BASF Cy-Kick CS Insecticide, Controlled Release Indoor Outdoor Pest Control for Mosquitos, Flies, Ants, Fleas, 16 Ounces Concentrate Liquid

I am a long time resident of Las Vegas. I had only seen one scorpion in 29 years of living here, then we bought a new house near the desert and we saw them inside. It freaked me out but I just put a jar over them and threw them outside. They increased in frequency and my son was stung, it was uncomfortable but he didn't need to go to the doctor. Sightings increased over a few years and they seemed to be inside about once a week, then in May of 2020 I stepped on one. Within a few minutes I became really sick and landed in the ER with anaphylaxis. it was both life threatening and very painful and I was warned that it would be worse next time. This elevated the issue to super high priority. The good thing is very few people are allergic to them the way I am, however I understand that they still have a painful sting, and I have heard at the vets they can hurt or kill a small dog or cat, I have both. We had hired exterminators that specialize in scorpion removal, but they really didn't help much. The scorpions would be gone only for a few days then they were all over the backyard again at night, and in the house both day and night. The exterminators told me the scorpions are too rugged to effectively kill, etc. and that nothing would really work to get rid of them. I reluctantly accept that it is their territory and to expect them, but they were completely out of control at my house and I couldn't believe that was just something I had to put up with. As an aside, people I know from all over town have mentioned never seeing them before but in recent years they are inside their houses too. Maybe they are cyclical in population, not sure. Out of necessity, I have learned a few things about scorpions. 1. as everyone says get a black light and check your yard at night to get an idea of how many are around. I was told for every one you see there are about 300 around that you don't, as they are reclusive. If there are a whole bunch outside you are much more likely to get them inside. For my house, in the hottest months I could see 12 to 15, thats when they were inside the most. 2. They love palm trees. They also love block walls. Your efforts to get rid of them should focus on wherever you see the highest concentration of them. 3. They go dormant as soon as the daytime high temp drops below 89 degrees F. So at least in wintertime you don't have to worry about them quite as much. 4. I determined that they were living in my tile roof shingles and coming down the vents. Have a roofer check your vents. There are vents that have to do with the plumbing (stack vents), also bathroom fans and exhaust fans. None of the vents at my house had screens even the bigger ones, which I was told was part of code and is needed to keep rodents and birds out. I ended up hiring a roofer to put wire mesh over every vent at my house. 5. Do really good weatherstrip and replace your door sweeps, they come in gaps that are as big as a credit card. 6. I don't really believe in "safe" pesticides (ie the roundup lawsuits), and I really hate to kill anything. But given my situation I have no choice, so for the times I do see scorpions I keep some cans of Terro scorpion killer within reach. It is very effective, killing them within 5 minutes after a direct hit. I like that it shoots up to 6 feet away so I don't have to get close enough to risk getting stung. Even with all the sealing of my house, at the end of April this year once it started getting warm out, my cat was throwing something up in the air and catching it, which turned out to be a huge bark scorpion. This was right in the doorway of my master bath where I would have pretty good chances of stepping on it. Then there were two more in the house within a week. I was wondering how I was going to keep living in this house when someone told me about Cy-kick. Not really expecting much after the song and dance from the exterminators, I bought some cy-kick and a sprayer and doused the base of the house outside, around all the windows and doors, and the palm tree trunks. This was in early May, now after repeating applications of it once a month all summer long I can say I finally feel safe in my home again. Since I started using cykick there have not been any scorpions inside the house. Outside, the day after the first use, I saw three. Usually they just sit, the first one I saw was marching around in circles going fast which tells me it may have been feeling the effects of the pesticide. The other two I saw were in some of our little palm trees that I hadn't sprayed and that are not their favorite, which told me the cykick chased them out of their preferred homes. The next month, I sprayed all the palm trees big and small, and I didn't see any outside. In July, it poured rain the same day I had sprayed, and we saw three out in the yard a little over a month after I applied it, so the rain didn't seem to remove the protection. I would highly recommend this product. It works well spraying once a month, with a good husqvarna sprayer, I also use glasses and a mask and long sleeves when I spray it. I keep my dogs inside for two hours after spraying. It seems to keep other creepy critters out of the house like roaches and earwigs and such.

