Been using y’alls products for 2 years now and finally have most of the areas springtail free. First it was the siding and gutters that we cleaned up with the Maxxthor. Inside we did pretty well with bithor but still had some coming from one wall. This year we got the Power Injection system and that did it. I know cause the worse for us is june-july and so far none there so far so Yeah for me! But there is still two areas where we see a few and I don’t know what to do.
The Power Injection is so powerful but we were able to use 15-20 psi and after just one treatment didn’t see anymore. I also used it outside siding where we have vinyl. Thats the back of the home. Those areas I used 50 psi and could tell it was getting super deep.
So then to be sure we didn’t get them in the basement I did all the baseboards down there and now we’re seeing a few coming out of the ceiling. Its a drop ceiling and I started removing some tiles to see if I could find any nests. So far all I see are some along the outer edges and on on a tile I lifted.
So do I have to treat all the tiles or the wood above it like the floor joists? There aren’t a lot there and they seem to be along the back of the house where we have a deck and patio. I was trying to think how the power injection could help but only with the misting nozzles and I can do that. But that sill plate is where I saw the most, on top of the foundation wall, so I could mist or inject there too.
And one more area, the upstairs ceiling, they seem to hang around the exhaust fan above the shower and the light too. Just in the bathroom. I can dust that area but I’m thinking I might want to dust the whole attic so they don’t go to other areas. Let me know what you think. You guys are the best at bugspray and saved us from selling the house. Prob kept the marriage secure too!
So first, glad to hear you’re making progress! Springtails don’t infest quickly and so the treatments to get all their pocket nests can take some time to eliminate if you’re not using the Power Injector. Now that we have that tool available, we’re seeing dramatic time reductions of local problems and so instead of taking 2-3 months to not see them anymore, using the POWER INJECTOR can cut that time down to just 2-4 weeks if not faster! Its definitely the “holy grail” needed to help expedite the treatment process and what you are reporting is what others are experiencing too.
Now lets discuss your ceilings. First, the basement.
In our experience, springtails LOVE finished basements. They usually thrive behind the walls, especially where runners touch the foundation walls, but can easily nest up top on the sill plate. In general, there will be 1-2 “main” walls with the most activity. We have a good article on this here:
In your situation, it sounds like it’s the back wall of the house with the issue so start there. It would make perfect sense for them to be along that wall and that now they are trying to spread out and find new nest sites. To cut down on this activity, get that sill plate treated and then maybe 1-2 feet “out” along each floor joist resting on the sill plate. So for now, don’t worry about removing all the ceiling tiles; just the ones that run along the outer wall and get that treated.
Use Bithor or even the Maxxthor since its labeled for structural members inside the home. Once you get those key spots treated, you will see a marked reduction in activity and since you already treated the baseboards, you could very well end the issue before it ever got too bad.
Now for the exhaust fans and space above…
This area will be tricky. It’s most likely they are living in the attic, under the insulation, so start with just the area above the bath. If you get the gap around the exhaust fan, where it sits in the ceiling, along with any light fixture gaps, that could stop them from dropping down. This won’t solve the issue but should keep them at bay so you won’t see any.
You mentioned you once had them in the gutters and so some of those most likely migrated under the insulation and since its so dry, most would die in that space. But they would pick up on the exhaust fan and the air quality below which would be moist given it’s a bathroom. That means they’ll be targeting the fan and light so if you can the entry points dusted with XEMPT DUST, you could keep them using that area too.
Just keep in mind that dusting from above (entering the attic and blowing dust out) won’t reach the critical spots under the insulation assuming it’s laying over the fixtures. So to be clear, the springtails will be under the insulation. They will generally find this space very comfortable (as will other pests like booklice or clover mites) for nesting – especially where the ceiling joists connect to the ceiling. Well as they move along that wood, they will eventually encounter exhaust fans, light fixtures and any light “cans”. The gaps around these ports will allow them to fall through and be seen below. In some cases they crawl out and that’s when you’ll be seeing them inside, on the ceiling.
To properly treat these ports, you can either climb up a ladder and dust from below or go in the attic and locate them under the insulation. This can be tricky BUT if you can find them, it will be relatively easy to dust them and in general, this is the preferred method. This can be done by moving away the insulation and puffing the dust out around the fixture where it enters the space. After dusting them, its recommended that you mark their location with a Landscape flag or something similar so you can easily find them in the future.
So for now, I don’t think you need to panic. You’ve clearly eliminated most of their nests but now need to focus in on the remaining trouble spots. Between the Power Injector and the Dust, you should have success.
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