Anthony Feez of Murray Pest Control shares his thoughts on Ultraforce Termite Foam from Sherwood Chemicals.
Foaming, some would suggest, is the new best practice in Australia for effective termite management. Once again, Sherwood Chemicals have been ahead of the pack, for not only have they introduced a foam formulation containing fipronil, but released it in a ready to use aerosol can. Combining the excellent mode of action of fipronil with ease of application, Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide allows for direct application into termite workings in difficult to access situations. It is these situations that termite activity often presents in a building under attack.
Leo Lucas, of Perkins Exterminators in Victoria, who has relied on the direct application of termiticides to termite galleries, has found Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide to be an ideal tool for application to accessible termite workings running in the horizontal plane. In situations where the only accessible workings are in a horizontal window or door reveal, or the bottom chord of a roof truss, the excellent foaming action of Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide enables effective delivery of fipronil to these situations.
One of the misconceptions in our industry is that generic products are inferior. This position is usually based on the quality of the formulation and in many situations is proven to be correct. In my experience though, this has not always proven to be the case. Having been in the fortunate position to have worked in most areas of the Australian agricultural chemical industry, I can emphatically state that the products offered by Sherwood Chemicals Australasia exceed on all measures of acceptable performance.
Their active ingredients are the equivalent of the base manufacturer, the quality of their formulations in most cases exceed that of the original, and their packaging and application innovation leaves the rest wanting. I find it credible that such a new manufacturing company to our industry invests so much into finding out what it is the Australian pest manager requires, and then goes about developing a solution.
The latest offering, Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide is no different. Packaged in a well-presented ready to use aerosol can, the product comes with a novel flexible application nozzle. Peter Hayman of Accurate Pest Management has stated with confidence following the regular use of Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide under trial, that he believes every Australian pest manager involved in the management of termite infestation will carry a can as part of their inspection/initial treatment kit. He has found the product to be safe and easy to use, the aerosol providing consistent dispersion whilst maintaining its foamed state for around eight minutes before dissipating. Like many pest managers who have tried Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide he has found the rotating flexible nozzle to be very useful in difficult to access places like roof cavities and sub-floor area crawl spaces.
Sherwood Chemicals was established in 1995 by TOA Paint and in 1996 the executive management team of Shell Thailand joined to acquire the household chemicals business from Shell Thailand including products, trademarks and staff. Sherwood Chemicals’ core insecticide products are formulated from a single formulation
facility in accordance with ISO9001 (Quality), ISO14001 (Environment) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) with research and development supported by in-house R&D chemists, chemical engineers and proven independent efficacy results.
Ultraforce Termite Foam Insecticide was launched in May and is available through Globe Australia. Ultraforce foaming training will take place September/October around Australia; for training dates please contact Elton Arderne of Sherwood Chemicals or your local Globe Australia representative.
Anthony Feez, Murray Pest Control, NT
