Iron Curtain Defense to Stop Fall Invaders
By: ElRay Roper, Senior Technical Representative, Syngenta
Summer is just about over and that means fall weather and football season are upon us. We’ve worked all season long to keep our summer pests at bay. Now it’s time for the fall playoffs and that means new foes, like cluster flies, box elder bugs, multi-colored Asian lady beetles, crickets, wasps, hornets and many others.
As the weather starts cooling down, these pests become a nuisance when they relocate into homes and businesses for a warm place to overwinter. Because they usually travel long distances seeking winter shelter, habitat modification around your accounts will probably have little effect on defeating these fall invaders.
Experts say that defense wins championships and the fight against fall invaders is one you have to win, or just like in the playoffs, you may be watching from the sidelines as your customers look for a new pest management firm.
The front line
In football, the defensive line is where it all starts. For fall invaders the front line is a combination of inspection and exclusion. It’s important to do a thorough inspection and identify all the fall invaders that may be a problem in the account.
As part of the inspection it is important to check doors, windows, and any other possible entry points into the structure. Check doors for worn weather stripping and seals. Check windows and screens to make sure they don’t have holes and are operating properly and advise your client to repair or replace defective screens or seals.
Now is also a great time to work with your client to seal cracks in the foundation and walls of the structure. Inspect and seal around all utility entries, weep holes, etc. Proper sealing or screening of these openings can go a long way in keeping fall invaders out of a structure.
The Line Backers
Even the best defensive line needs line backers to keep the opponent out of the end zone. To help make sure insects stay on the outside of the structure, a full perimeter treatment with a microencapsulated pyrethroid, like Syngenta’s Demand® CS with iCAP technology™, offers extended control of all the fall invaders. The broad Demand label allows application to the full outside of structures to help control problem insects like cluster flies, multi-colored Asian lady beetles or box elder bugs. Take care to treat around doors, windows, and other points where these insects tend to aggregate before entering the structure.
The Safeties
Just like in football, sometimes fall invaders find their way past exclusionary measures and a perimeter treatment. Zone treatments with a foam application of a non-repellent insecticide, like Syngenta’s Optigard® Flex, give a last measure of protection against other fall invaders like crickets, beetles, bugs, and more common problem pests like ants. Apply one to two ounces of foam to wall voids and entry points around doors and windows, utility entry points and any other voids that insects can use for entry or harborage. When applied in a void, Optigard Flex will give up to six months protection.
Don’t lose the fall playoffs. Install a full defense to keep fall invaders out of your customer’s structures.
©2009 Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc., P.O. Box 18300, Greensboro, NC 27419. Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using these products. iCAP technology™, Demand®, Optigard®, and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Syngenta Customer Center, 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368) |