One of my friends tells me that she has a (Shell?) “No Pest Strip” in her kitchen. We’re talking those clunky big yellow plastic bars in a windowed enclosure now. Is this a good idea? I was under the impression that the original NPSs were laced with an insecticide and that having one in an enclosed area for extended periods could earn you low level exposure to, say, a basically unhealthy neurotoxin with more numbers than letters in its unpronouncable name. Or am I fulla doo-doo and they were just glorified glue traps? What are they now? Is it safe to have one in your food prep area? She’s trying to nuke gnats, by the way. I suggested one of those benign pheromone-infused-hanging-spirally-flypaper-thingys. I know- “Ewwww! Dead flies on display!” Hey. At least they’re DEAD! HA!!
The chemical is dichlorvos. Its not the safest chemical in the world but you can make up your own mind as to how nasty it is…It looks like poisonings occur more from handling or getting the chemical splashed on you, or suicides, then from being in the same room with the strip.
I had a Shell No Pest Strip in the laundry room off the garage one and only one year.
Decided it was not all that good not to mention the chemical hazard.
I bought a fancy $3 “Poison Free” ‘Indoor Fly Trap’ with an attractant and sticky surface. It caught 2 flies in three months, while is swatted a few dozen. Also bought 4 old fashioned pull down spiral fly strips for $1 for the laundry room and it is covered in the same time frame. They don’t look fancy but the work. So does a fly swatter. Also the old fashioned inverted glass globes inverted over a small dish of sugar water on a large plate with supports to create a gap worked back then and will now.
A caution about the electric bug zappers. Keep them away from food areas. Great outdoors but not in vicinity of food. The zapped bug parts fall and blow around in the vicinity. Don’t care for that kind of seasoning! :rolleyes:
Why the fearful language regarding dichlorvos, the active ingredient in No Pest Strips? Like many household chemicals, it seems safe to use as directed, but can be toxic when used carelessly. How is that different than household bleach?
Cornell essentially said you could have 17 of these hanging in a room without detectable levels in exposed humans, mice or rats. You would need 2000 strips in the room for dichlorvos to be generally detectible in rats. Sounds pretty safe to me.
I read one fruity web site that ominously claimed Shell no longer sold No Pest Strips in the US, but diabolically still sold them in Mexico. They failed to mention that Hot Shot still manufactures No Pest Strips in the US, quite legally, with the same active ingredient. You can get them on Amazon or Home Depot.
So like chlorine bleach, or salt for that matter, dichlorvos seems safe at sensible doses, and toxic at stupid dosages.
(I’m just a teacher; no connection to any chemical, bleach or salt companies. I’m researching them for my own home.)
The no-pest strips say they’re only good for 6 months. If nobody changed the ones in this thread since 2004 it’s hardly surprising they didn’t work to repel the zombie-reanimating bugs.
Shortly after those No Pest Strips came on the market, it was reported that restaurants had them hanging in their kitchens above the griddle, whereupon the wax melted and dripped onto the griddle and your dinner. It was presumed that the same thing might be happening in lots of private consumers’ homes too.
If she’s dealing with gnats, why not use a homemade fruit fly trap? Fill a bowl half-way with apple cider vinegar, add a few drops of dish detergent, cover with plastic (Saran) wrap, and poke holes in the plastic. The flies will be attracted to it, and drop in through the holes. When they reach the surface, they’ll sink and drown. (The purpose of the detergent is to break the surface tension so they’ll sink.)
The strips are great in the garage, the walk-in closet, the library, etc.
You dont use them in any room where people sleep, food is prepared or consumed, or where babies and pets will be in that room more than a hour or so a day.
One other thing is to close off a room for a few days with a strip in it. You could go on vacation, hang one in the kitchen, then when you return, put it in the garage or a closet.
Hi. We have a second home in the mountains. Haven’t actually stayed there much, but the last time we were there, I found 3 black widow spiders–in our bedroom. Now I’m freaked out about what will get in if we’re gone for three or four months.
Anybody used a Strip in that way? If you leave one hanging, how long to you have to let the room/place air out before occupying it? Or is it ever safe to occupy again?
I used to use these all the time in the 60s to 80s, but not in the house. Even a vacant house.
And the No Pest Strip ain’t equivalent to household bleach. There’s some really scary articles about it:
Quote “No-Pest Strips are useful for fumigating infested items that can’t be washed or treated with liquid pesticides, heat, or other methods. The items and No-Pest Strip are placed in a closed-off closet or other room that is not occupied for an extended period of time. Items must be aired-out for at least 2 hours after treatment and before use.”
To me, that means safe after 2 hours of airing out. Later the same post states…
Quote “No-Pest Strips can be used to kill pests in larger spaces like cabins, vacation homes, mobile homes, and boats only if these spaces remain unoccupied for at least 4 months after placement of the strips.”
That doesn’t really jibe with the previous statement. Perhaps they mean it will only be effective if given 4 months to work.
I would weigh what was more important to me, unlikely slow death from a neurotoxin, or unlikely slow death from a neurotoxin delivered via spider.
Glorious. They used to have these hanging in the kitchen at my Boy Scout camp back in the 1960s. They didn’t even bother with the decorative foil package – they just hung the naked yellow strip from the hole in the top.
“Are you bothered by pesky Killer Cyborgs from the Future? Try the Shell Terminator Strip!”