure that the drug enters the body of the cockroach. This can happen in the following ways:

1. Directly when the agent is sprayed from a balloon to the places of accumulation of cockroaches - the smallest particles of an insecticidal aerosol penetrate through the spiracles into the respiratory organs of an insect, there they are absorbed into the hemolymph, spread throughout the body and quickly kill the cockroach;
2. With the same spray, the drug also gets on the chitinous covers of cockroaches. Pyrethroids have a contact effect, and are able to penetrate the insect body through the chitinous cover;
3. Having settled on the surfaces of furniture, floors and walls, particles of active substances remain here for a long time (if wet cleaning is not carried out).Running through them, the cockroach soils its paws and antennae in them. Already in the shelter, cleaning the antennae and the tips of the legs with its jaws, the insect swallows an insecticide, which from the stomach penetrates into the hemolymph and leads to poisoning - this is how the intestinal action of pyrethroids is realized.

Practice shows that Dichlorvos really helps against cockroaches if the situation with these pests is not too neglected (and at least when it comes to the above brands of the drug). If the room is properly treated, the aerosol allows you to destroy almost all insects in one procedure, and only if the room is heavily infested, repeated pest control may be required.

Dichlorvos acts quickly - after treating an apartment, most of the cockroach population usually dies within a few hours.

Meanwhile, it is important to keep in mind that most pyrethroids retain their high efficiency on treated surfaces for about 15 days, after which it may decrease due to the gradual decomposition of insecticides in air. Therefore, in accordance with the instructions for using the drug, in those places where children and pets do not reach the treated surface, it is advisable not to carry out wet cleaning after using the product, and cockroaches running through here will be effectively poisoned for another two to three weeks.

It is interesting

It is known that insects are able to develop resistance to insecticides (this is especially common in the fight against cockroaches and bed bugs), so any modern Dichlorvos contains several pyrethroids of different chemical structure at once - the more different active substances in the preparation, the less chance cockroaches have survived after treatment of the premises (it is extremely unlikely that a population of cockroaches would have resistance to several pyrethroids at once).

 

Instructions for using the product

To reliably destroy cockroaches indoors with Dichlorvos, you need to be able to use it correctly and take into account the important nuances from the instructions for using aerosol-type insecticides.

Before processing, all pets and children must be removed from the premises, as well as a little preparation:

1. Cover the aquarium tightly with a cover glass, turn off the compressor so that the air from the room does not enter the water (fish are just as sensitive to the active components of Dichlorvos as cockroaches);
2. Close windows and doors;
3. Free from dishes, food and things all cabinets and bedside tables that will be treated with the drug (all this can be temporarily placed in plastic bags);
4. Move bedside tables, tables, gas stove and refrigerator away from the walls;
5. If rooms are additionally processed, roll up carpets, remove those that hang on the walls, move cabinets, sofas, armchairs and other furniture away from the walls.

After that, the cylinder with Dichlorvos is thoroughly shaken, the lid is removed from it, the aerosol outlet is directed from the processor and surface treatment begins.

On a note

The agent must be sprayed in the direction of places of accumulation and possible movement of cockroaches, at some distance from surfaces in order to cover a large area.

When destroying cockroaches, first of all, you need to treat the baseboards, the space under the sink, the back walls of the stove, refrigerator and furniture. The more surfaces that are treated, the more likely it will be to completely poison the insects in the room.

Review

“We came to the village for the summer, we decided to take a break from the bustle of the city. But here's the problem, hordes of cockroaches run around here, it's just creepy. I wake up one night, went to drink water, turned on the light - and this abomination is everywhere! Huge hordes run on the walls, on the table, on the floor. And I am terribly afraid of cockroaches. My husband went and bought a dichlorvos monitor lizard. They began to spray, so even through the towel I felt a terrible smell, my eyes stung to tears, there was a nasty taste in my mouth. And the husband became red like a tomato, and by morning the temperature rose to 39. In short, they poisoned the cockroaches, and they themselves almost died. And then the cockroaches were lying around in the corners, but some still survived.

Olga Pavlovna, Togliatti

As a rule, one bottle of Dichlorvos is enough to treat cockroaches in one small room with furniture (about 15 square meters). If necessary, poison cockroaches in the kitchen and in the rooms, you should use several cylinders of the product.

