Samuel Wood of Bell Laboratories explains when and where to use block and soft rodenticide baits.
There’s been a rise in the popularity of soft baits for rodent control in recent times. However, soft baits themselves are not new and have been available in various markets around the world for many years.
What is relatively new though, is the existence of high quality soft baits. Bell Labs is very proud to have added a new soft bait to its extensive range of rodent control products in Australia in recent months with the launch of bromadiolone-based Contrac Soft Bait. It joins the product range alongside Contrac Blox, Bell Labs’ bestselling block bait.
Bell Labs’ Contrac Blox is depended upon by thousands of professional pest managers across the world for their rodent control programs, and is used to protect some of the world’s most iconic buildings and public spaces. The product’s dependability is due to its exceptional formulation and high quality of manufacture. Contrac Blox is formulated with bromadiolone and a number of different inert food ingredients, which ensures that the bait is attractive to as many different rodents in as many different situations as possible.
Since Contrac Soft Bait arrived in the market, one of the most common questions has been “When should I use this?” It’s a good question, and one that doesn’t necessarily have a straightforward answer. It all depends on the environment, and the situation that it’s being used in.
In some instances, rodents are looking for something else – and in these cases, they’re often seeking fats and oils. That’s where Contrac Soft Bait really comes into its own. Contrac Soft Bait is formulated with a precise blend of fats and oils, and has proven to be extremely attractive and palatable to rodents in a wide variety of situations. It’s the most extensively tested bait that Bell Labs has ever produced and the feedback received from pest managers all over the world has been overwhelmingly positive.
So, if Contrac Soft Bait is so good, why not use it everywhere, all the time, you might ask? Well, you could, but it would be unnecessary.
At accounts where there is significant rodent activity, Contrac Soft Bait would be the best choice of initial clean-out product. The oil content in Contrac Soft Bait makes it particularly appropriate for use in commercial kitchens, an environment in which rodents are likely to be accustomed to feeding on greasy and oily food sources. Once the rodent population is under control, pest managers can switch to Contrac Blox for ongoing control and maintenance. If for any reason rodent activity should spike, and consumption of blocks should cease, then the reintroduction of the soft bait would be appropriate.
Another reason to take a measured approach in using Contrac Soft Bait is that block baits are generally less expensive than soft baits. Whilst Contrac Soft Bait doesn’t go mouldy, freeze or melt, it may deteriorate more quickly than wax blocks, and therefore would need to be replaced more frequently. For most jobs, Contrac Blox remains an efficient, efficacious choice.
Contrac Soft Bait was not launched in Australia with the intention of replacing Contrac Blox; it was about completing the Bell Labs range, and providing professional pest managers with solutions for every rodent problem that they might face. Of course, whichever product you choose, it is important that the bait is secured and inaccessible to people, pets and non- target species. Bell Labs supplies a wide range of high quality rodent bait stations to ensure that this is the case, for every rodent job.
Samuel Wood, Asia Pacific Business Manager, Bell Laboratories
