Accidentally used fly spray near herbs

9 years ago

I had my kitchen window open late last night and about 10+ flies came in and starting hanging about on the ceiling (I think they were from the open window anyway - don't normally see that many). They wouldn't move from the ceiling, they just sort of jumped around on the wall near the ceiling so my only available option was to get out the very rarely used fly spray.

Unfortunately I forgot about my indoor herb garden and it was only after i gave a few sprays that i thought about it harming the plants. I think the falling fly spray droplets could have made contact with some of my herbs. Do you think that my herbs and container are contaminated now and unsafe to use, even with washing?

This is the brand of spray used: http://www.scjohnson.co.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=5885 It contains tetramethrin and permethrin as well as some perfume and some petroleum distillates.

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Comments (4)

cold_weather_is_evil
9 years ago
Ask that question in the Organic Gardening Forum and step back quickly!

Please forgive my dropping into Lecture Mode, but from what you said, I think that you're looking at a tiny part of the possible results.

You sprayed an aerosol that you then inhaled. A few droplets of the tiny amount of that liquid that survived atomization, and that might touch one of the leaves, and that got washed off anyway, are much less than the part breathed-in as part of your new room atmosphere.

The new "toxicity" of the plants is negligible and pretty much guaranteed to be unmeasurable. There is no answer to your toss-or-keep dilemma that anyone can give you since your dilemma is totally ethical and only you can know the answer.

Permethrin is actually used in medicine and is not toxic (much) to people, but it does sit squarely on the other side of a line drawn in the dust. If you've used it to remove nothing but a tiny nuisance but regret using it because of the effects it may have on your health, why do you have it?

Terrible sentence; Sister Impatiens would give that a "D" and smack my knuckles with a ruler!
sicklefinger
Original Author
9 years ago
Yeah I only realised how toxic it was after reading more about it. But then again charring your food could be just as bad for you! I'm worried about it hanging about in the soil but as you say the residual amount is probably so small that it would be a non-issue.

Incidentally, are there any non-toxic ways of dealing with pests like this? I think my herbs and plants are attracting flies more than usual.
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fatamorgana2121
9 years ago
Indoor flies? A fly swatter comes to mind! :) There are some sticky traps that provide a physical rather than a chemical solution for indoor flying pests. Diatomaceous earth is a physical rather than chemical answer for indoor crawling insects.

Usually indoor plants only attract bugs, like fungus gnats, if the soil is kept too moist. Occasionally aphids or scale can be a problem indoors but not generally for indoor seed grown plants. These pests have to hitch a ride in.

FataMorgana
CA Kate z9
9 years ago
If your ceiling is too high to swat, you could have used your vacuum with all extensions attached to suck them up.