Using Mashenka chalk against bedbugs and fleas

Cockroach chalk: composition

You can draw conclusions about the safety and effectiveness of a chalk pencil based on its composition, which contains the following components:

• Chalk base. For this purpose, chalk and gypsum are used, mixed together in certain proportions. The base makes up at least 90% of the total mass of the product.
• Active substance. Insecticides (as a rule, these are deltamethrin and cypermethrin, but there are also other substances) that have a detrimental effect on the body of insects and lead to their death. The content of these substances is up to 10% of the total mass.

Many manufacturers use Soviet technology from the 80s to produce crayons, while others use components from Chinese manufacturers.

Description and composition of Mashenka

The insecticidal remedy for bedbugs Mashenka is a compressed powdery substance of a light gray hue. This drug comes in the form of a pencil or chalk. Sold in opaque plastic packaging, which contains detailed information about the composition and method of use of the product. The weight of one chalk is 20 g, which is enough to process 20 sq.m.

The shelf life of the drug is 24 months from the date of release. Mashenka retains its insecticidal properties even with temperature changes.

Mashenka

The product has a contact effect, which manifests itself 7-17 days after treatment. Active components of Mashenka chalk for bedbugs: zeta-cypermethrin 0.1%, deltamethrin 0.05%. The first has a strong toxic effect, and the second increases the effectiveness of the drug and provides a prolonged protective effect.

This product also contains chalk and gypsum, the mass fraction of which reaches 95%. They are binding components and provide a solid consistency. Thanks to this, the drug remains on the surface for a long time after application.

How does cockroach chalk work?

Insects are exposed to active substances through direct contact with the insecticide. The cockroach touches the chalk strip and the drug gets onto its body. The poison does not act immediately, but after several hours. It gradually penetrates the body through the chitinous membrane. During this time, the cockroach manages to get to its nest with its relatives and infect them. The active substances have a detrimental effect on the nervous system of insects, blocking its impulses and causing paralysis and then death.

The effectiveness of chalk against cockroaches

The effectiveness of chalk is quite comparable to the level of its toxicity. Unlike aerosols sprayed to fight cockroaches, chalk fights the invasion of uninvited guests for a long time, even in the presence of the owners. They can calmly stay at home, and at this time the chalk will perform its function, killing more and more insects.

A pencil will not remove cockroaches once and for all; harmful insects may appear again after a while. But if you use it regularly, you can be sure that you will not encounter any uninvited guests at home. Numerous positive consumer reviews confirm the effectiveness of its work.

To work effectively, it is necessary to use the drug with a valid expiration date and, when applying it, act strictly according to the instructions.

How long does cockroach chalk work?

Once applied to surfaces, toxic substances last for about a week. Then, under the influence of external factors, they gradually lose their properties, becoming less effective, and they can even crumble off walls and other inclined surfaces.

Manufacturers recommend re-treating all cockroach paths 7-14 days after the previous application. It is not enough to simply draw lines in the same places. It is necessary to thoroughly wash the surfaces where the drug was previously applied, and then draw new ones.

Are crayons dangerous for humans and animals?

Despite the fact that the active ingredients of this product belong to toxicity class 4, and being in the same room with them is harmless, manufacturers do not recommend using cockroach pencils in rooms with small children or pets. Although crayons are used in inaccessible places, there is always a risk that the poison will enter the body of a baby or pet.

Unused crayons should be stored where they cannot be found by the youngest members of the family. The beautiful wrapper resembles candy, and the child can taste the crayon. Despite the bitter taste of most crayons, which is unlikely to please pets, a cat or dog can chew the packaging while playing with it and receive a dose of poison.

Active ingredients of chalk

We must pay tribute to the manufacturer of Mashenka: over the entire long history of the drug, its composition has changed several times and kept more or less in step with the times: new insecticides were added to it instead of outdated ones, so that the product continued to remain effective and at the same time safe to use.

The cockroach chalk Mashenka, which you can buy today, contains the following components:

• Deltamethrin (0.05%) is a synthetic insecticide with intestinal and contact action. It affects the nervous system of insects, regardless of whether it enters the cockroach’s stomach, its legs or body. Quite quickly leads to paralysis of the insect and subsequent death;

  

• Zeta-cypermethrin (0.10%) is also a synthetic insecticide from the pyrethroid group, but slightly different from deltamethrin in composition and molecular structure;

  

• Filler (chalk). Actually, this filler is a carrier of an insecticide and is essentially ordinary chalk containing a little poison.

