[Marketplace Innovations] What's New: Rodent Control

Every year at NPMA’s PestWorld convention, a host of new products or newly enhanced existing products are on display during exhibit hall hours. Certainly this past October’s show in Washington, D.C., was no exception.

So, in a series of features to appear in this and future issues of PCT, we’ll showcase some of these innovations, many of which were displayed and drawing crowds at the industry’s biggest convention of the year.

In this first installment, we’re covering some of the newest ideas to hit the rodent control market, in the form of the recently debuted soft bait technologies, anchored bait stations, automated or customizable traps and stations, rodent detection tools and more.

Protecta Load-N-Lock Anchoring System

Bell Laboratories recently introduced its Protecta Load-N-Lock, a new anchoring system that is designed to be secure as well as professional in appearance. It eliminates the need for the added expense, mess and time associated with traditional anchoring methods, according to Suzy Pursell, product manager at Bell Laboratories.

“There’s been a need in the industry to have the stations anchored down, but gluing them to patio blocks or staking them was messy, time consuming and not the ideal situation,” she says. “We wanted to come up with a very professional anchoring component that would help pest management professionals get around that extra step to reduce the time spent placing stations. That led us to the Load-N-Lock.”

Made of heavy-duty injection-molded plastic, the Protecta Load-N-Lock holds two standard concrete bricks available at most landscape and home improvement stores. Technicians place the bricks into the Load-N-Lock base, and then snap the bait station into place. Once the bait station is closed, the base and bait station cannot be separated. The ramped design of the base allows easy entry for rats or mice into the bait station and portrays a professional image. The Load-N-Lock bases are also nestable, saving valuable warehouse space and keeping shipping costs down, the company notes.

When servicing the bait station, the technician opens the station with the Bell key and unsnaps the base’s locking mechanism, which can only be accessed from inside the bait station. The station quickly detaches from the base for easy cleaning and servicing. Currently, Load-N-Lock bases are available to fit both the Protecta LP and the Protecta Sidekick.“The Load-N-Lock will work great in any outdoor baiting situation as well as indoor applications that require a bait station to be secured or anchored down, and it’s an alternative option that takes the ‘mess’ out of technicians’ hands,” Pursell says. “Plus, it will increase their ability to move the station based on rodent pressure and respond to what’s going on at various accounts.”

Bell Laboratories also announced that new bar code labels are now being installed on Protecta rat-sized bait stations and the Trapper 24/7 Multiple Catch Mouse Trap. The sequentially numbered bar codes will appear on the inside lid of the Protecta LP, Sidekick, Sidewinder, Landscape and Protecta bait stations, as well as inside the Trapper 24/7.

Applied with an all-weather permanent adhesive, the bar code label is positioned in a standard location on each station shipped from Bell’s manufacturing facility, at no additional cost to customers.  The bar code is compatible with handheld scanners that a growing number of companies use to input service information for each bait station. Bell Labs’ bar code labels employ a standardized industry format and are compatible with multiple software platforms. A technician simply scans the bar code, the scanner recognizes that specific station, and the hand-held device asks the technician a standard set of questions related to that station.

“Our PestPac Mobile Software knows what baits should be used with each station and the quantity of bait in the station. So, technicians are able to capture data in the same way each time to help them better service the account,” says Jamie Mish, marketing director of Marathon Data Systems, who worked closely with Bell Labs to ensure bar coding capability with Marathon’s PestPac Mobile Software. “Our software also provides detailed reports with a complete history of that account so they can see over time how effective that bait station has been, or make adjustments to an account as necessary.”

Bar coding is a professional tool not only to help better manage rodent problems but one that also offers the ability to provide detailed customer reports in a time when customers may see their technicians less frequently. In addition to hard copy, companies can provide these reports via e-mail or offer them online.

“The use of bar coding and station tracking with mobile devices has increased significantly because pest management professionals and their customers recognize and understand that these practices help them make better decisions about pest management,” Mish says. “It helps technicians target their approach so they use the right amount of bait when and where needed. Mobile solutions also provide an almost instantaneous ability for their customers to review reports about progress on their accounts.”

