NO MORE MESSY GELS!

When it comes to cockroaches, dusts and spray concentrates are an alternative to using traditional gel baits. 

Attrathor Targeted Insecticide and Magnathor Magnetic Insecticide from Ensystex, have become firm favourites with switched on pest managers sick of messy gel baits, says Steve Broadbent, Ensystex regional director.

Attrathor is an advanced liquid bait with a unique microencapsulation formulation designed to deliver the benefits of high performing gel products, but is cheaper to use, quicker to apply and can be done without the mess gels leave behind.

Magnathor provides a dry flowable bait solution with Magnetic Multiple Cascade Transfer for use in dry areas.

“Attrathor and Magnathor have revolutionised commercial pest control by providing targeted applications using an insect attractant bait formulation, with fipronil as the active constituent, to provide improved efficacy,” Mr Broadbent explained.

“Due to the bait component, insects are lured to the respective kill zones, providing an active control solution. Normal liquid sprays provide passive control, requiring the products to be applied where the insects are actually harbouring. This is often not possible to determine, or practical to achieve.”

“Attrathor and Magnathor only need to be applied in the vicinity of where the pests are located. In fact a complete treatment is not necessary, with application to cracks and crevices in 150 mm strips every one metre, or 150 mm diameter spot, recommended, making application faster, and providing significant additional cost savings through speed of application,” Mr Broadbent said.

The application of the products can benefit from using the matched application equipment, and Ensystex strongly recommends use of their 1 L Accuthor sprayers for Attrathor and the Accuthor Powder Applicator for Magnathor.

According to Mr Broadbent, both products contain an emetic which causes the female cockroach to vomit when she returns to the aggregate’s harbourage after feeding and foraging, ensuring quick control of the critical nymphal stages sometimes missed by other products.

Proctodeal feeding is a key element of insecticide transfer to nymphs

“Studies show cockroach nymphs won’t travel far from their birth harbourage and in fact, first and second instar nymphs rarely venture outside of the crevice in which they are born, so they are hard to reach,” Mr Broadbent said. “However, nymphs have a strong preference for adult female cockroach vomitus, and when an adult has been treated, its vomitus still contains some of the active fipronil, which in turn leads to the ‘viral’ transfer of the active, helping to ensure the early elimination of the nymphal stages.”

Coprophagy is a further key element in the Viral Transfer Effect. Cockroach faeces are an essential aspect of nymphal cockroach nutrition. Cockroach nymphs in particular, but also cockroach adults, regularly partake in proctodeal feeding (anal feeding) from adult females, as well as faecal consumption. This process is essential for nymphal survival. Oral intake of the fipronil therefore becomes a major factor in cockroach mortality, in addition to toxicity by contact exposure. This in turn causes the fast results obtained in the field.

“Independent research has shown little transfer of gel baits occurs from grooming, whilst the phagostimulants used in Attrathor and Magnathor have been shown to affect the contact receptors on the cockroach exoskeleton, which stimulates and increases cockroach grooming behaviour to further enhance the transfer of the active through the cockroach aggregate,” Mr Broadbent explained.

According to Mr Broadbent, pest managers and pest control companies have been positive in their feedback on the speed of which they have noticed results after applying Attrathor or Magnathor, especially with German cockroaches, with some reporting results in as short as a couple of hours.

“But the most satisfying result is the customer satisfaction pest managers have reported following the application of Attrathor. We even get videos sent in showing the cockroaches coming out of their harbourages, lured to the kill zones these products provide.”

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