Game On! Pmps Advance to Higher Control, Confidence Levels by Incorporating Insect Growth Regulators Into Their Treatment Protocols

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Game On! PMPs advance to higher control, confidence levels by incorporating Insect Growth Regulators into their treatment protocols. Game On! PMPs advance to higher control, confidence levels by incorporating Insect Growth Regulators into their treatment protocols.

hen gaming on the Profitability through Prevention Wii, Xbox or PlaySta- For pest management professionals, the key to profitability is efficiency and consistent control. tion, nothing feels That’s why in today’s economy, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your product choices better than moving for both commercial accounts and private residences provide comprehensive, long-term control, up to the next level preventing costly callbacks that can negatively impact your company’s bottom line. Wand gaining new powers to win the Zoëcon’s comprehensive line of Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) does just that – reducing race or beat the bad guy. callbacks and preventing re-infestations, resulting in more profit and less product waste for your In the real world, pest profession- business. As part of an Integrated Pest Management program, Zoëcon products’ long-term con- als have done just that by adding trol increase customer retention and allow pest management professionals to focus on business insect growth regulators (IGRs) to growth. their treatment strategy. Reassessing your pest control solutions to incorporate IGRs into your treatment protocols can Whether to combat cockroaches, positively impact your operation’s bottom line by reducing callbacks and increasing customer loy- bed bugs, stored product pests or alty. To learn more, visit www.zoecon.com drain and fruit flies, they’re a pow- erful tool that can raise your game.

Building Your Cache. IGRs break the insect lifecycle. By mimick- ing a juvenile insect growth hor- mone, they interrupt the maturation process and prevent insects from reaching an adult stage, explained Central Life Sciences Special Product Development Director Doug VanGundy. They also severely limit insects’ reproductive abili- ties, causing non-working reproductive organs, reduced egg-laying capacity, and sterile eggs when directly

Game On 2 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Double Trouble for Insects Efficacy of Gentrol® IGR in Combination with an Adulticide.

100 Percent of Cockroach Population 80

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Time in Months Post-Treatment

Gentrol IGR Gentrol IGR Adulticide Only + Adulticide

This chart illustrates the effectiveness of the IGR (S)-Hydroprene when used in combination with an adulticide.

touched by the IGR. Although IGRs fects of IGRs on insect growth and don’t kill pests outright, they inter- development. rupt reproduction “so the popula- This translocation property is the tion crashes.” IGR’s biggest advantage, accord- IGRs like Gentrol® work at a mo- ing to John Forbes, Quality Assur- lecular level and stay active in the ance Director, Rose Pest Solutions, insects’ environment for 60 to 180 Northfield, Ill. “You don’t need to days after application, said Richard use a great deal for it to be extreme- Kramer, President, Innovative Pest ly effective.” Management, Brookeville, Md. It Antimite Termite & Pest Control reaches areas that can’t be treated General Manager Dave Taylor in with traditional liquid insecticides. Chino Hills, Calif., agreed. “Gentrol Kramer worked with Gentrol while is like a secret agent” on a “search doing his Ph.D. research on the ef- and destroy mission.”

Game On 3 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Game On!

“Cheat Code” for Success. IGRs “Gentrol was green 25 years ago,” are highly versatile and most pro- said Zoëcon Business Manager John fessionals use them in combination Neberz. As the inventor of IGRs, “we with conventional insecticides. feel we have one of the best ones out “We like the Gentrol because it there.” gives us some flexibility and ease Gentrol IGR Concentrate can be of use when we mix it with another tank-mixed with emulsifiable con- pesticide,” said Taylor. centrate or wettable powder insecti-

Insect growth regulators fit nicely into ‘green’ pest management programs. “Gentrol was green 25 years ago,” observes Zoëcon Business Manager John Neberz.

