Broadcast Spraying
Xact Impact Natural Pest Management does NOT broadcast spray any chemicals.
What is Broadcast Spraying
Broadcast spraying is a traditional method of dispensing chemical pesticides over a non-localized area. The basic approach is to place liquid chemicals into a pressurized spray canister and they dispense the chemicals (via a spray wand) into the air towards the target area.
Problems with Broadcast Spraying
Broadcast spraying of chemicals outside of your home has many problems. Some of the more critical problems include:
- Broadcast spraying is an imprecise technique that by its very nature is messy and is intended to disperse a lot of chemical over a wide area. As such, the pest-control technician can not easily control where all of the chemical goes. During the application process the aerosolized chemical will drift and its final resting place will be influenced by a number of factors outside the control of the technician, such as which way the wind is blowing. Why do you think that skilled pest-control technicians who use broadcast spraying wear arms-length rubber gloves and a respirator mask over their nose and mouth?
- Broadcast spraying is indiscriminate. It typically will kill all insects, including beneficial insects that become subjected to the widely dispersed chemical barrier.
- Broadcast spraying can and frequently does contaminate the inside of your home. Remember, broadcast spraying put a lot of chemical over a wide area including your lawn and all planting beds and shrubs on the perimeter of your home. What do you think happens when a person (for example you or a gardener, or your child who wants to play with a toy on the lawn) or pet or stray animal enters the sprayed area? Obviously there is a good chance that the chemicals that were sprayed get transfer to feet, fingers, clothing, paws or fur. When these people or pets re-enter the home, the chemicals come along with them.
- Broadcast spraying rarely eliminates the colony, because it kills foraging worker pest before they can return to feed the colony. Overall broadcast spraying kills only the 1% to 10% of the pests in a colony that are out foraging for food, leaving the rest of the colony intact and ready to take their place.
- Broadcast spraying is a significant contributor to polluted water run-off that contaminates area water supplies.
- Broadcast spraying a very large area around your home can easily result in pesticide chemical drift on to your neighbor's property.
- Broadcast spraying is less convenient for you because it does not always eliminate the problem. In fact, it may cause the colonies to divide and therefore actually increase your pest problem, requiring your pest-control company to return to your home to attempt to gain control over the problem.
If you are interested in reading what the EPA has to say about "Spray Drift", click here.
Watch-out for Conflicting and Confusing Sales Pitches Regarding Broadcast Spraying
If you speak with other pest-control companies who are trying to sell you on the benefits of their outside broadcast spraying, listen carefully to what they say and be prepared to ask them challenging questions. Most of these companies will give you conflicting information regarding the safety and benefits of their broadcast spraying.
Here is a hypothetical conversation between a homeowner and a traditional pest-control sales person.
| Homeowner: | I heard that the products you use outside my home are potentially dangerous? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | No ma'am they are perfectly safe, they are all EPA-approved. |
| Homeowner: | How long do I have to stay off of the treated area? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | You only have to stay off of the area until it dries, but I would stay off of it for a day. |
| Homeowner: | If I only have to stay off of it for a day, how long does this product really work? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | The product lasts for 60 days |
| Homeowner: | If the product lasts for 60 days, why do I have to avoid the treated area for only one day? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | Well, to tell you the truth, our product does the majority of its killing in the first 72 hours and there is little left after that for you to worry about. |
| Homeowner: | So, it sounds like I am only getting three days of control and I am paying you for 60 days? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | Honestly ma'am, what you are paying for is our company's guarantee that we will control your problem for 60 days. If you have a recurrence of your pest problem after 72 hours we will come back out and retreat (by spraying more pesticides). |
| Homeowner: | One final question. I heard that the chemicals you use breakdown or get further diluted by water. So, what happens if it rains shortly after you treat my home or if my sprinkler go on? |
| Pest Control Salesperson: | Well, that's why you pay for our guarantee. Also, please make sure to turn your sprinklers off for the next 72 hours. |
As a note the above hypothetical conversation, some of the pesticides used for broadcast spraying have a waiting period between applications. In other words, the EPA-approved label requires that a follow-up treatment must occur no earlier than, for example, every three weeks. So if you have a recurring problem, by law this hypothetical company may have to wait three weeks before they can reapply the same chemical or find a different chemical to use.
You family and pets use the outside of your home, so why should you have to avoid any part of your home or its surrounding property? Xact Impact Natural Pest Management avoids all of the problems described above by not broadcast spraying any liquid chemicals, but rather using an outdoor treatment system that offers an enormous margin of safety over broadcast spraying.