Moth Balls?

[Conure & Macaw Mom]

Several people have told me that Moth balls will kill spiders & other bug/insects. What I want to know is, will it kill my birds? I know moth balls have an odor to them but I would be putting them in the cabinets & stuff that is kept closed for the most part. Would the smell escape & hurt the fids? I live in a townhouse & would be putting them upstairs mostly, the fids stay down stairs. The bug man comes & sprays the other townhouses / apartments but don't come to mine cause of the fids. So everybodies bugs & spiders come to my house. My room mate was bitten about a week & a half ago by one in 2 places & had to go to the hospital cause of the swelling & his finger & leg turned black. I don't want the spiders to bite the fids or dogs. I have killed quit a few big black spiders down stairs also. I have to get rid of these things. Can someone help? Any suggestions would be great. Crystal

[Cindy215]

Well I dont think moth balls but there's something on another site I'm on I'll go check it out tomorrow if I get a chance. Some kind of gel. Everyone in NYC uses it and the apartments there are TINY and LOADED with cockroaches and spiders. if you get unlucky. Mostly people remove the birds for an hour or two but some people claim to even have left them there.

[Conure & Macaw Mom]

That would be great, thanks. I found something just now while ordering some poop off thats called Control aviary bug spray. Its EPA approved. Its for use in homes, pet stores, aviaries, & vets offices. It contains Pyrethrum in a water based spray. Pyrethrum compounds are the safer choice of insect control in aviaries / households with birds. Helps control ants, fleas, spiders, crickets, roaches, wasps, silver fish, gnats, small flying moths, lice, grain mites, house flies & more. Also EPA approved to control mosquitos, including ones that may carry the West Nile Virus. Thats what the ad says. Here is the web address. http://www.naturechest.com/cleanprod.html

[Cindy215]

well i just went to look and I cant find that thread now. But the general consensus was to fumigate with the birds out of the house for a few days. This threat of spiders sounds pretty serious. I'd probably do it after finding out the safest stuff. Perhaps your vet would know? Land of Vos site has some remedies but mostly for roaches from what i remember...

[Buteo]

Be VERY careful with mothballs.
Even short term use, they can cause some pretty nasty health problems in humans (both the older naphthalene and the newer Para-dichlorobenzene formulas). Birds have a considerably higher metabolic rate and are significantly more susceptable to airborne toxins. Personally, I wouldn't chance using mothballs.

BTW, closing up the area the mothballs are in is not that effective for controlling the odour. Using mothballs would very likely ruin that item of furniture. The vapours penetrate surfaces especially pourous ones like wood. Once that happens, it's an extremely lengthy process of "airing out" to get rid of the stink.

Here's a link to some info on exposure & toxicity:
NAPHTHALENE
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/air/toxic_co...ALENEdraft.pdf
and PARA-DICHLOROBENZENE
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_...Rec_Id=PC35121

[Conure & Macaw Mom]

Thanks for the info. I'm not gonna try the moth balls, sounds to risky as I figured. I order the stuff (posted above) that I seen on the one website. Hopefully it will work. I have both spiders & roaches cause of the other townhouses & apartments. Thats one bad thing about not being able to spray, everyones bugs come to your house. Thanks, Crystal

[Nelsbels]

Ewwwwww, spiders.
I moved into a house that was loaded with spiders. Nothing kills them that I have found. If you spray them with a bug spray, they come back to life the next day. Best to squash them whenever you see one and then throw them outdoors in case they come back to life.
As for the roaches, you should get a couple of good quality foggers, take the birds out of the house, and set them off. Do this on a nice day and you can put the birds and cages outdoors and after a couple of hours you can bring them back in. Look for a fogger that says no residual residue, that way you don't have to worry about what the birds touch when they come back in.
If you see any dead spiders when you come back indoors, sweep them up and throw them outside as I swear they will come back to life.

[bustersbuddy]

First, spiders are arachnids not insects and they have different metabolic processes. Most insecticides are not effective against spiders. In horticultural use, we use miticides that are specifically designed to work against arachnids to control various pest mites and spiders when needed. Pyrethrins are very good products but they are not effective against spiders or mites. Further, please be aware that pyrethrins are made from chrysanthemums and are EXTREMELY toxic to anyone or anything that has an allergic reaction to chrysanthemums and their relatives such as marigolds. Please read the labels carefully and use with caution.

My advice to you, especially since you live in the South where bugs are a MAJOR issue, is to call the exterminator who works in your townhouses and talk to them about your specific needs. Tell him you have birds and that you, yourself, are allergic to many insecticides (doesn't matter if this is true, you need him to care about something and many people don't care overly much about our animals) and need his advice about what to do in your unit. There are many possibilities and treatments that he might be able to use that will be effective against spiders and bug that are safe for you and the fids. I think that in the Deep South, you really need a professional's input and advice. Our situation out West is entirely different and I know from working with my orchid friends in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, etc. that things that work for us in California don't work for them all the time. The bugs are just bigger and stronger in the South.

Best of luck and keep us informed. It is always helpful to know what works in various parts of the country/world.

[Conure & Macaw Mom]

Thanks for everyones advice. Its been kinda cold here lately so leaving the fids outside is not an option. I watched my neighbors little dog (pug) for a week while she went out of town so maybe I can wheel the birds & cages to her house for a few hours. I have foggers that say no residue. Maybe I can talk to the pest guy & have him spray for the spiders & then I can set off the foggers the same day while all the animals are out of the house. Once again, Thanks for all your help. Crystal

[catschair]

My pest service uses a pyrethrin derivative to keep the ants from marching through. I did a lot of checking with them (since the windows are sometimes open when they come) and the literature before starting to use them. They have been treating the house and yard for a couple of years now and the birds inside and outside all seem to be thriving.