How To Apply Sevin Dust to Your Yard Safely?

If you own a garden, you understand the frustration and difficulty that comes with keeping pests like insects away from ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruits.

Insecticides are a way to prevent this, but many kinds of aerosol insecticides end up being too rough on your plants and unsafe for use on vegetables and fruits that you intend to eat due to the risk of the poison seeping into the food.

Using dust-type insecticides is a safer bet, as the dust is powerful enough to kill insects as they walk through it but can easily be washed from the food before eating.

Sevin Dust is among the most popular brands of insecticide dust commonly used on ornamental shrubs, flowering plants, and vegetable gardens.

Though it is deadly for those annoying pests, it doesn’t pose a risk for humans since the dust can be washed away instead of the poison sinking into the food.

What is Sevin Dust?

Popular insecticide dust, Sevin Dust, gets rid of pests to keep your food and flowers safe from their chewing destruction.

It comes both in powdered as well as liquid concentrate form that is extremely easy to apply.

It takes on the appearance of a white powder when you dust it on your plants and veggies, protecting them instantly.

The product is comprised of carbaryl, a chemical that serves as a central nervous system destabilizer in insects, which ultimately results in their death.

While this chemical has the potential to be hazardous to humans, handling it properly and then washing it away will keep you safe from its effects while also enjoying reliable insect removal—as it has been doing since the 1950s.

What insects does it kill?

Sevin Dust is formulated to kill 65 insects, though it can kill almost any outdoor insect it comes in contact with.

It is best used against crop-destroying insects like cabbage worms, ants, squash bugs, beetles, caterpillars, and boxelder bugs.

Sevin Dust will kill bugs only minutes after exposure, and after it dries, Sevin Dust will continue to work for weeks before needing to be reapplied.

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How to Use Sevin Dust Correctly?

To ensure it comes into contact with the insects, apply Sevin right onto the plants where you know the insects will walk on them and die.

This usually takes a few minutes after they come into contact with the powder.

Because this product is designed for outdoor pests, you can apply it without fear that it will leave a mess like many kinds of interior insecticides can do.

It is important to wear latex gloves when applying the dust to keep it off of your skin as you shake the dust lightly over ornamental plants and crops.

All you need to apply is a light dusting that coats the entire plant so there are no untreated spaces for the insects to crawl to escape.

You must also allow the product to dry thoroughly before it becomes effective.

Keep an eye on the weather and ensure there is no rain forecasted for the following 24-48 hours after you intend to apply it.

Be sure to dust it on after it rains and let it sit for up to 48 hours to dry completely.

Similarly, take care not to water the plants treated with Sevin Dust until the product is entirely dry.

Prevent Sevin Dust from running off into drainage ditches, storm drains, surface water, or gutters in order to protect your local environment.

By rinsing your hands or the application tools over the treated area, you can avoid this runoff into drainage systems and bodies of water.

Be careful when you are spraying to avoid the dust coming into contact with any reptiles or fish in surrounding ornamental ponds.

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Is Sevin Dust Powder Harmful to Humans and Pets?

Carbaryl, the chemical in Sevin Dust, is very toxic to most people.

When applying the product, it is important to wear waterproof gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, shoes, socks, and chemical-resistant headwear.

If you are exposed to too much of it, you may experience side effects like blurred vision, abdominal cramps, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and vomiting.

In a serious case, you may experience respiratory failure, convulsions, or unconsciousness.

Should you get it in your eyes or on your skin, or inhale or swallow it, call poison control.

Sevin Dust is also toxic to pets.

Fortunately, it can be contained to plants and gardens, so you can monitor your pet outdoors and make sure they don’t wander near it.

Should they ingest the product, immediately contact your vet to mitigate any lethal effects.