I just happened to read an article on methyl parathion in tonight's newspaper
(Elyria, Ohio Chronicle Telegram, from the L.A. Times).  MP is a pesticide
used on cotton fields to control boll weevils.  Developed as a nerve gas in
Germany during WW2, it is a chemical cousin to the nerve gas Sarin.
 
MP has been illegally used in homes as a pesticide.  Here in Elyria, OH, the
EPA had to clean 233 homes that had been illegally sprayed for roaches with
MP.  Mississippi also has the same problem on a larger scale.
 
It is available through-out the southern US from pesticide suppliers, and,
according to the article, can be obtained by non-licensed people fairly
easily.
 
I'm sure that it is labeled by the manufacturer as to the proper application
and with warnings for drift, bees, etc.
 
I have never heard of any non-target insect kill, but I'd be willing to bet
it happens frequently.
 
Steve Newcomb
Elyria, OH