Pest managers need to be prepared for all situations. You never know what pests may find during a service, so it’s important to have an insecticide on hand that is labelled for a wide range of insects and use situations.
It’s best to keep things simple – there’s no need to carry lots of different products when one product will do. For general pest control, a genuine broad spectrum product allows pest managers to deal with the widest range of pest problems without having to change product.
Temprid75 has 16 named groups of ‘urban’ pests on the label, which cover a large number of species (excluding the turf, lawn and ornamental pests that it can also control). For use on crawling and flying pests, it’s not only suitable on the commonly encountered ‘urban’ pests such as ants, cockroaches, spiders, mosquitoes and flies, but a range of occasional pests too. These are often the pests which, when encountered, may cause pest managers to question whether their product of choice is suitable or indeed labelled for use against them. Temprid75 is also labelled for bed bugs, carpet beetles, clothes moths, crickets, fleas, millipedes, silverfish, wasps, skin and hide beetles and stored product pests. Let’s have a closer look at a few of these occasional pests.
Bed bugs
Temprid75 is a great option for bed bug treatments as it has a dual mode of action, containing both pyrethroid and neonicotinoid. Whilst this is certainly helpful in dealing with pyrethroid-resistant populations, successful control of bed bugs is best achieved by applying insecticides directly to bed bug populations, rather than relying on residual performance. As such it is important to take time to inspect infested areas and apply insecticide to all bed bug hiding places especially bed frames, skirting boards and other cracks and crevices near beds. It’s important that pest managers follow the Code of Best Practice for the Control of Bed Bug Infestations; insecticide treatments only form part of the overall management program.
Fleas
A thorough clean and vacuum is best practice before any flea treatment, with the waste placed in a plastic bag and sealed before disposal. With its indoor/outdoor use pattern, Temprid75 is ideal for treating both indoor floor coverings and outdoor pet resting areas. When treating soils, especially dry or hydrophobic soils, it is often a good idea to pre-wet the soils before treatment, possibly with the addition of a soil wetting agent. The inclusion of an IGR in the tank mix for flea treatments is a must, with Starycide being a great option.
Silverfish
The challenge in silverfish control is finding all their hiding places. Focus on dark, undisturbed places, especially in storage boxes (they love cardboard) and in roof voids (they love insulation). Of course, treating wardrobes and drawers are a key focus, as customers want their clothes protected, but make sure the clothes are removed and checked before treating the surfaces in the cupboards and wardrobes. It is often overlooked, but the inclusion of an IGR like Starycide will boost the performance and longevity of an insecticide treatment.
Millipedes
Millipedes are generally more of an issue in autumn and spring and more so in the southern states. Generally, they appear in large numbers after rain and can ‘invade’ buildings. The indoor/outdoor labelled use for Temprid75 makes it a great choice for dealing with millipede infestations.
Crickets
One of the less common occasional pests, every now and then a customer will have an issue with crickets entering the home. A key preventative step is to manage the vegetation immediately around the perimeter of the home and ensure screen doors and weather/insect strips are installed. But to get on top of the problem, Temprid75 can be applied as a barrier treatment around the home, both outside and inside.
Pest managers don’t really like finding themselves on a job and realising they don’t have a product labelled for the pest in question, or going out and buying a specialist product for a one-off treatment of an occasional pest. With Temprid75 in the toolbox, pest managers have more pests covered.
More articles on pest control treatments.
Daryle Swarz, National Sales & Marketing Manager (PPM), Envu