This is what the pro's use, so it's an easy choice. If you have a company spraying for you and they don't use this, you need to fire them immediately. I used to spray professionally and this is the best product on the market. Big companies might use this (but highly diluted). Hence, companies water down the concentrate so it lasts longer. You should mix 1 ounce of concentrate with 1 gallon of water. That is plenty strong for standard bugs, roaches, beetles, spiders, centipedes, etc. Spray every 4-6 weeks from April-Oct. Don't spray in the winter, no need, and wasteful (even in hot climates, with no real winter). However, if there is a scorpion problem, mix 1.5 ounces with 1 gallon of water, and spray every 4 weeks. Do NOT mix any more concentrate than that or you'll prob. create a toxic dump. This WILL kill scorpions, they're just a little harder to kill, not impossible. For additional scorpion control, buy a black light b/c they fluoresce (in the dark) and you can find where they're coming from. Spray extra in those areas. Don't worry, scorpions have poor vision so they can't see you very well, if at all. They can feel vibrations, so try not to disturb whatever surface they're on and spray them before they run away. A standard 2,000 sq/ft home only needs about 2 gallons or less of this sprayed (depending on yard size, sheds, etc). Why have a company charge you $40/month or more to use a diluted chemical? This should last you about 3 years depending on your house size/yard. Don't buy the Home Depot/Lowe's products, they are not residuals or commercial grade! This lasts the longest b/c it's micro-encapsulated (protects it from the sun, etc.) to release at different intervals throughout the month. Other chemicals are in full force once you spray them and probably last 3 weeks or less (depending on your climate). Use Nitrile gloves from any Home Depot/Lowe's ($2-$3) b/c they'll protect you the best (or heavy rubber gloves). Spray outside, no need to ever spray inside unless you have a major infestation. If needed, only spray the corners, window sills, entry ways. You don't want chemicals in your home, especially with kids. Allow to fully dry 1-2 hrs (even if it looks dry). If you have an ant problem, use Termidor (baits: Terro, Amdro, Maxforce, Advance, Niban, Advion, Phantom II). Ants can detect Cy-Kick to an extent, but Termidor smokes them easily. Again, only use Termidor outside. Bugs come from the outside and get inside. Spray outside: the foundation, garage, front porch area, back patio area, window sills, front/back door ground areas, inside the water boxes for sprinklers and the water shut off valve (usually connected on the street sidewalk). UPDATE: I've noticed some reviewers still have persistent infestations, if that's you, then up the concentrate level when you mix (but not past 2 ounces per gallon). Keep in mind, bugs don't die instantly by touching Cy-Kick. Bugs will ingest, or absorb it after it sticks to their bodies. As previously noted, if you have ant issues they can detect Cy-Kick to a degree. If so, use Termidor, it is the best ant/termite chemical and can't be detected. But DO NOT mix Termidor with Cy-Kick or spray together. I'm surprised naysayers still deny this works, or say it only lasts 2 weeks (typically it's 6-8 weeks). Try it against any Ortho product from your local store, it'll beat them every time. I used to spray 20-30 houses a day, working 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I know what works and doesn't. The reason I posted this info is b/c many pest control companies rip people off with pricing, use other weak chemicals (b/c they're cheaper), or they use Cy-Kick but significantly dilute the concentrate. I've seen receipts stating .006% concentrate from good companies. Really? Thanks for the sugar water, but no thanks. Bed bug issues? Spraying chemicals does little with bed bugs. They hide in crevices, come out at night, are attracted to your body heat, and the carbon dioxide you exhale. However, they do not like high temps. Either take your furniture outside and let it sit all day in hot weather, or get the temp over 120 in your room and you'll see them run & die. If you get it over 140 they'll die within 1 minute. Pro's use heaters and seal off the room until they die. Good luck