  

Two different insecticides in the chalk are needed to significantly reduce the chances of cockroaches developing resistance to this product (the likelihood of a pest population developing resistance to even one insecticide with a competent approach is very low, and to two – almost zero).

On a note

Both deltamethrin and zeta-cypermethrin are used in some aerosol insecticides used in insect control. And sometimes these substances can be found in preparations intended for use by professional pest control services.

Mashenka's pencil works like this: a cockroach runs along a strip of chalk and stains its legs, antennae and abdomen with tiny solid particles containing insecticides. In the presence of at least a small amount of moisture (from the insect’s saliva or from the environment), the active substances begin to work slowly (contact action), penetrating through the chitinous cover into the insect’s hemolymph.

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However, the main contribution to the poisoning of a cockroach is made by the fact that the insect tries to clean its legs and whiskers from contaminants with its jaws, as a result of which part of the drug inevitably enters its digestive tract. Literally after a few minutes the insect’s behavior becomes inadequate, followed by paralysis and death.

It is also useful to read: Gels for fighting cockroaches

And one more thing: Do you think that there are no normal remedies for cockroaches on the market and nothing will take these insects - no matter how it is!

All the apartment owner needs to do to ensure that a similar fate befalls all cockroaches is to use the product correctly.

On a note

Today, after some rebranding, “Silver Mashenka” has appeared in markets and hardware stores. You can safely buy it - it’s the same chalk with the same composition, and, accordingly, it also helps against cockroaches.

Advantages and disadvantages of cockroach pencils

Like any drugs, pencils against cockroaches have their advantages:

• effectiveness – within a few hours after application you can notice the result of the product’s action;
• no odor – the product has absolutely no specific odor;
• safety – the pencil is completely safe compared to aerosol products and does not require people to be evicted during treatment;
• simplicity and ease of use - the chalk is easy to use, just apply it in certain places;
• complex effect - affects not only cockroaches, but also destroys other insects - bedbugs, flies, ants;
• easy removal after application - just do normal cleaning and wipe the application areas well;
• can be used for preventive purposes - periodic use can ensure that the problem does not recur;
• Availability – always available for free and inexpensive.

When deciding to use chalk against cockroaches, it would be useful to take into account the disadvantages of this product:

• short period of action, after which re-application of the drug may be required;
• To completely get rid of insects, several repeated treatments may be necessary; treatments are also carried out for preventive purposes;
• the applied product can be neutralized under the influence of external conditions;
• may pose a danger to small children and pets;
• If there is a large-scale infestation of cockroaches, the product may be ineffective.

How to properly use crayons against cockroaches

You can use a cockroach pencil in different ways:

• Clean up and thoroughly wipe away any dirt from the area where the lines will be drawn.
• Draw dense lines up to one and a half centimeters wide, crossing the expected paths of cockroaches: along the perimeter of the entire living space on the floor along the baseboards;
• cabinets and shelves with food supplies in the kitchen, as well as mezzanines;
• walls and floor around the slab;
• draw a circle around the place where the trash can is located at a short distance from it;
• batteries and walls behind them;
• areas around the sink, toilet, bathtub and kitchen sink;
• the reverse side of hanging paintings, as well as pieces of furniture on the side adjacent to the wall;
• the perimeter of all walls and ceilings in the apartment.

This treatment can guarantee the best effect in killing cockroaches in the apartment. It makes sense to unite with your neighbors and all at the same time take measures to eliminate the problem in all apartments of the building in order to avoid the reappearance of cockroaches.

You can calculate the number of crayons based on one package for processing one room from 20 to 30 m2.

Protecting your apartment with chalk

Taking into account the above, Mashenka chalk is a fairly effective means of preventing cockroaches from entering a room from the outside. It is quite obvious that for this, in chalk it is necessary to carefully outline around the perimeter all possible places where insects can enter the room - window slopes (if the windows are often kept open), entrance door slopes, ventilation openings. And sometimes also sockets and water supply pipes - although it is often easier to seal the cracks there with alabaster or polyurethane foam.

It is also useful to read: About the use of ultrasonic cockroach repellers

And one more thing: Good old Karbofos poisons cockroaches with a bang - watch our video...

When used in this way, insecticidal chalk performs a so-called barrier protective function : in order for a cockroach to be able to enter the protected room from the outside, it will have to overcome a kind of barrier in the form of a chalk line. And this is deadly for insects, and most individuals will soon die after crossing such a line.

