NSW pest manager Jon Renton shares his experience of using Termidor Dry on a Coptotermes acinaciformis infestation in a residential property.
When controlling termites, dusts are one of the most valuable tools available to pest managers. Dusts not only need to be effective, but they must also be easy to use and apply. Such was the recent experience of Jon Renton, of Renton’s Pest Control, Gunnedah, NSW when using the new Termidor Dry Termiticide and Insecticide.
Termidor Dry Termiticide and Insecticide is the first termiticide and insecticide formulated with a revolutionary BASF patented ‘Microllose’ carrier to improve flowability and increase product palatability.
Renton’s Pest Control was established by Jon Renton’s father, Ken, in 1976. “I entered the business in 1994, and still work alongside my father as well as two other technicians,” said Mr Renton.
“Gunnedah is a thriving rural town that services a diverse farming community as well as some large mining operations. We cover an area in a radius of about 100km from Gunnedah, doing residential, commercial and industrial work in a variety of situations.”
Just recently, Mr Renton was called to eliminate a termite infestation in a house in the nearby township of Manilla.
“We found termite workings in the house, and a sub colony around a timber pier. We identified the main colony, which was situated on a eucalypt tree more than twenty metres from the house. The termites were identified as Coptotermes acinaciformis.
“We applied Termidor Dry to the sub colony (which was situated around the timber pier, shown in the picture above) and we immediately noticed that the product flowed beautifully. There were no blobs of dust, and we had no need to clear the puffer.
“We were using the same Rega puffer to apply the Termidor Dry that we had previously used for Termidor Dust. That’s how we knew that the flowability of Termidor Dry was such an improvement,” added Mr Renton.
“I was so impressed with the flowability that I made a short video using my Flir Borescope and sent it to Andrew Glenn from BASF. It was quite a large sub colony with many termites. You could see how well the dust had infiltrated, which meant we were maximising the number of termites that came in contact with the Termidor Dry.”
Andrew Glenn, the NSW sales manager for BASF Professional and Specialty Solutions said, “The video was a great demonstration of the flowability and ‘lightness’ of Termidor Dry. Jon’s experience with Termidor Dry was the same as other pest managers who had used the product – it flowed well and was easy to use.
“The reason Termidor Dry is such a good formulation is because the new ‘Microllose’ carrier in Termidor Dry is less hydrophilic (water attracting) than other carriers such as talc, cellulose or alpha-cellulose for example. This ensures improved flow through damp termite galleries and workings, minimising clogging.”
Mr Renton continued, “We applied the Termidor Dry to the sub colony in early November and returned twenty days later. We were amazed at the result we had obtained. There was no termite activity in the house or the sub colony, and there was no termite activity in the main colony in the eucalypt tree!
“We were absolutely certain that the Termidor Dry was responsible for the colony elimination because we knew that there were no recent termite treatments anywhere near our site.
“Once the termites had been eliminated we followed up with a treated zone using Termidor Liquid.
“The great thing for us was that we ended up with a satisfied client! So Termidor Dry will most certainly be a product that we continue to use in the future,” concluded Mr Renton.
Mr Glenn also added that, “The ‘Microllose’ in Termidor Dry provides a highly palatable food source – more so than timber itself. This means Termidor Dry is not only an incredible contact termiticide with increased flowability, but also highly palatable to termites.
“It means that Termidor Dry quickly achieves control and is transferred among termites via the well-known ‘Transfer effect’.”
