Product manufacturers share what’s new — and their five-year forecasts
We spoke with eight industry suppliers about their termite and other wood-destroying organism (WDO) control products to assist pest management professionals (PMPs) on the job. Read on for their insights and announcements. We also want to know what WDO control methods you’re implementing, and what you hope to add in the near future. Drop us a line at pmpeditor@northcoastmedia.net.
Dr. Chuck Silcox
AMVAC ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS
Dr. Chuck Silcox
Product Development Manager
Our most innovative termite control solution is Navigator SC termiticide/insecticide. This particular product continues to provide PMPs with effective, reliable, pre- and post-construction termite control. It’s labeled for a variety of subterranean termite species, and it also protects structures against future infestations.
After termites pass through an area treated with Navigator SC, they transfer the non-repellent active ingredient, fipronil, back to the nest to destabilize colonies quickly. Because Navigator SC also serves as an insecticide, it can protect against other perimeter pests and invaders, like ants.
Logo: AMVAC
When using Navigator SC for termite control in an existing structure, check for visible and accessible cracks and holes in the area to be treated, and those immediately adjacent to the structure. This practice should prevent any leaks or significant exposure to occupants. After conducting an application, check for leaks. People and pets present or residing in the structure should be advised to evacuate the premises if you see any signs of leakage.
PREDICTIONS: Because termites cause billions of dollars of structural damage worldwide each year, it’s likely that researchers and scientists will continue to seek new ways to control and eliminate these pests. As a result, we predict that PMPs are likely to see the introduction of additional niche products intended for termite control in specific structures and areas within those structures.
Dr. Bob Davis, BCE
BASF PROFESSIONAL & SPECIALTY SOLUTIONS
Dr. Bob Davis, BCE
Technical Services Representative
Our research has found that technicians applying Termidor HE High Efficiency termiticide use half the water vs. traditional liquid termiticides, with no reduction in active ingredient to the soil. Termidor HE termiticide allows for 77 percent smaller trenches, 33 percent fewer drill holes, and 50 percent shallower minimum treatment depths. How is this possible? It’s because of the exclusive formulation chemistry of Termidor HE termiticide, which improves the dispersal of the active ingredient and creates an Enhanced Protection Zone.
PHOTO: BASF
Because Termidor HE termiticide uses less water and requires less drilling and equipment use, it leaves a smaller environmental footprint. The reduction in water use, fuel use, and vehicle exhaust emissions can really add up when you consider that nearly 1 million termite applications are performed each year.
PREDICTIONS:
We believe that the momentum in termite baiting will continue, as the need for efficient and user-friendly products rises. Consumer awareness of termite pressure and control measures will need to be met with a customized and prescriptive approach, including bait, monitoring, liquid and high-precision treatments.
Dr. Janis Reed, BCE
CONTROL SOLUTIONS INC.
Dr. Janis Reed, BCE
Technical Service Manager, Product Development Team
Termite management is an important focus for Control Solutions Inc. (CSI), and we have a full line of products for your termite management toolbox.
Fuse Termiticide/Insecticide offers not one, but two trusted, tested and proven non-repellent active ingredients: imidacloprid and fipronil. Combination Chemistry, the formulation technology used in Fuse, allows us to combine multiple active ingredients in a single formulated product.
Fuse offers long-term structural protection, thanks to the action of its two non-repellent active ingredients. Independent studies have shown that imidacloprid and fipronil are non-repellent when combined, and that Fuse readily transfers from donor termites to recipient nestmates.
IMAGE: CONTROL SOLUTIONS INC.
Fuse is labeled for the prevention and remedial control of termites, including drywood, subterranean and other wood-destroying pests. It includes extensive labeling on pre- and post-construction treatments. Fuse also includes language allowing exterior perimeter and interior spot treatments (EP/IST).
Fuse continues to be field-evaluated by university researchers, and CSI’s 8-year FUSE Promise of Protection covers registered, termiticide-treated structures against reinfestation to ensure long-term protection.
