Experts offer solutions to combat ‘the silent destroyers’

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BASF – Dr. Bob Davis, BCE, technical services representative, professional & specialty solutions

Dr. Bob Davis, BCE,
Technical Services Representative, BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions

Recent innovations: BASF created Termidor HE High Efficiency Termiticide specifically for subterranean termite treatment services.
Advantages include:

• Increased efficiencies. Reduce time and labor by 50 percent or more on every treatment. Achieve additional savings on deep-footed buildings and structures.
• Increased time savings. Regardless of construction type, reduced application volume saves time, too.
• Increased material savings. Shallow minimum treatment depths provide time and chemical savings on structures with deep footers.
• Increased convenience for customers. Less drilling and trenching saves time and reduces disruption around the structure.
• Genuine “Transfer Effect” technology. Termites transfer Termidor brand termiticide to other termites, leading to 100 percent control in three months or less. Every treatment is protected by the strength of the Termidor brand, which has been trusted for years of proven performance.

Predictions: We expect termite service opportunities to increase in future years because of new construction, termite pressure, real estate transactions, more public awareness and other factors. This will increase the need for professional termite management services. PMPs will be able to provide termite treatments using liquid termiticides, baiting systems and combinations of these technologies. Most importantly, structural protection can be provided when PMPs follow the labels and use excellent, comprehensive protocols. We also expect to see formulation, application and monitoring innovations in the next few years.

Control Solutions Inc. – Dr. Brittany Campbell, BCE, technical services manager

Dr. Brittany Campbell, BCE

Recent innovations: Dry flowable termiticides can reach deeply into termite harborage, including galleries, voids, shelter tubes and termite nests. Taurus Dry from Control Solutions Inc. (CSI) is a dry flowable termiticide designed for applications with the Precision Delivery System (PDS) applicator to help quickly address even the most challenging termite problems. The PDS allows fast, easy, controlled, precise application of Taurus Dry into areas where termites live and breed.

Wherever air can flow, Taurus Dry can flow. With a simple press of the trigger, the PDS makes applications easy, consistent and effective.

Our proprietary, non-repellent formulation features the AI fipronil and is effective against both drywood and subterranean termites. This product is capable of topical or physical transfer among nestmates, meaning untreated termites can be affected by interacting with treated ones.

Predictions: Image is a huge part of the professional pest control industry. Application technology like the CSI PDS applicator for Taurus Dry will continue to drive the image of PMPs providing an advanced, technological solution to termite problems. Continued advances in termite control techniques and products will assist PMPs in providing an effective service and enhancing a professional image.
The CSI team is dedicated to developing and delivering new product solutions to the pest management industry and advancing termite control strategies to make PMPs’ jobs easier.

Ensystex – Shelley Long, national sales director

Shelley Long

Recent innovations: The brilliance of the baiting strategy lies in its ability to achieve colony collapse with minimal AI. We feature the AI diflubenzuron in both our Labyrinth and our Isopthor baits. Diflubenzuron is slow-acting and low concentration, ensuring termites are not repelled and live long enough to transfer the toxicant throughout the colony.

At Ensystex, we advocate for quarterly monitoring of termite bait stations because the benefits extend far beyond maintaining a customer’s account. Regular monitoring ensures effective control, reinforces your presence, builds trust and opens opportunities to enhance customer relationships and expand services.

• Enhanced colony control. Termite colonies can recover or relocate if left unchecked for long periods. Inspecting the monitoring stations every few months ensures the baiting system consistently suppresses or eliminates the colony.
• Weather resistance. Moisture, temperature and even nearby construction can affect termite behavior. Having stations ready for an influx of termites lets you get ahead of a structural infestation.
• Long-term benefits. Bait stations can degrade, become clogged with debris, or be damaged by weather or animals — regular monitoring service can intervene before any of that occurs.

Although monitoring every three to four months might seem like a higher initial cost, early detection and ongoing control prevent expensive repairs or treatments associated with advanced infestations. It also can prevent secondary infestations from forming after the primary termite infestation has been eliminated.

Last but not least is the opportunity to upsell your current customers while prospecting neighbors, expanding your service reach. Regular visits provide professional insight, allowing for strategic adjustments and offering peace of mind to clients.

Predictions: In many ways, baiting represents the very best of what the industry has to offer: For the wider environment, it’s reduced toxicity. For the termite target, it’s a delivery form that is calibrated to cascade colony-wide, to the point of collapse.

Envu – Matt Remmen, senior technical market development manager, professional pest management

Matt Remmen

Recent innovations: Last year’s natural disasters and increased renovation activity have revealed previously hidden termite and wood-destroying insect damage. Dealing with home damage is stressful enough without the added burden of pest problems for you or your customers. Envu has three ideal tools that can offer distinct benefits to meet your customers’ needs: Premise termiticides, Totality wood treatment and Agenda SC insecticide (pictured).

No matter the type of treatment offered — wood treatment, soil treatment or both — Envu has a suite of solutions that can effectively control and prevent termite damage. The severity of the infestation or barrier disturbance is up to the PMP’s judgment. Many control options are available for subterranean termites, carpenter ants, beetles, drywood termites, borers and other labeled wood-destroying insects (WDI). Application options include direct wood, soil, and foam treatments. Some Envu solutions even extend to fences, decks, utility poles and more to address a variety of customer situations.

