Really Dead or Just Stunned (Raid)

Member Name: Orion Blue

Product:	Raid
Date:	12/05/06 (190 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick administration, a simply squirt or two takes a Wasp out of commission

Disadvantages: Wasp can dive at an angle and prove hard to find

The slogan on the can is the selling point - "Kills Bugs Dead" - but how fast acting is it?

I have used the product a number of times and it does kill Wasps, but there is also the fact that it can take a while for them to cease all activity. In that time, there is a risk that they could become stunend, dazed and confused or disoriented. In that state, they can be dangerous and unpredictable.

There often seems to be a need to administer a slightly greater dose than what is specified on the can, though this could be me being hyper-cautious about the threat of the Wasp somewhow recovering and becoming even more vicious than is usually the case.

I would certainly rather hvae a can of this stuff available than not, quite simply because the Wasp problem seems to be quite recurrent due to the wooden surround of the skylight seeming to have been compromised.

There are claims that the base chemicals that comprise the killing element of the product have produced some insects which are either partially immune or somewhat resistant to the effects of the toxins, though this has not been backed up yet.

I presume that because the product is available over the counter, it is not allowed to be too dangerous due to potential calamities the average consumer could encounter (ie inadvertently poisoning themselves or letting their very young children poison themselves) and as such, it has to strike a balance between efficacy/potency and safety.

I have also heard that some aerosol-based oils can be used directly on a Wasp to disable it though I have not yet had the opportunity to test this claim.

All in all, I would recommend this product on a few counts. One is that it undoubtedly does kill the Wasp though if it were faster-acting it would be better. Secondly, it is far better to have this than a less effective variant or nothing at all

Summary: A useful product, but could be faster-acting.