PREDICTIONS: The business of termite management will continue to be a complicated one. In general, the most impactful toolbox changes will most likely come in the form of new technologies and literal tools for PMPs to use in finding, identifying and treating termite infestations.
Termites are some of the most feared insects by the public, and they create fear and confusion for our customers. Additionally, litigation continues to be a major roadblock for many PMPs to entering the termite control arena. These challenges will continue to test our industry.
Nick Browne
CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE
Nick Browne
Sentricon System Category Lead
Recruit AG FlexPack termite bait, the latest component of the Sentricon system, has innovated the way Certified Sentricon Specialists provide service to their customers. The above-ground bait eliminates active subterranean termite colonies, and should be used in conjunction with in-ground Sentricon stations. Recruit AG uses noviflumuron as the active ingredient, in a special briquetted fines formulation. The above-ground stations initiate immediate feeding to start the colony elimination process. Because of this, the Sentricon system is a standalone termite solution for colony elimination, as it provides a complete system with above-ground and in-ground stations. Think of it as a one-two punch to termites, hitting them wherever they are — whether above-ground or underground.
PHOTO: CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE
This year marks 25 years since we launched the Sentricon system, and we continue to invest in the product. Every component in the system has evolved and been enhanced in the past 25 years, and we want to celebrate that innovation, protection and growth throughout 2020. We’ll continue to focus on research to advance our understanding of termite biology and behavior, to help us develop better means to eliminate colonies faster and with more efficient labor.
PREDICTIONS: The PMP toolbox is shifting from simply stopping pests to preventing damage to property and threats to health. With such a proactive mindset, PMPs are exploring new technology to create peace of mind for customers. While technology always will play an important role, bringing that technology to market requires a partnership among manufacturers, PMPs, pest management associations and others. For example, the Sentricon system with Always Active technology was rapidly adopted in the market because we worked closely with PMPs, industry researchers, university extensions and property owners to help homeowners and end users achieve peace of mind.
Hannah Strasser
DOUGLAS PRODUCTS
Hannah Strasser
Marketing Manager
For more than 100 years, Douglas Products, an Altamont Capital Partners portfolio company, has partnered with customers who seek to build and protect mutually beneficial business value. We create quality solutions backed by expertise in training, stewardship, regulatory affairs and industry support. That includes Vikane gas fumigant, which has protected more than 2 million homes, historical landmarks, churches, museums, research facilities, colleges, hotels and even ships since it was introduced nearly 60 years ago.
Douglas Products recently launched the Fumigation Assistant Program, which uses a sequence of automated texts to walk homeowners through their fumigation process. The texts guide homeowners from initial preparation through moving back into a termite-free home. The texts include
links to online literature and videos to help homeowners understand the structural fumigation process with Vikane.
LOGO: DOUGLAS PRODUCTS
For fumigators and termite companies, the Fumigation Assistant Program saves time and effort, and helps accounts become properly prepared. For customers, it improves satisfaction because they know what to expect.
Homeowners must voluntarily sign up for the texting program and provide a phone number. Privacy is ensured, because once the fumigation is completed, the information is not shared or sold.
PREDICTIONS: Customers continue to become better informed and empowered. For the pest control industry, this means a shift from products and “me-too” services to a focus on customer experience. The expectations bar constantly rises, so innovative pest management companies and their suppliers must work more closely together to establish and meet those higher expectations.
Dr. Reid Ipser
NISUS CORP.
Dr. Reid Ipser
Technical Services Director
iSTRIKE, our recently developed insecticide foam, is labeled for use in residential structures subject to termite or wood-infesting insect attacks. Its active ingredient, imidacloprid, is a systemic insecticide that targets the pest’s central nervous system, whereby feeding behavior is stopped immediately. The nervous system becomes damaged, leading to quick paralysis and death.
iSTRIKE is ideal for treating wood-destroying organisms like termites, wood-boring beetles, carpenter bees and labeled ants, where it can be injected directly into the galleries. It kills on contact as its foam expands to fill the galleries, voids and holes, and leaves a residual to continue protection. In the case of subterranean and drywood termites, iSTRIKE is especially useful because PMPs can use it to quickly treat an infestation, and if necessary return with a larger treatment plan later.