It provides multiple levels of at- cides and used as a general surface tack: Mixed with a residual pesti- spray, fogging, foam, spot, or crack- cide, it gives “down the road pro- and-crevice application for com- tection” for pests that might enter mercial and residential accounts. the environment after the residual A non-repellent, it can be sprayed effect wears off. Regular cleaning over baits. can remove residual products, but Gentrol Aerosol is designed for the IGR attaches to organic mate- crack-and-crevice applications, and rial on walls and the undersides of Gentrol Point Source is a clamshell- counter tops and equipment – areas like slow-release device that’s acti- not cleaned as often. vated by squeezing a small plastic When mixed with a non-residual vial of IGR onto filter paper. Placed pesticide for flushing jobs, Gentrol under sinks, behind plumbing or in stays behind to interrupt the devel- food pantries, it covers 75 square opment stage of any insects missed feet. during application, said Taylor. The IGR’s flexible label and use It “takes care of the stragglers to patterns let professionals carry keep them from reproducing” and fewer products to control a host of causing a population rebound, Van- pests. Gundy explained. And Gentrol can be applied by it- Power Boost: Savings Gain. Anti- self, which will take longer to get re- mite technicians don’t always un- sults but is an option for customers derstand why Taylor is “so insistent who don’t want conventional pesti- that they use the Gentrol.” But let’s cides applied, Taylor said. face it: Sometimes technicians are Forbes has used it “where we rushed, can’t get access to areas, or don’t necessarily want to put an are limited to where they can apply adulticide but we still want to have residual products due to label re- some protection.” straints. Using the IGR “gives me a IGRs were the “first green solu- little buffer,” he explained. tion for pest control,” said VanGun- And it helps prevent the costs of dy. They are a “softer application” re-infestation, re-treatments and employing a different mode of ac- callbacks. “Those are all concrete tion and are lower in toxicity than expenses the pest control operator conventional pesticides. wants to avoid,” said Neberz.

Game On 4 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Game On!

Battle Plan: A History of IGRs Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) have been around a lot longer emulsifiable concentrate that can be mixed with water and other than you might think. products as a liquid spray, foam or fog; an aerosol for crack-and- The first were created in 1968 by Zoëcon, the company found- crevice treatments; and Point Source, a slow-release device that’s ed by Carl Djerassi, the co-inventor of the human birth control pill. activated by squeezing a small vial of the IGR onto a strip of filter Zoëcon successfully applied this knowledge and other technology paper and placed under sinks and in pantries. It covers areas up to insects, synthesizing dozens of IGR molecules. to 75 square feet. Three were produced commercially: Methoprene, Kinoprene, Over the years, Zoëcon has revised its label for Gentrol, for- and Hydroprene, the active ingredient in Gentrol® IGR Concen- merly known as Gencor, to meet pest professionals’ needs. Most trate. recently it was approved for bed bug control and IGRs were new territory for the industry and in remains the only IGR labeled for that pest. the mid-1970s the EPA used the term “biorational” Cook’s Pest Control has relied on it for more than – now widely used to describe softer chemicals – 17 years. It’s an established part of the company’s to describe the Zoëcon technology. protocol, said Technical Director Stephen Gates. Hydroprene is available in three formulations: an Zoëcon is a division of Central Life Sciences.

Game On 5 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Game On!

