Pests are killed with pesticides, and pesticides are poisons! So, our yes to your question is a qualified one. The lay person has a tendency to spray until everything in sight stops moving. In so doing, two problems arise: 1) we tend to overkill the insect population, and 2) the unnecessary application of too much chemical can be dangerous to children, pets and plant life. Chemical spraying is only a small part of the work required to do the job properly.

A friend of ours at a garden center tells us that Ortho Chemical Company strongly recommends the following procedure: remove loose wood, trash and clutter from areas where spiders might hide. And, wear gloves and protective clothing when cleaning up infested areas. Also, vacuum infested areas to remove egg sacks, and destroy the contents of the vacuum cleaner bag.

Spray outdoor living areas and cleanup debris around the home that may harbor spiders. Kill spiders by spraying webs and infested areas with Diazinon Insect Spray, or dust areas where spiders might hide with Ortho-Klor. The active ingredient in Ortho-Klor is Dursban, which has been marketed as a replacement for Chlordane.

By the way experts tell us that pesticides should not be discarded, but kept until they are completely used up. The philosophy here is that if they are dispensed a little at a time they tend not to be thrown back into the environment in concentrated form.