Spray insecticides are effective for killing bugs but they are not always safe for your family. The rise of more natural spray bug repellents and killers has been rising over the years, and Zevo Bug Spray is one of the most popular of this type. With its popularity and heavy presence in retail outlets, does Zevo Bug Spray work?
To answer this question we’ll have to go into more detail. Yes, Zevo Bug Spray works at killing bugs. It can also work as a light bug repellent. That being said, Zevo alone will not take care of an infestation on your property. It has limitations to its effectiveness.
I recommend Zevo as a good product to have around the house, especially if you’re only seeing a few bugs here and there. It works great to spray directly on bugs to kill them. To find out when I would recommend something stronger, keep reading this Zevo Bug Spray review.
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Zevo Company Background
Zevo’s origins date back to only 2018 when the corporation Procter & Gamble created an online press campaign around a new line of natural bug sprays they intended to test through e-commerce sales.
The brand was introduced and made available throughout 2018 directly from the company website, and strong sales and decent customer reviews led to a brick-and-mortar rollout in 2019.
Zevo is now a regular fixture in the pest control aisles at major retailers, which is a sign that it has had strong sales to consumers looking for a safer pest control spray for around the home. Let’s take a closer look.
Zevo Bug Spray Reviews
Zevo comes in many different bottles with different designs and spray methods.
The company chooses to target certain formulas for a wide range of pests that can be found in 4 different Zevo bottles. When it comes down to it, ingredients are the most important with spray pesticides, and Zevo widely uses the same ingredients in each product.
Zevo Active Ingredient: Geraniol
Essential oils are the primary ingredients in Zevo and are what make the product a natural pesticide. Different formulations use different essential oils but geraniol is the primary ingredient and central focus of the Zevo brand.
When it comes to natural pesticides, geraniol is one of the most prominent to stand out to entomologists and pest control professionals. This natural substance can be used as a strong insect repellent since it actively excites insect receptors that cause confusion and insects that cause bugs to flee.
The biocidal properties of geraniol are strong and therefore more reliable as a repellent than other commonly used natural substances like lavender or peppermint. If you want to kill insects on contact or just keep them away from you, this is the ingredient to look for.
With this in mind, geraniol doesn’t perform strongly when it comes to eradicating a serious infestation. Infestations such as ants, bed bugs, or cockroaches won’t be thwarted by a spray like Zevo alone. You’ll need a more involved approach which you can find on some pages like how to get rid of bed bugs or how to get rid of house ants.
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90+ years of experience
Nationwide service area
Free treatments if pests return
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Treats 20 types of pests
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Other Ingredients
Zevo sprays contain a range of 10 different ingredients in addition to geraniol. Essential oils are the main ingredients, but there are two ingredients in each bottle that come close to the effectiveness of geraniol. Let’s take a look at some of the other ingredients used.
Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl myristate is a type of ester compound that is strongly related to rubbing alcohol. Although alcohol can kill and repel insects on contact, it is far too flammable and potentially hazardous to use as a pesticide outright.
Isopropyl myristate is not as potent as alcohol and exists as an essential fatty acid that takes most of its properties from palm kernel oil. Although not outright dangerous to humans or pets, this compound is repellent to insects, specifically head lice.
Triethyl Citrate
Citric acid is a known insect repellent and triethyl citrate is also a type of ester that helps turn citric acid into what it becomes. This compound is closely related to rubbing alcohol as well and this is what makes it more potent as an insect repellent than straight citric acid.
Triethyl citrate is painful to the sensitive anatomy of insects and triggers their instincts to flee from it and avoid any areas where it has been applied.
Does Zevo Bug Spray Work?
If you have been studying the efficacy of natural pesticides, you likely already know that it is hit and miss regarding the ability of these products to outright kill insects. Since Zevo has some fairly strong natural compounds, it will likely kill bugs when sprayed directly on them.