Customers often research products and desire specific AIs for their homes. Our traditional products, Premise termiticides and Agenda SC insecticide, offer a proven non-repellent option for customers who want a soil or wood treatment. These tools can be used in various ways, allowing PMPs to provide time-tested solutions for controlling termites and other pests. While traditionally offered in a curative or preventive program with a water dilution, they also can be foamed into inaccessible areas and voids.

For customers starting construction or going through extensive renovation, try FMC’s Totality wood treatment. Based on the amount of wood and cellulose material, this product can be applied to exposed items or to wood in millwork, processed containers and more. Totality wood treatment can be used in conjunction with other WDI tools.

Predictions: Depending on needs, desires and local regulations, the pest control industry will continue to have an array of WDI solutions to take the stress out of the treatment and rebuilding process for your customers.

Nisus – Dr. Jamel Sandidge, BCE, national director of technical services

Dr. Jamel Sandidge, BCE

Recent innovations: Using multiple methods and protecting the structure by multiple means is essential to successful control for termites and other WDI. Whether you perform a liquid inground treatment or install bait stations around the perimeter, providing the customer peace of mind with a direct wood treatment using Bora-Care can be the central component of your WDI control efforts.

Above all things, protect the wood. While foaming wall voids or replacing damaged wood from a previous infestation are effective forms of spot treatment, directly protecting the wood will be a critical barrier when other systems fail. Bora-Care can serve as a standalone and first line of defense when treating a structure during construction or as the last line of defense after the structure has been built and termites invade.

Bora-Care can be combined with other termiticides to kill termites and protect the wood from their future attacks, as well as those from wood boring beetles, decay fungi, carpenter ants, and other listed pests, even after the synthetic termiticide has degraded.

Bora-Care can be applied as a rapid and minimally invasive interior treatment by drilling into the caulk or silicone layer above baseboards, foaming the void with a small diameter needle, and resealing the caulk line. This method provides customers with an additional layer of protection for their properties.
Increase your profits, protection and chances of success by incorporating borates from Nisus.

Predictions: When it comes to termites, remember the adage of “multiple methods, multiple means.” Termites are notorious for finding the gaps in our treatment efforts. When they’re not bypassing bait stations or finding a route around liquid treatments, they’re relocating to another area of the structure while spot treatments are performed.

Pest Control Insulation – Chris White, vice president of sales

Chris White

Recent innovations: Protecting against termites is crucial not only for commercial structure owners, but also for homeowners looking to safeguard their most significant investment: their homes. TAP Pest Control Insulation is an integrated pest management (IPM) solution designed specifically to prevent termites and more than 20 other pests from infesting the attic. Registered as a pesticide by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA #89140-1), TAP Pest Control Insulation is both an effective pest deterrent and high-quality insulation.

Unlike standard insulation materials, TAP Pest Control Insulation is a pesticide that targets 21 different insect species, including termites. While it may not replace primary termite treatments, it protects against future infestations. Moreover, this innovative insulation can help customers reduce their heating and cooling costs by up to 30 percent, enhancing overall structural comfort. It also significantly reduces noise, dampening up to 80 percent of the sound that comes into contact with it, thereby creating a quieter, more peaceful living or working environment.

Predictions: Your customers will appreciate the benefits of TAP Pest Control Insulation, enjoying peace of mind against pests, energy savings and improved comfort. It’s a product they won’t regret choosing; in fact, they might wish they had installed it sooner.

Rockwell Labs – Dr. Cisse Spragins, founder and CEO

Dr. Cisse Spragins

Recent innovations: CimeXa Insecticide Dust is a mineral-based dust. The silica chosen for CimeXa contains no crystalline structure, so it does not cause silicosis. As an inert mineral, it lasts up to 10 years when undisturbed and is not negatively affected by heat or ultraviolet (UV) light.

CimeXa is labeled for many insects, including drywood termites (Kalotermitidae). Drywoods are a significant pest along coastal areas of the southern and western U.S. With warmer winters, their territories are expanding northward.

CimeXa is a very light dust; treatment of an existing infestation requires injecting it directly into galleries. Applying before heat treatment or fumigation will make both methods more effective than either one used alone.

CimeXa is also labeled for drywood termite prevention. This is a market opportunity for PMPs, particularly with its long effectiveness. It’s ideal for attics and wall voids and can be applied as a dust or by mixing with a small amount of water in an ultra-low volume (ULV) point-and-spray fogger. With its broad-spectrum effectiveness, CimeXa will control many other insects that pass through the treated areas.

In addition, drywood, Formosan and subterranean termites are very susceptible to our EcoVia EC botanical formulation. This product is effective for quick kill by direct contact and spot treatments. It is not a pretreat product but a valuable tool to provide fast, on-the-spot results.

Predictions: Warming trends are increasing the range of drywoods, while regulatory pressure is increasing on conventional tent fumigation. Preventive treatment is a market opportunity,
and CimeXa is an ideal product to take advantage of that opportunity.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2025/01/15/experts-offer-solutions-to-combat-the-silent-destroyers/
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