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Baits for Ant, Cockroaches and Crickets:
What is it?
Insect baits are used to kill ants, cockroaches, and crickets inside your home. Baits work by attracting the insect to eat a food that contains an insecticide. An insecticide is a pesticide that kills insects.
For insect baits to work, areas where food is stored, prepared or eaten need to be kept clean. Because, if there are other foods around that the insect likes better, or finds first, it will probably not eat the bait at all.
So do baits kill just one insect at a time? No. Baits work by "tricking" the insect into eating something poisonous and spreading the poison to others. How do they spread the poison? Both ants and cockroaches leave a scent trail for others to follow to find the bait. Also, ants may carry some of the bait back to their colony to share with other ants. In a short time the insecticide kills the insects who have eaten the bait. But how fast a bait works depends on several things. It depends on the kind of pesticide in the bait, whether the insect likes the taste of the bait and whether there is other food around for the insect to eat instead.
You may have seen insect bait containers on counter tops, in cabinets, hidden behind stoves or refrigerators or on the floor near cracks or crevices where insects go in and out. They are usually square or round with a flat top, and about half an inch high. They may also be sort of dome shaped like an igloo. The containers are about two (2) inches across in size and may be plastic or metal. The bait inside the container is usually a solid or a gel. Some baits aren't in a container at all. They can be tablets or gels that are put out for insects like cockroaches to eat. Your parents can decide the best location to put an insect bait so that it will work well. Remind them to always "Read the Label First" to know how to properly use these products and for safety information.
What's in it?
The insecticides commonly found in insect baits include abarmectin, propoxur, trichlorfon, sulfluramid, chlorpyrifos and boric acid.
What health and safety things do you need to think about with insect baits?
Since the majority of insect baits are enclosed in containers it is not likely you will be exposed to the pesticides inside them. But if you find them, leave them alone. Do not move them or open them or put them in your mouth. Keep your pets away from them too. Let your parents know you found them. If you should touch one, wash your hands with plenty of soap and water to be sure that none of the pesticides that insects might have carried out of the container, got on your skin. And remember to never put anything in your mouth unless you know for sure what it is.
What do you do if you or someone you're with has an accident with household products?
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