IMAGE: NISUS CORP.
Subterranean termites tend to prefer decayed wood, and eat it faster than they do sound wood. Decayed wood promotes digestion and increases foraging. When conditions are optimal for longer periods of time, larger colonies and larger individuals obviously will result. Use iSTRIKE as a localized treatment to control infestations in above-ground areas of the structure. Apply foam into the galleries or voids in termite-damaged wood, or in the spaces between termite-damaged wooden structural members and between the sill plate and foundation where wood is vulnerable.
For drywood termites, apply iSTRIKE into voids or channels in the damaged wood of a structure; to cracks, crevices and spaces in and between wooden portions of a structure; between wood and the foundation; and in locations vulnerable to attack, such as crawlspaces.
PREDICTIONS: Eliminating unnecessary treatment areas and product use for a structure while achieving the required results and accomplishing more with targeted application(s) is the future. The probability of termites infesting large parts of a structure increases with time and conditions, of course. But being able to apply early treatments to smaller infestations successfully is efficient, cost-effective and makes for happy customers and fewer repairs.
Dr. Cisse Spragins
ROCKWELL LABS
Dr. Cisse Spragins
Founder and CEO
While most people think of CimeXa Insecticide Dust as a bed bug product, it’s actually an “equal opportunity” killer and is labeled for many other pests — including fleas, ticks, lice, cockroaches, ants, silverfish, spiders, mites and drywood termites.
In fact, successful use of synthetic amorphous silica for drywood termites dates back to the 1970s, when the late PMP Hall of Famer Dr. Walter Ebeling (Class of 2003) demonstrated highly effective treatment of drywoods with silica dust. The label allows for long-lasting preventive treatment, as well as treatment of active infestations.
PHOTO: ROCKWELL LABS
CimeXa is a Hazard Tier 3 pesticide and is one of Rockwell Labs’ Green Zone brand products — suitable for green service programs with its mineral-derived active ingredient. It is also non-repellent, odorless, non-clumping and non-staining.
PREDICTIONS: The one constant in the pest management industry is change. And while it may not be the lightning-fast change we see in some industries, it’s still relentless. We’ve seen actives come and go, and that will likely continue to happen. Like other areas of pest management, we’d expect more novel technologies to emerge, such as biopesticides and biocontrols, as well as advances in application methods.
Dr. Eric Paysen
SYNGENTA
Dr. Eric Paysen
Technical Services Manager, Professional Pest Management
Syngenta recently launched Advion WDG insecticide, a versatile product featuring a new drywood termite control use for its active ingredient, indoxacarb. Its product label includes detailed instructions for wood-injection treatments, as well as foaming instructions for problematic voids and other hard-to-reach areas.
The water-dispersible granules in Advion WDG also have wide utility, with a low-toxicity formulation that can be applied indoors and outdoors to control a variety of pests. The MetaActive effect in Advion WDG makes it a viable option for use inside homes and businesses.
IMAGE: SYNGENTA
Syngenta is committed to bringing new innovations to the termite management market. Several products currently are in development, with varied use patterns and novel active ingredients. Stay tuned!
PREDICTIONS: More than ever before, termite management professionals have access to effective, low-toxicity products that specifically target termites and minimize risks to the inhabitants of homes and businesses. Products like Altriset termiticide (the first reduced-risk termiticide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under its Reduced-Risk Pesticide Program) with chlorantraniliprole, and Advion WDG with its MetaActive effect, can help businesses thrive while delivering reliable solutions. We believe this trend will continue, and that consumers and professionals alike will demand more of these types of innovations in the future.
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The post Product insights: WDO solutions appeared first on Pest Management Professional.
from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2020/02/14/product-insights-wdo-solutions/
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