There’s one aspect of any pest control product that is beyond important above everything else – the level of its performance against the pest that it’s labeled to control. When bed bugs were re-introduced to the world over a decade ago, several pesticides could offer strong control to PMPs.

Almost 70 years ago, DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was developed as one of the first modern synthetic pesticides, even being touted as the “wonder chemical” to solve all pest problems big and small. As that was phased out not only for resistance but for the other issues it caused in the environment, it was replaced by numerous other types of chemicals.

Most recently, pyrethroids and neonicotinoids have been used to control bed bugs, but the resistance issues have been well documented. The journal PLOS One reported in April 2016 that bed bugs have been developing a thicker skin that provides a greater deal of resistance to traditional pesticides.

A year earlier, Dr. Fang Zhu of Washington State University released the findings of his bed bug project, which explored the role of resistance in pesticides. From his findings: “For the first time, we provided evidences that pyrethroid resistance is widely dispersed in western US bed bug populations.” Dr. Zhu’s study showed also showed that EcoRaider is “an effective product for controlling pyrethroid resistant bed bugs.”

Resistance forces pest control professionals to explore options that do not relate specifically to penetrating the exo-skeleton of the bed bug with a pesticide. Bed bugs also now have higher levels of enzymes that can detoxify the chemicals and their nervous system has adapted to allow its cells to withstand toxic effects.

Because of all of this – synthetic pesticides are no longer the automatic solution that they were years ago. PMPs are now using a wider array of solutions in their “toolbox” to try to reduce the resistance issue. A mixed use of heat treatments, green / natural solutions, pesticides and other approaches are now being used by many professionals.
For PMPs to maintain a strong level of performance against bed bugs, a solid IPM program must be maintained to rotate classes and integrate a good amount of natural solutions, which do not face resistance, to balance out the pesticide use.

About EcoRaider
EcoRaider is a highly efficacious botanical-based bio-insecticide that can be applied anywhere bed bugs or ants are found without restriction. It carries no signal words or cautions and has no label restrictions or precautions on usage.

Because EcoRaider is a green product, it is an ideal fit for sensitive accounts and environments where low-impact methods are advised. These include college dorms, senior-living facilities, managed-care and assisted-living housing, schools, health-care facilities, public housing, multi-family, and hotels.

For more information, visit https://www.ecovengerpro.com/ or call 1-800-338-0212. Also, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

College and university housing professionals are facing a large bed bug problem with their international student population – mainly because those coming in from other countries don’t have the insect prioritized as importantly as American students do, per Bob Hughes, a veteran pest management professional who has worked with major universities for years to control bed bugs.

“With international traveling students, because some of the cultures in the world are not as concerned as we are with bed bugs they see it as a nuisance pest and not a health hazard,” said Hughes, a 20-year pest management professional who has worked supporting university pest control departments throughout the Midwest.

“You see the problem more so in international housing because schools tend to group international students together by country and culture so they have some familiarity. Thus, they have a bond and when there’s a bed bug problem students tend to not throw their friends ‘under the bus’ by tattling on them. That’s how it gets out of hand.”

A major issue facing pesticide control of bed bugs, Hughes said, is resistance. Bed bugs have formed a resistance to common insecticides, according to a study by University of Sydney researchers published in April 2016 in the journal PLOS One.

“Resistance is a tough issue because pesticides can’t skirt around it, it’s truly an issue and that’s why there are always other products to turn to but this study showed that most common insecticides are giving way to some form of resistance.

“I’ve run into it before, several times actually and the first was at least six or eight years ago, before it became news. Now once you experience that you have to seek alternative approaches for bed bug treatment.”

According to Hughes, EcoRaider and its botanical or “green” formulation allows for a strong performance but it is not susceptible to resistance, which makes it a game changer when seeking a product that can actually kill a bed bug infestation once and for all.

“EcoRaider is really good because its formulation is designed to prevent resistance and to help end a bed bug problem,” Hughes said. “By using EcoRaider, universities can help break that cycle of never truly taking care of the problem because it delivers the power of performance with the safety of a green product.”

About EcoRaider
EcoRaider is a highly efficacious botanical-based bio-insecticide that can be applied anywhere bed bugs or ants are found without restriction. It carries no signal words or cautions and has no label restrictions or precautions on usage.

Because EcoRaider is a green product, it is an ideal fit for sensitive accounts and environments where low-impact methods are advised. These include college dorms, senior-living facilities, managed-care and assisted-living housing, schools, health-care facilities, public housing, multi-family, and hotels.

For more information, visit https://www.ecovengerpro.com/ or call 1-800-338-0212. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

NORTH BERGEN, New Jersey – The pest management industry’s leading magazine, Pest Control Technology, published an article by Dr. Michael Potter of the University of Kentucky. In the article, he pointed out that people need to “Think like a bed bug” in order to try to prevent and kill bed bugs. This is so very true!

Like most things in life, getting the proper perspective is important in being able to get a handle on how to address a situation. In this instance, it was about how to learn more about bed bugs and how to better control them. The trade article focused on several major categories:

Biology Begets Behavior – Essentially knowing the behavior of a bed bug is important. Bed bugs require blood to feed and they cannot survive without it. Thus knowing that bed bugs will seek out a feeding target is important in knowing how to prevent them.

Love the One You’re With – Bed bugs love to share small spaces and this is important when looking for a way to prevent them. The folds, seams and other areas in furniture and bedding become regular hiding places for bed bugs. In these areas, using EcoRaider is an ideal tool for killing bed bugs.

Conversations We Can’t Hear – Bed bugs communicate through the use of chemical pheromones … this allows them to interact socially and aggregate in one area like a seam of a bed or a cushion of a couch. The pheromones also tell bed bugs that they are in a safe place, either by the chemicals released in the air or those that are left behind in the form of feces or dead skin.

Do Not Disturb – Not all bed bugs are seeking a blood source all the time. In between feedings they will communicate with each other trying to alert others to move when there is a threat. Bed bugs move more frequently when they have not fed as opposed to those who have fed. This helps us figure out how bed bugs move and why.

EcoRaider® bio-insecticide is the leading natural pest control product used by pest management professionals It is proven by leading universities’ research and government sponsored studies. Several publications show superior performance compared to leading pro-grade pesticides both in the lab and in the field. For the first time, both consumers and professionals can use a green pest product with confidence.

EcoRaider has many key benefits, including that it is fast acting, effective with extended protection, and it delivers a quick kill and keeps working for up to two weeks on bed bugs. In addition, it can be used almost anywhere, including on bedding and near food areas.

EcoRaider provides a strong natural solution that delivers both an immediate kill and long-term residual against ants. EcoRaider kills ants on contact in one minute, repels ants for up to four weeks, prevents foraging ants from penetrating structures and it also disrupts existing ant trails.

About EcoRaider
EcoRaider is a highly efficacious botanical-based bio-insecticide that can be applied anywhere bed bugs or ants are found without restriction. EcoRaider can be used in various settings, including schools, health-care facilities and public spaces.

For more information, call 1-800-338-0212.