Have you ever considered why are home improvement store pesticides so cheap compared to professional pesticides and professional pest control service.
Why Are Home Improvement Store Pesticides So Cheap
Those labels are really catchy to most people especially those that say will kill over 100 insects and since you don’t know which one you have you now have 100 better chances of killing it whatever it is.
Most think they are cheaper because they are watered down, but in fact, they are at the lethal dose that will kill the insect.
There are several reasons most over the counter OTC pesticides are cheap
Most of the lawn and garden insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are very old active ingredients that are organophosphates and carbomates, 2-4,D some are over 50 years olds and are not eco or family friendly.
Active ingredients like Trichlorfon an organophosphate used mainly in lawns granules for controlling Grubs was originally registered in 1955 https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/pdf/0104.pdf
Carbaryl used to spray fruits, vegetables and ornamentals was first registered in the United States in 1959 https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/chemicalsearch/chemical/foia/web/pdf/056801/056801-067.pdf see the hazard summery by the EPA https://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/carbaryl.html
2, 4-D herbicide used in hose end sprayer for lawn weed control was discovered in 1941 and was the main ingredient in Agent Orange used in Vietnam see the National Pesticide information Center Fact Sheet http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/2,4-DTech.html
Atrazine the active ingredient in most weed and feed products was introduced in 1958 and is currently a restricted use product RUP by the EPA due to its potential for groundwater contamination. https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/red_PC-080803_1-Apr-06.pdf
You can sell outdated chemicals very cheap in an exciting new package.
The makers of these products rely on the ignorance homeowners when it comes to pests and rely on brand recognition while professionals rely on the knowledge of pest biology, active ingredients, modes of actions and many other important factors that will determine if you get control of a pest including the safe application of pesticides.
You think you can buy a gallon of pesticide for a fraction of the cost of paying a professional for spraying the same thing, as a matter of fact you are paying too much for a gallon of pesticide.
Most home insecticides are ready to use diluted formulations that require no mixing. You might think a 1 gallon of insect control for $7 to $15 is cheap when in fact you could make the same amount with a professional product for about $1.50 per gallon. You are paying for marketing and shipping of water.
But that still doesn’t mean you can get control of insect problem, in fact if you use the wrong active ingredient on a pest not only will you not get not get control of the pest you could make the problem worse most of our customers have been dealing with the same pest problem for years and some decades and are shocked and in awe on how we got control in just a few visits.
Yes, it is true that modern professional pesticide that has reduced mammalian toxicity and is friendlier to the environment are more expensive.
Most people think that professional pest control service is expensive, when you factor in the trips to the store, the amount of money you spent in products that didn’t work and the contamination and exposure to outdated pesticides how cheap was it.
