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Ant bait acceptance refers to the ability of an ant colony to accept and consume a bait that contains a toxic substance. Ants have a complex social structure and their diets can vary depending on several factors including ant species, colony location, seasonality, presence of predators or competing ant colonies, and the availability of water sources. The bait contains a small amount of active ingredient that will slowly kill the ants that consume it. One important aspect of bait effectiveness is reliant on bait acceptance.
It’s common for pests to hide deep within hard-to-reach spaces that may not be visible, making it challenging for pest management professionals (PMPs) to make applications that last. Dry flowable bait can be a long-lasting, convenient solution to help keep properties free from harmful pests and keep PMPs serving other customers instead of making costly retreatments.
A little goes a long way
As ant season approaches, dry flowable bait can be a great solution for complementing spray and gel bait applications. Advion® MicroFlow insect bait from Syngenta is a leading treatment for tough infestations of ants, cockroaches, crickets, pantry pests and more. When applied with an Exacticide power duster, Advion MicroFlow can reach deep into voids to coat the ants. These ants will be groomed when they return to the nest, multiplying the impact.
Given
Rodents have mastered the art of avoiding humans. During the day, they live behind walls, under floorboards, or in attics. When they do venture out, it is at nighttime, under the guise of darkness. Their inconspicuous behavior makes them difficult to track and catch, but they are traceable. Rodents drop clues - or marks - behind during their nocturnal scavenges. Using these marks can help guide you in your rodent capture.
Listed below are five ways rodents leave their mark.
Droppings
Rodents leave droppings everywhere they travel, which can help uncover feeding areas and highly trafficked run lines. Additionally, the size, shape and texture of droppings can help you determine which rodents are present, their diet, and if an infestation is active.Rats produce about 20-50 droppings per day, and mice produce around 40-100 per day.
Sebum
Rats and mice, just like humans, produce natural oils on their skinWhen it comes to commensal rodents, there little “real world” research. Laboratory research is good, but it doesn’t take into account all the variables present when servicing accounts. New research from Rutgers University focusing on multifamily housing structures shows some exciting data.
The researchers looked at multistory multifamily housing structures and discovered that mice are not evenly distributed. They found that an apartment was much more likely to have house mice if there was a shared wall with another apartment that had mice. The mice travel to adjoining apartments above and below the infested apartment.
Research showed that some buildings had a random distribution of house mice, and most showed more mice on lower floors. There were significantly more near ground level. This makes sense if they entered from the outside vs. being “delivered” with groceries, furniture, or other goods directly to higher floors. That doesn’t
Envu is a new vision for a company that will focus on innovation, environmental health and a strong commitment to partnering with pest management professionals. Pronounced “ehn-VIEW,” the name is derived from “environment” and “vision,” which speaks to tightening its focus on environmental science exclusively.
“The fact that our new company will be focused solely on environmental science will allow us to solve problems faster, smarter and more efficiently,” said Gilles Galliou, former president of the Environmental Science business at Bayer and current CEO of Envu. “The challenges we solve today will help ensure a healthy future for all is clearly in view,” Galliou continued. So what does this mean for pest management professionals?
While Envu is a bold vision for what’s next, it’s backed by what works.
Maxforce® Fleet — the tried, tested and trusted ant gel works inside and outside.
While dry flowable bait may be underutilized in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, this formulation has several beneficial features that can enhance treatment protocols.
It is common for pests to harbor within deep, hard-to-reach voids. These spots are often overrun with pests like cockroaches, are susceptible to continued reinfestation and can be difficult to reach with sprayable liquids and gel baits. Dry flowable bait is designed to drift deep into cracks, crevices and voids when applied with power dusters and handheld application devices that blow air, offering an effective solution for these situations.
Dry flowable bait containing a balanced diet of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins is palatable to many insect pests and can potentially manage any insect with chewing mouthparts, including cockroaches, ants, crickets, earwigs and silverfish. Additionally, dry flowable bait offers secondary control that’s enhanced in social pests like ants and cockroaches.
No matter where deer are found in North America, the survival of white-tailed, black-tailed and mule deer through winter depends a lot upon how well the deer prepares for winter’s “drought” of foods. Their winter survival tactics will soon be evident in gardens and yards as fall arrives! Woodland mast crops – such as acorns, sumac peas, beechnuts and locust pods – are now growing scarce, and prized ornamental shrubs, trees and cold-weather vegetables represent cold-season cold-cuts for deer.
Wherever foraging deer damage shrubs, gardens and trees during the warm months of the year, rest assured deer will return those sites in the fall months with little hesitation. In most cases, suburban homeowners are no threat to deer. Deer often won’t run unless chased. They learn the limits of controlled dogs, and they even learn the noises associated with those who feed deer. Preventing damage by foraging deer is easier than breaking
By JASON MEYERS, Ph.D., Senior Technical Services Representative II, BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions
A few years ago, the spotted lanternfly made its entrance into the occasional pest market in the U.S. and has spread around the State of Pennsylvania and into surrounding states. It continues to spread at a rapid
More than 70+ million homes in the United States are built on crawl spaces. Houses are built on crawl spaces because it is cheaper than basements or because ground conditions make building a basement impractical. In most climate zones, properly designed, installed, and conditioned closed crawl spaces can work well. You might not offer encapsulation as part of your current business model, but as a pest control professional, you are often in crawl spaces that have already been closed or encapsulated. You can observe if the best “conditioning” method (a commercial- grade dehumidifier) to control the moisture to a specific relative humidity (RH) setpoint is being used during your visits. If not, you have the opportunity to offer this service and add revenue to your business.
We are committed to the proper use of BASF chemistries
Day in and day out, pest management professionals (PMPs) are making decisions about the use of insecticides that protect their customers’ homes and businesses from harmful pests.
BASF develops insect and rodent management solutions for PMPs to control pests that carry and spread disease, contaminate food, and cause property damage. With a portfolio of solutions that meets nearly every need, it is important that we, as a company, demonstrate our commitment to their proper use and reinforce the core principles of responsible pesticide use for our employees, PMPs and consumers.
The PROPER use website from BASF is where you will find valuable information about pests including best practices and environmental responsibility— all to ensure the best results, and safety, possible.