If you’ve got CLOVER MITES, SPRINGTAILS, PSOCIDS or BOOKLICE, there is a good chance you’ll need to treat where they’re nesting if you’re goal is to not see them coming back a few days after you spray.
Why?
Because these small pests thrive where wood meets wood or where it rests on cement. That means sill plate, structural members and pretty much all areas “behind” your walls are where they’re living. And it gets worse.
They are solitary. This means they will be spread out because they do not nest like ants or termites.
But it gets even worse still..
They will thrive in every “layer” of your homes siding – both inside and outside. This means you need to Power Inject.
So when you “surface spray”, you should be able to prevent them from spreading. But the ones living hidden will just keep reproducing and coming out so your problem won’t go away.
So if you’re goal is to end the issue and not see them anymore? You’ll need to do “C&C” treatments. C&C stands for Crack and Crevice. This is where these small pests thrive. So the ones you’re seeing are not “seeking water” or “moisture”; they’re actually in the act of reproducing.
Now its true that many of our customers treating with Maxxthor outside and Bithor inside will cure their problem without the need to Power Inject. But this is because their issue is “shallow” and so the injection will reach them. This happens for a good 60-75% of our customers. Especially if they’re using Maxxthor and Boost.
We call this “surface spraying”.
But after a week or two of finding more and more coming out, they start asking “why aren’t they all dead now” or “why do they keep coming back”?
The answer is that they’re living and nesting where the spray isn’t reaching. And the most common locations where this happens will be under baseboards, around windows/doors, sinks/tubs/showers/gutters/home siding and attics. And if you have a finished basement? That can be a springtail generator!
So if you keep seeing them coming out of treated locations, DO NOT SEAL THE ENTRY POINTS WITH CAULK!
Instead, get our POWER INJECTOR.
For many of our customers, it will be the missing link to solving the issue for good by reaching their nests. This is discussed in our short articles here:
BEST WAY TO TREAT A BASEBOARD AND WALL VOID FOR INSECT PESTS
HOW TO TREAT HOME SIDING FOR SPRINGTAILS AND OTHER PESTS | BUGSPRAY
And for areas up high, like attics, apply XEMPT DUST since it’s dry and won’t damage the wall or ceilings.
So remember, springtails will be very happy living under sill plate, on 2×4’s in the wall and around windows or doors. And when those populations get large enough, they will come out all summer long unless you reach them where they are nesting. MAXXTHOR in the Power Injector will usually do the job but for some, using BASE OIL with Maxxthor will be required.
In summary, Power Injecting can be needed for certain pests (listed below) or if the target pest is nesting in a hidden space. The rule to follow is simple. If you aren’t seeing any after 1-2 months, you’re good. And this happens with most of our customers. But for the 10-25% who have ongoing issues, further focus will be needed which usually involves the Power Injector and if they’re up high, Xempt Dust too.
Using this approach will eliminate all their “pocket” nests so you won’t have to keep seeing them emerging.
Booklice: https://bugspray.com/article/booklice
Clover Mites: https://bugspray.com/articles98/clovermites
Psocids: https://bugspray.com/psocids
Springtails: https://bugspray.com/article/springtail
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