When choosing a spray for spider treatments, Chris Mills from Bayer advises selecting one with long-term residual performance.
Spiders are arguably the most emotive insect when it comes to homeowners finding pests in their home. They are also one of the main reasons for calling in a pest control company. You only need to look at how many spiders are used in pest control company logos to recognise how powerful spider imagery is. I can even remember when sitting through my TAFE course 20 years ago, one of our biggest and burliest technicians refused to open his urban pest management book to the spider page. Luckily for him he was an excellent termite technician!
As spiders are one of the main reasons homeowners are willing to pay a professional to treat their home instead of choosing the DIY route, they have high expectations of the outcome of your treatment.
Homeowners expect to see fast results. They don’t want to go to bed worrying that the spiders you have just sprayed are coming out of their hideaways and slowly dying around them. They also want to know your treatment is going to last the distance. They want some peace of mind that the spiders aren’t going to come back any time soon.
Upon completing an inspection of the property, several factors need to be considered before a treatment is carried out. Have you identified the species present? Are they ground-dwelling or webbing spiders? What can be done to reduce harbourage areas?
At this point, a conversation needs to be had to manage the customer’s expectations about potential treatment options. Essentially, the objective of a treatment is to gain control of the existing population and create a perimeter barrier around the property.
When it’s time to select a liquid spray, it’s important to consider two points: firstly, the speed of knockdown, to meet the customer’s expectations; and secondly the longevity of the residual, to prevent callbacks.
Curtis Thew from Multipest in the Greater Brisbane area has found over the past two years that Bayer’s Suspend Flexx Insecticide gives his company confidence in delivering customer satisfaction when it comes to spider control.
“My customers want to see spiders dead quickly,” said Mr Thew. “Products we have used in the past haven’t provided that fast knockdown. Since changing to Suspend Flexx, we are seeing spiders drop very quickly and we are experiencing reduced callbacks. Suspend Flexx has also been giving a long residual, which has been lacking over the years from other products.”
The fast knockdown Mr Thew and the Multipest team have been experiencing is down to the formulation technology behind Suspend Flexx. It utilises patented Partix carrier technology, which differs from other comparative deltamethrin products on the market.
The active ingredient (25 g/L deltamethrin) is contained on the surface of the carrier particle to maximise the active ingredient, making it more readily available. It is not encapsulated inside the particle but concentrated on the surface.
The residual performance experienced by Multipest can also be attributed to the Partix carrier technology. The carrier particles are larger in size (in the range of 15-30 microns), which enhances efficacy and residual effectiveness. The carrier particles stand up on surfaces commonly encountered in external residential areas. Concrete, stucco (main picture, above), brickwork, mulch and bark are all examples of surfaces where Suspend Flexx will have more bioavailability compared to traditional SC formulations.
Mr Thew would recommended Suspend Flexx to other pest managers who are looking for a fast knockdown with good residual performance. “Our company believes quality products get quality results,” he said.
Chris Mills, Territory Business Development Manager PPM (QLD/NT/NZ), Bayer