Bonus Round: Next-Level Bed Bugs Cockroach Control

Professionals on the front lines of bed bug When the enemy is the German cock- control know strategy and skill are essen- roach, it pays to have “levels of defense,” tial. So is having the right tools to launch a said Stephen Gates, Technical Director, “two-pronged attack,” said Antimite Termite Cook’s Pest Control, Decaur, Ala. & Pest Control General Manager Dave Tay- His first attack: baits that knockdown lor. the population. Though it’s still possible to miss some roaches or have That’s why many have added an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) to their new ones introduced to the environment. treatment protocol to help prevent re-infestations and provide long-term Hence, his second level of defense: an Insect Growth Regulator like control. Gentrol® for long-term control. The IGR halts the cockroach lifecycle by Innovative Pest Management President Richard Kramer treats 100- interrupting the maturation process. When the pests reach the adult plus apartments each week for the subversive pests and added Gentrol stage they are rendered sterile. Twisted or curled wings are a visible IGR – the only IGR labeled for bed bugs – to his tank mix 10 years ago. indicator that the IGR is working. Because of its molecular volatility, the IGR gets into walls, furniture, Gates uses Gentrol Point Source to treat commercial kitchens. The cracks and crevices and other materials pros cannot treat with traditional slow-release device is activated by squeezing a plastic vial of IGR onto liquid insecticides, he explained. “I’m surprised we get as good of control a strip of filter paper. It can be placed under cabinets and behind pipes as we do in some of these environments,” given that tenants often won’t and covers a 75-square-foot area. launder clothing and bedding and remove clutter. “In regards to baiting, Gentrol is an ideal product,” said Innovative It has “a good chance” of getting to the pests so we can get a handle Pest Management President Richard Kramer, who studied the effects on the population, said Taylor. of IGRs on insect growth and development for his Ph.D. program. IGRs Gentrol IGR won’t kill adult bed bugs, but it does stop their lifecycle. In stimulate feeding in roaches as they try (against the odds) to change into studies generated to satisfy EPA registration requirements, 66 percent of adults, he explained. bed bug nymphs exposed to the IGR died before molting into adults, and Rose Pest Solutions Quality Assurance Director John Forbes found 92 percent of the surviving nymphs were unable to reproduce. the IGR helpful to control roaches in a large hospital kitchen. Getting “Some unpublished information in the public domain has suggested access to the pests’ harborage areas was particularly challenging, giv- the IGR caused bed bug females to produce more eggs, but in our own en the loads of equipment and many half-walls with counters for food studies we did not see this,” said Central Life Sciences Specialty Product preparation. Development Director Doug VanGundy. Typically, IGRs cause a reduc- His team used Gentrol IGR Concentrate with a fogging product at tion in egg production in normal adult females that are directly exposed night, but still some areas were difficult to reach. At the two-week follow- to the IGRs, according to VanGundy. up visit, he saw roaches with curled wings in areas not directly treated. The debate over the IGR’s effectiveness “never deterred me,” said “It made me feel very good” to take care of the situation despite not Kramer, who worked with Gentrol as part of his Ph.D. research. The IGR having full access, said Forbes. has “enhanced our program” at a minimal cost. As with any infestation, “you don’t want to put a Band-Aid® on it, you want to solve the problem,” Gates said. Gentrol is a “lasting product that will help solve that problem.”

IGR Effects on Insects

Gentrol® contains the Insect Growth Regulator on the last nymphal instar, causing adults to (S)-Hydroprene. (S)-Hydroprene is a synthetic have twisted wings (cockroaches), darkened copy of naturally occurring insect biochemi- cuticles, and non-functional reproductive cals. IGRs prevent insects from completing organs. Gentrol® Aerosol and Gentrol® IGR their normal development into the adult stage. Concentrate work on bed bugs, as in cock- In insects with gradual metamorphosis, such roaches, by preventing the nymphs from de- Figure 1. Normal male bed bug reproductive as cockroaches and bed bugs, the impact is veloping into reproductively functioning adults. organ (paramere).

Game On 6 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Game On!

Rank Up: Drain and Stored Product Fruit Fly Control: Pest Solutions Unlocking Success Whether in commercial or residential ac- Cook’s Pest Control Technical Director counts, stored product pests pose a real Stephen Gates has trusted Insect Growth control challenge. They like to hang out Regulators (IGRs) to help control cock- in highly sensitive areas… namely, our roaches for years, so when faced with food. particularly challenging drain fly infesta- Consider home pantries infested with grain insects. Finding the tions he knew where to turn. source, and treating around food products, containers and other stored Gates generally uses a microbial to items can take “a great deal of time,” said John Forbes, Quality Assur- control the pests, but for bad drain fly ance Director, Rose Pest Solutions, Northfield, Ill. problems he also applies Gentrol® Aero- He said adding an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) like Gentrol® to the sol after business hours. Or if a restau- treatment protocol breaks the pests’ lifecycle and provides long-term rant has many drains, his crew will mix control. microbial and Gentrol IGR Concentrate in Forbes often uses Gentrol Point Source, slow-release device that’s a foaming machine and treat all the drains at once. activated by squeezing a small vial of the IGR onto a strip of filter paper. Drain flies become a problem within structures when they breed in The IGR covers an area of 75 square feet. the liquids commonly found in drains and garbage disposal areas of Any insect that comes within the treated area is going to be affected, structures. Adult flies are poor fliers and are found in significant numbers Forbes explained. “You’ve got something there that you know is going on walls or flying weakly in the area they developed. Adults are more to be working for you.” active at night and are seen hovering near the breeding site. During Dave Taylor, general manager at Antimite Termite & Pest Control, uses the day, they rest on vertical surfaces indoors and in protected areas the IGR to help control cigarette beetles, sawtoothed grain beetles, In- outside. Adults feed on nectar and polluted water. When drain flies are a dian meal moths and confused flour beetles in schools, warehouses persistent problem within a structure, dirty drains are usually the culprit. and commercial storage areas. “It is a helpful tool,” he said, that has “a That’s when insect growth regulators can be beneficial. lot of flexibility.” Gates applies the IGR around the drain collar and lid – “that’s where Gentrol IGR Concentrate can be mixed with other products or used a lot of your fly problems are coming from” – as an extra line of defense. alone as a surface spray, crack-and-crevice treatment, and ultra-low- The IGR prevents the pests from becoming reproductive adults, which volume – or fogging – application. breaks their lifecycle and results in long-lasting control. The immediate goal is to control the infestation, said Forbes. Adding “It’s a great supplemental product,” he said. an IGR to the program helps prevent the pests from recurring in the future. “It’s all about the long term.”