By the way, even if you managed to get rid of the cockroaches completely and they seem to have been gone for a long time, it is useful to draw stripes on the back walls of the furniture as a preventive measure. There will be no harm from this, and an additional protection factor will not hurt.

Review

“As soon as we completed the renovation, we immediately poisoned the cockroaches in the apartment so that we could move into it without roommates. We used Karbofos and, of course, had to endure the terrible smell. And then they simply anointed the floors and bedside tables in the back under the walls with Mashenka. It’s inexpensive, it’s easy to buy, but now even if some cockroaches come from neighbors, they don’t live in our apartment for more than a few days.”

Anna, Kharkov

Precautionary measures

When using a pencil, you must strictly follow simple safety rules:

• You must use the insect repellent pencil exactly according to the instructions.
• Processing should be carried out wearing rubber gloves and a protective mask on the face.
• Make sure that the drug does not get on the skin and mucous membranes, and if this does happen, rinse the affected area generously with running water.
• Strictly control that the chalk does not fall into the hands of a child or into the teeth of a pet.

Cockroach chalk Mashenka Serebryanaya

Description

The insecticidal agent “Silver Mashenka” is a white chalk pencil. This is the optimal price/quality ratio (residual activity up to 6 weeks). A time-tested, effective, convenient product suitable for exterminating household insects:

• cockroaches
• ants
• fleas
• bedbugs
• moths
• flies

Purpose

The product is intended for the destruction of cockroaches, ants, bedbugs, fleas and the treatment of fly sites at objects of various categories, both by personnel of organizations authorized to engage in disinfection activities, and for the population at home.

Application

Release part of the pencil from the packaging and, holding it by the polyethylene, apply several stripes 2-4 cm wide on surfaces that may be places of movement, accumulation or habitat of insects. Repeated treatments are carried out according to entomological indications (when insects appear). Consumption rate is 1 pencil (weighing 20-30g) per 20-30m2 of surface to be treated.

Synanthropic cockroaches

Use chalk to apply stripes on the surfaces of baseboards, door frames, ventilation grilles, along the back walls of cabinets, tables, cabinets, and along pipes of plumbing and heating systems (especially at their inlet and outlet points). Treat surfaces in waste collection areas and the bottom of sinks. Treatment is carried out simultaneously in all rooms where cockroaches are found, as well as adjacent rooms, to prevent their infestation.

Red house ants

The places where they accumulate and the paths of movement of the “path” are treated with chalk.

Bed bugs

The product is applied in strips to places where insects are found or where insects may live, such as paintings, furniture and the back surface of carpets.

Fleas

The baseboards and walls are treated with chalk to a height of no more than 1 m, and strips are also drawn along the cracks in the floor, between the walls and baseboards.

House flies

Use chalk to draw strips along the joints of glass and frames, along the tops of doors, cabinets, kitchen furniture and other likely landing areas.

Precautionary measures

When using the product, hold the pencil by the plastic film. When using a pencil (weighing 20-30g) for one treatment per day (for a room up to 30m2), it is used without personal protective equipment. When using a large amount of product, use rubber gloves. Do not treat the inside of cabinets or other storage areas for food and utensils. After handling, wash your hands and face with soap and water. The product can remain on the treated areas for 2-3 weeks; then you should carry out wet cleaning with soap and soda solution or any other detergent.

Storage and transportation

Store the product in a dry and cool place in a closed package at a temperature no higher than +40°C and no lower than -30°C. In everyday conditions - separately from food products, in places inaccessible to children and pets. The shelf life, subject to storage conditions, is 24 months from the date of manufacture of the product. Allowed by all modes of transport in accordance with the rules for the carriage of goods.

Mashenka: why hasn’t it lost its popularity for decades?

The most popular among crayons is “Mashenka”, developed by Soviet technologists. The effectiveness of the chalk is evidenced by its history. Created back in the 80s, inexpensive, easy to use, it still helps fight the “red invaders”, proving its effectiveness to more than one generation of consumers. And in the future, “Mashenka” is unlikely to lose its relevance; it will be in demand as long as cockroaches exist.

How to use Mashenka chalk against cockroaches: instructions

Like all products of a similar purpose, Mashenka chalk is used to combat harmful insects by applying it in lines along the floor, walls, around ventilation outlets, cracks, crevices, and especially intensively along baseboards. The lines must be continuous, dense and wide enough to prevent the possibility of jumping or stepping over them, so that the poison particles are guaranteed to fall on the legs or bellies of the cockroaches.

