pest control in house with tank

[ejreyes6]

Just wandering if I have to be concerned with someone coming to spray the inside of my house for bug? Should I turn my skimmer off for a while?
Thanks Ernie

[robert55?]

I will tag along. I need some pest control done as well and would like to hear what others have done in the past, what can be used and what cant?

[hyperboy]

No one should be spraying any kind of pesticides in your home! Not only is it dangerous for your fish, but also your pets and kids! PM sent

[robert55?]

so what does every one use for pest control ???

[GlassReef]

I use "Ortho Home Defense Max Insect Killer". I spray it along the base board in all rooms except the fishroom and the livingroom side of the wall the aquarium is in. Works great! We have no bugs and no dead fish.

The product's active ingrediant is Bifenthrin. To clarify the risk, the Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University, Oregon State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of California at Davis and the Institute for Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University say:


TOXICOLOGICAL EFFECTS

Acute Toxicity: Bifenthrin is moderately toxic to mammals when ingested. Large doses may cause incoordination, tremor, salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, and irritability to sound and touch (68). The dose at which half of the test animal die, the LD50, for bifenthrin is about 54 mg/kg in female rats and 70 mg/kg in male rats (63). The LD50 for rabbits whose skin is exposed to bifenthrin is greater than 2,000 mg/kg (11). Bifenthrin does not sensitize the skin of guinea pigs (62). Although it does not cause inflammation or irritation on human skin, it can cause a tingling sensation which lasts about 12 hours. It is virtually non-irritating to rabbit eyes (68).

Chronic Toxicity: No information Available.
Reproductive Effects: The dose at which no toxic effect of bifenthrin is observed on the mother (maternal toxicity NOEL) is 1 mg/kg/day for rats and 2.67 mg/kg/day for rabbits. At higher doses, test animals had tremors (67). The dose at which no toxic effect is observed on development (developmental toxicity NOEL) is 1 mg/kg/day for rats and is greater than 8 mg/kg/day for rabbits (11).

Teratogenic Effects: Bifenthrin does not demonstrate any teratogenic effects at the highest levels tested (100 ppm, approximately 5.5 mg/kg/day) in a two-generational study in rats (63).

Mutagenic Effects: Evidence of mutagenic effects from exposure to bifenthrin are inconclusive. Studies of mouse white blood cells were positive for gene mutation. However, other tests of bifenthrinÕs mutagenic effects, including the Ames test and studies in live rat bone marrow cells, were negative (11).
Carcinogenic Effects: There was no evidence of cancer in a 2-year study of rats who ate as much as 10 mg/kg/day of bifenthrin. However, an 87 week feeding study of mice with doses of 7, 29, 71, and 86 mg/kg showed a significantly higher, dose related trend of increased tumor incidence in the male urinary bladder (63, 67). The incidence was significantly increased at 86 mg/kg/day. Also, females had higher incidences of lung cancer than the controls at doses of 7 mg/kg and higher (67). The EPA has classified bifenthrin as a class C carcinogen, a possible human carcinogen (11, 63).

Organ Toxicity: Pyrethroids are poisons that affect the electrical impulses in nerves, over-stimulating nerve cells causing tremors and eventually causing paralysis (11).

Fate in Humans and Animals: Bifenthrin is absorbed through intact skin when applied topically (68). It undergoes similar modes of breakdown within animal systems as other pyrethroid insecticides. In mammals, bifenthrin is rapidly broken down and promptly excreted. Rats treated with 4 to 5 mg/kg, excreted 70 % in the urine and 20% in the feces within 7 days. After 7 days, the remaining bifenthrin was found accumulated in tissues with high fat content such as the skin and fat in males and females and the ovaries of females (67). Bifenthrin is less toxic to warm-blooded animals, such as mammals, than to cold-blooded animals (68).

[cjgalante]

I use the same I spray around the outside of my house every 3 months and the inside every 6 months. No Bugs!