And further: You think that there are no longer normal remedies for cockroaches on the market and nothing will take these insects - no matter how it is!

Immediately after surface treatment, it is advisable to leave the apartment for 2-3 hours (although this may not be written in the instructions for use).After returning, it is necessary to open windows and doors, thoroughly ventilate the premises and carry out wet cleaning, wiping those surfaces on which there will be food in the future and with which people or pets can come into contact.

Important!

Even after proper treatment, cockroaches may not completely disappear - some of them hide outside the apartment during the day, and some may migrate from neighbors. If immediately after the application of Dichlorvos, live insects were not visible in the apartment, and after 2-3 weeks the cockroaches again began to catch the eye - this is a sure sign that pests enter the room from the outside. In this case, it is useful to block the ways they enter the apartment (mesh for ventilation holes, sealing cavities behind sockets bordering neighboring apartments, sealing gaps in walls, ceilings, etc.)

It is also advisable to use cockroach gels and prophylactic agents (traps, insecticidal crayons) in parallel with Dichlorvos, which will kill individual survivors after treatment, if any.

If you do not rely entirely on Dichlorvos alone, but approach the solution of the problem with cockroaches in a comprehensive manner, then with a high degree of probability the cockroaches will be completely destroyed in the apartment, and will not return soon.

 

Safety rules when working with Dichlorvos

Although modern Dichlorvos is much safer to use than their predecessor, they are still quite toxic (like most insecticides in general), and certain safety measures must be observed when working with them. Not all of these measures are prescribed in the instructions, but their observance will help to avoid poisoning and a number of other very undesirable consequences.

Here are some of these measures:

1. It is advisable to carry out the treatment in clothing that covers most of the body, including arms and legs. This minimizes contact of the poisonous substance with the skin;
2. It is imperative to provide protection against inhalation of the product into the respiratory tract. An industrial respirator is ideal, although a thick cotton gauze bandage can also be used. Keep in mind that if, when treating an apartment with Dichlorvos, you feel a sore throat or an unpleasant taste in your mouth, this means that your respiratory organs are not sufficiently protected;
3. At the first signs of deterioration in health (redness, shortness of breath, rash, etc.), you must immediately stop work and go out into the fresh air. You should not endure and continue working with the thought - they say, there is still a little bit left;
4. Be aware that some pyrethroids are quite toxic to cats. It is advisable to take these animals out of the apartment for a couple of days. In addition, cats should not be allowed to eat cockroaches killed or disoriented by Dichlorvos, since this way the animal can also receive a certain dose of insecticide (the first signs of cat poisoning with pyrethroids are profuse salivation and tremor);
5. Do not spray Dichlorvos into the technical openings of electronics (TV, computer system unit, laptop, etc.), even if you are sure that cockroaches are hiding inside the case. In some cases, the impact of individual aerosol components can adversely affect the operation of high-precision devices.

Review

“It was last summer.Even before that, I sometimes saw cockroaches at home, but rarely and only in the bathroom, where they appeared from the ventilation. And then suddenly they began to come across in such numbers all over the kitchen that I was already scared. Every day I saw about ten pieces, a whole herd of them lived in the nightstand under the sink. And not only the Prussians, but also healthy ones, black ones, who are scared to crush directly. I think it was the upstairs neighbors who poisoned it. Went and asked, it's true. He asked what they were poisoning. Dichlorvos. It was strange, I thought this remedy had already sunk into oblivion. But no, I bought three cylinders of Dichlorvos Super at the market, puffed the apartment for half a day, I vomited as much as once from this muck. But the cockroaches seem to have had it even worse. Even when I started to clean up, they lay in piles on the bedside tables, some were still twitching, but it was clear that they were playing catch. I did everything according to science, I didn’t wash the back walls of the bedside tables. It's been almost a year now and I haven't seen a single cockroach. Probably, their remnants went to the neighbors below. So we’ll drive them into the basement.”

Vadim, Ulyanovsk

If you have personal experience in fighting cockroaches with Dichlorvos (any), then be sure to share the information by leaving a review at the bottom of this page - did this tool help you, were there any problems when using it, was there a strong smell in the room during processing, etc. .d. Any information would be valuable.

 

Interesting video: comparing the effectiveness of different cockroach remedies

 

Why are cockroaches so hard to get rid of?