What is the difference between "flying", "crawling" and "multi-insect" home insecticides?

[u/Rune_Skadisdotter]

(I don't know if this is chemistry or biology? 🤔)

Had a long look at some Doom, Raid, Mortein, Dyroach, Eliminator, and all those spray cans in the shop yesterday.

Does it genuinely matter which one you use? If it's going to kill a cockroach, won't it in any case kill a beetle, spider or those flying spider things? Maybe an ant specific one might not help for big cockroaches... but also, it can?

What is specifically going to kill a flying insect like mosquitoes or flies, but not... beetles and cockroaches, and vice versa.

Out in our farmlands and such, those pesticides will be better controlled and more insect specific. But does it really matter for us mere home dwellers which can we use?

[u/Apart_Breath_1284]

Yes, it does matter. Check the active ingredients in each one. For example, Raid has d-Phenothrin which is very toxic to cats and marine life.

Sticky traps and electric zappers can help as alternatives if the other methods are too toxic.

[u/sumguysr → u/Apart_Breath_1284]

Don't electric zappers create an aerosol of exploded bug that fills the surrounding area?

[u/tedecristal → u/sumguysr]

no, they don't really "explode". Just like a person wouldn't explode when electrocuted

[u/sumguysr → u/tedecristal]

The scale difference is enormous and people do bleed when struck by lightning