Bayer offers a suite of products specifically designed to tackle problem ants, as outlined by Paul Conradt, Bayer’s national pest market manager.
Bayer’s specialised ant control range includes complementary products to give the professional pest manager everything they need to control these difficult pests.
Paul Conradt, national pest market manager at Bayer expanded on the key products in the range. “The range features the outstanding residual spray Temprid75, arguably one of the most powerful ant treatment products available. Maxforce Quantum, the leading ant bait, is the ideal companion, enabling effective control of sugar feeding ants species. It is also an attractive moisture source for other species in even the most sensitive areas. Rounding out the range is Maxforce Complete, a granular bait which is attractive to protein, fats and oil feeding ants.”
Temprid75
“By far the greatest positive of Temprid75 (pictured above) is its outstanding performance as a residual barrier against ants. The results are simply incredible, not just better than any pyrethroid, but superior to any other group of chemistry I have used against ants. The great strength of Temprid75 on ants is its powerful activity that goes to work instantly, solving the invasion issue of ants into homes and businesses. It clearly defines a pest controller’s treatment zone so the other products can go to work without the disruption of continual invasion from ants outside it.”
Why is Temprid75 better than a non–repellent spray on ants?
Mr Conradt explains. “Both ants and termites are considered eusocial insects, but that is really where the similarities end. Termites enter a structure by tunnelling through soil and when this soil is treated with a non-detectable insecticide, the exposure to the chemical is very high. Sheer volume of numbers moving back and forth ensures maximum exposure to large numbers of colony members.
“Ants on the other hand walk on the surface into structures, so the exposure is very limited. Ultra-violet light and other factors, such as moisture, rapidly degrade non-repellent chemistry so the exposure is not only limited by contact area but by time as well. Generally this is not sufficient to eliminate ant colonies, which generally tend to be very large and very diverse.
“Temprid75 also has the advantage of instant action, as opposed to non-repellents requiring days or even weeks of continued activity, which can be very hard to explain to your customer. Using Temprid75 to knock down numbers fast makes baiting so much easier.
“Following a Temprid75 application, integrating baiting technology such as Maxforce Quantum and Maxforce Complete to control internal infestations and external areas adjacent to your barrier smashes ants so hard they do not recover for many months,” said Mr Conradt.
Maxforce Quantum
“Maxforce Quantum is a viscous liquid bait, made up almost entirely (>99.9%) from naturally derived ingredients. It has been specifically developed with a patented formulation system (HVL technology), which utilises the unique properties of the ingredients to naturally preserve the bait and ensure long-term attractiveness to ants without artificial preservatives.
“The liquid nature of Maxforce Quantum is maintained over an extended period along with its attractiveness to ants. Trials show that Maxforce Quantum palatability significantly outlasts other competitor gels. Ants are attracted to the bait and then take it back to the nest where the active ingredient kills the queen, workers and the rest of the colony.”
Mr Conradt sees Maxforce Quantum as a key product in controlling ants infesting buildings. “Structural, infesting ants are a very serious problem for the professional pest manager across the world. They chew out electrical wiring, and have been directly responsible for electrical short circuits and fires, leading to major financial losses.
“Other species destroy moisture seals or eat out electronics in vehicles, which is both inconvenient and costly.
“Perhaps the worst of all structural infesting ants we encounter are in our hospitals and health care facilities. The constant foraging of these ants spreads infections such as ‘Golden Staph’, Salmonella, Clostridium and Streptococcus.”
Mr Conradt believes Maxforce Quantum can be a “very special product” for the professional pest manager. “It is a product that will make the management of structural infesting ants simple and will provide greater value for money. One bottle of Maxforce Quantum contains 600 bait placements, approximately double the number of bait placements compared to current competitor gel baits in 30g cartridges (when used as directed).”
Maxforce Complete
Maxforce Complete is a food bait attractive to protein, fats and oil feeding ants giving professional pest managers everything they need to control these difficult pests.
The bait is a unique mixture of food ingredients that covers the full spectrum of feeding preferences. The bait granules are also in a wide range of sizes that will suit the smallest ant species through to the largest.
Mr Conradt pointed out that the idea of using a solid granule to treat a liquid feeding insect is an important concept to grasp. “The solid granules are carried by foraging workers back into the colony and are fed to larvae in the nest. The larvae turn this solid granule into a liquid food, which is fed to colony members including the queens. This brings about a total collapse of the colony providing far superior control to conventional treatment techniques. It does however take time to take effect.”
The Bayer specialised ant management range of products – Temprid75, Maxforce Quantum and Maxforce Complete are available at distributor outlets.