The presence or lingering scent of the spray will likely be enough to repel insects from the areas applied for at least a few days as well, assuming no heavy rain comes through.
So if you are dealing with pesky flies or cockroaches, Zevo will do the job granted you can hit the insects with the spray directly. You can also keep a can close by when sitting or lounging outdoors to knockdown flies or ants.
Zevo is not a residual spray and will not destroy an infestation of insects. To control a large presence of insects you’ll want a pesticide with a residual killing effect, meaning after the product dries there is a chemical compound left behind that can kill insects that come into contact with it weeks or months into the future.
Even if Zevo were a residual, there are also the problems that come with repellents and how insects relate to these products. A bug will go out of its way to avoid anything that repels it, and this means the scent of the products will keep insects away and not kill them.
Therefore, Zevo is certainly a product worth considering if you are just having problems with random insects. It can be used indoors or outdoors to kill bugs on contact and keep them away from you or away from whatever area is sprayed. Do not consider the product for battling infestations.
Is Zevo Safe?
One of the most appealing details about Zevo is its safety. Since none of the ingredients are known to harm adults, kids, or even typical domestic pets, the product can be sprayed without worrying about inhaling harmful chemicals. Zevo is even safe to use for pregnant women and there is nothing to worry about if the product falls on eating surfaces.
Natural products are great in this regard, but these products are just not the most effective. To truly destroy insects, chemical pesticides are still number one.
Even though the product is generally safe, Zevo should never be sprayed directly on people or pets. Direct inhalation or ingestion of the product could cause mild symptoms or reactions that could lead to illness.
Additionally, Zevo should never be sprayed on plants or directly on the soil around vegetation. The product could also potentially be dangerous to fish and aquatic life, birds, and reptiles.
What Insects Does Zevo Work Against?
Zevo comes in different formulations to target different types of insects.
This is also one of the details that make Zevo such an effective natural pesticide. Since many insects react differently to natural substances, research and testing need to be done to determine what substances can mix and how well the mixtures can target different species. Even though there are minor differences, all 4 sprays work similarly.
With this in mind, geraniol can kill and will repel nearly all of the common insects and arachnids that cause pest problems.
Let’s take a detailed look at each Zevo spray the insects it treats against.
Zevo Ant, Roach, and Spider
Zevo Ant, Roach, and Spider Killer are designed to attract, kill, and/or repel common crawling insects and spiders. Crawling pests have different behaviors than flying pests which means these pests will react differently to certain substances and scents.
The main ingredient in this spray that applies to crawling pests is cinnamon oil. This essential oil can cause central nervous system paralysis in crawling insects. So even if it doesn’t outright kill the pests, it will be a strong repellent.
Zevo Fly, Gnat, and Housefly
Flies, gnats, and the common housefly are some of the quickest and peskiest of all flying pests. Sprays are not a good idea when addressing these pests, but Zevo’s strong repellent properties can be enough to keep them out of the area where the product has been applied.
This spray contains lactic acid n-butyl ester, which acts as both an attractant and repellent to these insects simultaneously. Since this derivative of lactic acid is ester, the isopropyl alcohol traces in the ester can kill flies and gnats if they come into contact with the substance.
Zevo Wasp, Hornet, and Yellow Jacket
This Zevo spray aims its arsenal at hornets, wasps, and yellowjackets. When battling against these painful insects, you probably want something a bit stronger, but the ingredients in this spray can potentially kill these insects on contact, so it’s worth a shot if you want to use a natural product.
Caution should be used when trying to repel these pests since these insects can become aggressive when agitated. The geraniol alone should be enough to likely kill stinging insects.
Zevo Ant, Roach, and Fly
Although not much different from the Zevo Ant, Roach, and Spider Killer, this spray is labeled as more of a multi-pest contact killer/repellent.
