Permethrin Uses for Pests
- Permethrin is used to treat livestock for pest infestations.Walter B. McKenzie/Photodisc/Getty Images
Permethrin was first registered for use as an insecticide by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1979. A synthetic pyrethroid, permethrin attacks the nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. It is essential to use caution when handling permethrin as the EPA has classified the insecticide as potentially carcinogenic. - Permethrin is used to treat multiple pest infestations in the agricultural industry. In commercial agriculture, common crops treated with permethrin include alfalfa, corn and wheat. Permethrin is also used as an insecticide on fruit, vegetable and mushroom crops, as well as ornamental plants. When used to treat large crops, sod farms and nurseries, permethrin is classified as a "restricted-use" pesticide.
- Permethrin is used on livestock and in livestock housing environments to treat and prevent the infestation of ticks, mosquitoes and other pests that prey on livestock. When used to treat livestock, permethrin is classified as a "general-use" pesticide.
- Permethrin is used to treat both commercial and residential buildings, including food establishments, to treat and prevent insect infestation. According to the EPA, 41 percent of annual permethrin usage is by homeowners in residential areas. Permethrin is used to treat both indoor and outdoor spaces.
- Permethrin is used in some areas for public health mosquito abatement programs that treat wide areas of regions prone to high mosquito populations. In some tropical areas mosquito nets are sprayed with permethrin to control mosquitoes that transmit diseases like dengue fever and malaria.
- Some formulations of permethrin are used to treat scabies and head lice in humans. Unlike other permethrin treatments that are regulated by the EPA, these personal treatments are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
