Stay indoors with the windows closed during spraying. If you are outdoors when spraying takes place and come in contact with the chemical, rinse your skin and eyes with water. Wash fruits and vegetables from your garden before storing, cooking, or eating.
After mosquito spraying, it's usually best to wait around 30 minutes to 1 hour before heading outdoors. This gives the insecticide time to settle, ensuring a safer environment for both you and your pets.
At a minimum, you and your family should wait at least 30 minutes before going outside and walking around the area that was sprayed. Keep your pets indoors during this period as well.
While the risk to humans from pyrethroids is relatively low when applied properly, these products are far from harmless to human health. People exposed to large amounts of pyrethroids can experience effects like stinging skin, dizziness, headache, or nausea that might last for several hours.
Most household bug sprays contain plant-derived chemicals called pyrethrins. These chemicals were originally isolated from chrysanthemum flowers and are generally not harmful. However, they can cause life-threatening breathing problems if they are breathed in.
The typical time most harsher pesticide treatments need for a safe return is between 2 and 4 hours. After that time, an additional 30 minutes is recommended to let the building breathe. This should be done with windows open and fans running to allow air levels inside to return to normal.
Exposure Levels
Short-term exposure to fogging sprays is typically considered safe if guidelines are followed. It's best to avoid direct contact with the fog and stay indoors or avoid the treated area until the fog dissipates.
Steps you should take:
If possible, remain inside or avoid the area whenever spraying takes place and for about 30 minutes after spraying. That time period will greatly reduce the likelihood of your breathing pesticides in the air.
If it hasn't worn off by bedtime, you'll want to wash it off with soap and water, as it can be irritating if left on overnight. Unless you are camping overnight in an area with ticks or mosquitoes, you don't want it sitting on your skin if insects aren't a concern. “If you don't need it on, get it off,” Waldman says.
It will normally be dry 1-2 hours after treatment, but low temperatures, high humidity, low wind and cloudy conditions will increase the amount of time needed for the treatment to dry.
The standard practice is to wait two to four hours post-treatment before re-entering your home. This precaution minimizes health risks from chemical exposure.
For many herbicides, any amount of rainfall soon after spraying has the potential to reduce absorption, translocation, and subsequent weed control. If you apply herbicide and it rains before it's rainfast, herbicide performance will be reduced.
Spraying may seem like a quick way to soothe the public's nerves, but as a strategy for controlling mosquitoes, it's a blunt and ineffective tool.
If possible, they should stay inside or avoid the area for about 30 minutes after spraying. If pesticides are applied inside the home, windows should be opened to allow air flow. People should avoid touching sprayed areas and leave the room until the pesticide has dried.
It is not necessary to close doors or windows. The spray will dissipate from the treated area and degrade quickly in sunlight. However, residents may take additional measures to achieve personal comfort during the application.
Stay indoors with the windows closed during spraying. If you are outdoors when spraying takes place and come in contact with the chemical, rinse your skin and eyes with water. Wash fruits and vegetables from your garden before storing, cooking, or eating.
Many birds will eat mosquitoes. The more important among these are purple martins, swallows, waterfowl (geese, terns, ducks) and migratory songbirds. Bird predators usually eat both the adult and aquatic stages of mosquitoes.
Most people and their pets do not have health effects during or after the spraying. Some people are more sensitive to the pesticides and are notified before the spraying occurs. If you have effects from the spraying, please contact your doctor.
Most people reason that rain washes the product away, requiring a re-spray, but actually the opposite is true. As long as your yard has had adequate time to dry and the product has had time to bond to the foliage (usually about 30 minutes) rain should not impact the effectiveness of your service.
With Mosquito Squad of Worcester, no matter which mosquito control option you choose, we recommend waiting about 30 minutes before resuming your outdoor activities. This recommendation applies to your whole family, including your kids and pets.
Generally mosquito repellent sprays can provide protection for a few hours, but it is recommended to reapply them according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Factors like sweating, swimming or heavy physical activity may also affect the longevity of the spray's effectiveness.
DEET: While uncommon, products with DEET can cause short-term eye or skin irritation. People who have inhaled DEET repellents have reported coughing and respiratory irritation. If eaten, they can cause stomach and digestive irritation.
The EPA has assessed the botanical-based insecticides used in MosquitoNix systems and determined they pose no risk to humans or pets when used properly in outdoor settings.
The best time to kill adult mosquitoes by fogging is at dusk, when they are most active and looking for food (mosquitoes feed on human or animal blood). The aerosol fog primarily targets flying mosquitoes, which is why the timing of the spray is critical.