Electron microscopy shows that in cock- and Figure 2 at right). roaches and bed bugs the organs respon- In insects with complete metamorphosis sible for normal copulation and reproduction such as stored product pests, moths, or drain do not develop. In the case of male bed bugs, flies, the impact occurs in the pupal stage, the paramere – or reproductive organ – fails causing death. In certain flour beetles, there is to develop normally. As a result, successful an impact on the ovaries of the female, caus- ® copulation cannot occur (see Figure 1 at left ing sterility. Figure 2. Gentrol affected male bed bug reproductive organ (paramere). Exposed male bed bug molted into an adult, but with the paramere deformed. Game On 7 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r Game On!

Zoëcon Professional Products The Toolbox for Professional Pest Control Operators.

Gentrol® Point Source Gentrol® Aerosol Gentrol® IGR Concentrate Cockroaches • Stored Product Cockroaches • Stored Product Cockroaches • Stored Product Insects Insects • Drain Flies • Fruit Flies • Insects • Drain Flies • Fruit Flies • Gentrol® Point Source has all the Bed Bugs Bed Bugs benefits of an Insect Growth Regu- Gentrol® Aerosol contains the Insect Gentrol® IGR Concentrate travels lator in a discreet, non-spray for- Growth Regulator (S)-Hydroprene, deep into wall cavities, as well as mulation. Application is as simple which disrupts the insects’ normal cracks and crevices, reaching the in- as squeezing the raised end of the development, preventing pupae sect pests that other treatments miss. plastic, adhesive-backed device to from becoming adults and steriliz- (S)-Hydroprene, the active ingredi- release Gentrol IGR onto a filter ing nymphs as they become adults. ent, prevents larvae and nymphs paper. The active ingredient (S)- As a general surface spray or spot from becoming normal reproductive Hydroprene prevents insect larvae treatment, Gentrol Aerosol is ap- adults, thereby preventing future and nymphs from becoming adults, plied with a sweeping motion over a generations of infestations. Gentrol and helps stop future infestations. surface. Its visible, dissipating foam IGR Concentrate spreads out from The discreet delivery system of Gen- virtually eliminates the chance of its point of application, creating a trol Point Source is ideal for food missing any areas. Use the Gentrol much larger treated surface than handling establishments, hospitals, Aerosol extension tube for simple, conventional insecticides. Pests en- nursing homes and any area where accurate application in hard-to- counter Gentrol the same way they spraying isn’t acceptable, such as reach areas. encounter other insecticides – by electrical boxes, pantries and com- traveling on or contacting a treated puter equipment. It also is an ef- surface. The long-term control of fective method of application when Gentrol IGR Concentrate is ideal used in locations like commercial for use in warehouses, food handling kitchens, where there is a risk of establishments, schools, hospitals, washing the product away. nursing home and numerous other locations.

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Game On 8 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences w h i t e p a p e r 300508128