This formula relies less on essential oils and more on geraniol, isopropyl myristate, triethyl citrate, and also is the only one of the 4 containing isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Alcohol can kill practically any insect when directly applied, and will be useful when killing large clusters of ants, flies, and even cockroaches.
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Free treatments if pests return
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Treats 20 types of pests
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Treats 20 types of pests
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Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
How Long Does Zevo Remain Effective?
Zevo likely remains as an effective repellent for at least 48-72 hours but doesn’t have an effective killing power after it dries.
Since there are no guarantees that this product will kill an insect on contact, the timeline of its repellent effects is the most important.
Most products that repel insects have a tendency to dry and evaporate quickly, but there are some customer reviews that state a repellent effect for upwards of a few days. The combination of the strong compounds and potent essential oils are likely enough to leave at least a surface residue on a surface for at least this long.
Then again, this largely depends on where you are spraying the product. If you spray it at insects flying in the air, this is not really useful as a repellent as it will quickly fall to the ground or be dispersed by the wind. For crawling insects, this is likely where you can expect to get a few days of the repellent effect.
Zevo is not a residual-killing product, so you should not expect the spray to leave a residue behind wherever it is applied that will continue to kill targeted insects. It is best to think of Zevo as a contact kill application or as a repellent to keep bugs away only temporarily.
Does Zevo Work on Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are one of the hardest pests to get rid of. The bugs survive by hiding to avoid detection and choose to make and live in nests and colonies in their hiding spots. Zevo has not been tested for bed bugs and none of its formulations are listed as being effective at killing or repelling bed bugs.
Although this product would likely not stand a chance at eradicating a bed bug infestation, essential oils can and do repel bed bugs temporarily. Although bed bugs are well-known for their ability to evolve their DNA to become resistant to commonly used chemical insecticides, the bugs are still sensitive to many natural compounds found in nature.
All of the essential oil ingredients found in Zevo will likely send bed bugs crawling away from the areas in which the products are applied, but only for a short time. The bed bugs would likely find a way around the repellent and on to your bed regardless.
Also, this pest is resilient and can go days and even months without feeding; which means the bugs would likely simply find another way to reach their host away from the repellent.
Does Zevo Work on Termites?
Similar to bed bugs are termites. This pest is also elusive and doesn’t come out into the open where it can be seen with the naked eye.
Zevo has not conducted any tests to see if the spray will kill termites on contact or effectively repel the pests. There are many different problems that could arise when trying to use this product on this pest.
Termites live almost exclusively inside of the wood structure that houses their colony or in nests in the ground. These insects do not need to come outside of the wood, and apart from destroying wood and potentially leading to structural collapse, termites have absolutely no interest in people or anything we have or leave behind such as food crumbs.
In order to kill or repel this pest, you would have to waste quite a bit of product by spraying down infested wood to the point of saturation in the hope that it reaches the termites. This is not feasible at all and is not even worth the hassle and money spent since the company has not conducted the required research and tests to see if the product would be useful for this pest.
Can I Spray Zevo on My Skin or Pet to Repel Mosquitoes?
Although the flying insect brand of Zevo may work well against potentially killing and repelling mosquitoes, this product should not be applied to the skin.
Topical repellents can work great to keep mosquitoes from biting you or your pet, but some of the natural compounds found in Zevo could make a person or pet sick even though the substances are not lethal.
Only use ointments or topical repellents that are labeled to be used on the skin for repelling mosquitoes. You could consider using Zevo for killing or repelling mosquitoes that are swarming or flying nearby.
You can check out my Thermacell Mosquito Repellent review to see a product that will actively work to keep mosquitoes away from your outdoor living space.
Zevo is generally safe and can effectively repel insects (likely for a few days) if it cannot outright kill the pests upon immediate contact. The product does work and you can be certain that it will do at least one of these labeled actions. Zevo is not a residual pesticide and should be used as such.
4.6
90+ years of experience
Nationwide service area
Free treatments if pests return
4.7
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
4.3
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
4.0
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