Precautions when using chalk in an apartment

Chalk "Mashenka" is considered low-toxic, but can still pose a threat to children and animals, so it should be used in places inaccessible to them.

All work with this pencil should be done with gloves and a mask to protect your hands and face.

Where to buy this product

The Mashenka pencil is available for free sale in the hardware departments of many stores. It is inexpensive - from 12 to 20 rubles per package, depending on the manufacturer.

Composition and appearance

The pencil in appearance resembles an ordinary chalk - it is a small oblong block with a gray-white color. The weight of one pencil is 20 g. A product for getting rid of hated parasites is sold in polyethylene packaging.

The manufacturer is Russia, but Mashenka chalk for cockroaches is an analogue of a Chinese-made insecticide, also popular and highly effective in the country of porcelain.

The pencil consists of chalk, gypsum and two toxic substances - deltamethrin and zeta-cypermethrin. Both of them are contact poisons, toxic to animals and people, and therefore this drug is assigned a 4th degree of danger.

Why are there plaster and chalk in the composition? These simple components, in turn, are binders and are necessary for attaching the poison to the surface, so that the activity is maintained for a long time.

Analogues of Mashenka chalk and what to do if Mashenka doesn’t work

In situations where the colony of cockroaches in the house is very numerous, even with the correct use of Mashenka, the result may be unsatisfactory. In this case, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive treatment - use insecticides in the form of an aerosol, gel preparations, and use crayons after the treatment is completed for preventive purposes.

In addition to Mashenka, the modern market for barrier products to combat cockroaches is represented by crayons from other manufacturers:

• A clean home - manufacturers guarantee a quiet life without insects.
• Brownie - when used, the result will be noticeable within a week.
• Eurogard is a proven long-lasting pencil.
• Tornado is a chalk for repelling crawling insects; when applied in damp areas of an apartment, regular line renewal is required.
• Titanic has an advantage over its analogues: thanks to its unique formula, it destroys cockroaches even a month after application.
• Rubit – one chalk kills all insects in an area of ​​30 m2.
• Global - copes with its task and provides good results.
• Nika - has residual activity on absorbent surfaces for more than 35 days and up to 2 months in hard-to-reach places.
• Blockbuster - when calculating the number of packages per area to be treated, it should be taken into account that its weight is 2 times less than the weight of crayons from other domestic manufacturers.
• Chinese anti-cockroach pencils can only be purchased through Chinese product websites or in special stores. The active substance is stronger compared to products from domestic manufacturers, but the level of toxicity is also higher.

Analogues of chalk "Mashenka"

There are many analogues of Mashenka chalk, even Mashenka silver or silver chalk, although it is unclear how these preparations, other than the name, differ from each other.

You can buy the protection product “Brownie Proshka”. The composition of this chalk also coincides with the above-mentioned components. Just different brands.

There is a chalk in the “Clean House” series of insect repellents. You can buy Chalk "Absolute" - this is an insecticidal agent for fighting cockroaches, ants, fleas, bedbugs, rat mites and flies.

You may come across “Titanic” - a cockroach chalk for disinfection services and household use. An identical remedy is the “Vigilant Guardian” chalk against cockroaches and ants. In addition, it is necessary to mention such product brands as “Tornado” cockroach chalk (30g), Insect repellent, “Rubit” in the form of chalk.

Symptoms of poisoning in cats and dogs

The first sign of possible crayon poisoning from cockroaches in an animal will be packaging damaged by teeth and the absence of crayon in it.

After some time, all or some of the symptoms of poisoning may appear:

• lethargic state of the animal;
• vomiting and diarrhea;
• refusal to drink or, conversely, excessive drinking;
• elevated temperature.

What to do if your pet has eaten poison?

In case of insecticide poisoning, it is necessary to show your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. When visiting him, it is better to have the packaging of the drug with you so that the doctor can accurately prescribe treatment based on the active substance.

Before visiting the doctor, you can give the animal an activated carbon tablet and give it plenty of water.

What to do if a child ate a crayon?

At the slightest suspicion that even a small amount of chalk components have entered the child’s body, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible. When calling an ambulance, listen to the recommendations and follow them until the doctor arrives. Be sure to show the packaging so that doctors understand what exactly caused the poisoning. The child will receive emergency assistance and his life will be safe.

The use of special insecticidal pencils has its advantages and disadvantages.
If a problem with cockroaches arises, you first need to analyze the situation and choose the right method to combat them. If the insect population is not too large, instead of sprays that are particularly toxic, it is wiser to use cockroach chalk. Did you like the article? Was she helpful?