For more information visit www.belllabs.com.

FirstStrike Soft Bait
Liphatech has created FirstStrike, a “new-concept,” soft-bait rodenticide for use in areas of high infestation or when competing food sources exist. The product is a 10-gram pouch, containing the active ingredient difethialone, and designed for use in bait stations. FirstStrike offers a unique combination of palatability, enticing food aroma, effective control and ease of use.

The product allows for flexible dosing, so PCOs can use the number of pouches they determine are necessary; whether it’s more for heavy infestations, or fewer for maintenance purposes, the company notes.

“FirstStrike marks an important milestone in rodent control technology, a new concept,” said Ray Finke, business director for Liphatech’s pest management division. “In heavy infestations rodents will seek out FirstStrike even with food sources available. It’s easy to apply, easy to secure and easy to clean up — the perfect solution for our industry.”

The FirstStrike pouch can be used like a traditional block bait, being fixed on the vertical or horizontal bars of a bait station. Clean-up is easy because the product is readily consumed by rodents and not scattered, Liphatech says. Also, the bait is consistent throughout the pouch, reducing debris.

FirstStrike does not incorporate wax, so palatability is maximized, the manufacturer notes. Additionally, Liphatech says taste is not affected by temperature extremes, and the pouch is not subject to crumbling or translocation. PCOs can gain clues to rodent variety by observing feeding patterns on the pouch, as well as dye from the bait that appears in droppings.

According to Liphatech, results from a FirstStrike application become apparent in as little as four days after placement, with rapid depopulation occurring after five to 11 days. A bittering agent is included in the pouch to avoid accidental consumption.

“FirstStrike is a powerful rodenticide that’s effective against both heavy infestations and those few rodents that may be reluctant to feed on conventional rodenticides,” said Ted Bruesch, national support manager for Liphatech. “It offers a combination of superior attractiveness to rats and mice, ability to be secured in stations, lack of crumbs, resistance to melting and rodent killing power,” Bruesch added. “It represents the most complete rodenticide I’ve seen in 35 years in the rodent control business.”

FirstStrike is available in 8- and 16-pound pails. A case includes four 8-pound pails. For more information, visit www.liphatech.com.

RBS EZ-Secured Rodent Bait Station
Introduced in 2008, the new RBS EZ-Secured Rodent Bait Station from VM Products is the first bait station with a pre-attached concrete block, for use in those areas where PCOs want anchored or secured bait stations.

Company president and inventor of the RBS EZ-Secured bait stations Ethan Vickery says he came up with the idea after watching PCOs spend time and money purchasing and transporting supplies, such as concrete block, screws and liquid nails and then invest additional time attaching rodent bait stations to the concrete blocks.

Using that idea, Vickery says he came up with a proprietary locking mechanism that anchors the company’s existing EZ-KLEAN Rodent Bait Station to a matching concrete block. The resulting product is stable and secure even during shipping, transport and delivery of the product, Vickery said.

Employees’ time, and the cost of blocks, glue, nails, screws and fuel are all removed when PCOs purchase the RBS-EZ-Secured. And the product meets the needs of PCOs wanting to use an anchored station that’s less likely to be moved, knocked or blown away, the company says.

Most importantly, Vickery said, the RBS EZ-Secured is convenient, because PCOs no longer have to build their own secured bait stations. The product is also more appealing to PCOs and their clients than homemade versions, Vickery said, since the concrete block is sized and also dyed to match the bait station.

Vickery said the RBS EZ-Secured Rodent Bait Station is ideal for use in industrial warehouses, commercial applications, restaurants, office buildings, and anywhere PCOs have a need for anchored rodent bait stations. The RBS-EZ Secured weighs about 10 pounds and is available through distributors. For more information, visit www.vmproducts.com.

Cold Weather Glue Traps
Atlantic Paste & Glue has introduced the 96WRG Cold Weather Mouse Glue Trap, which is comparable to the company’s 48WRG trap in that the adhesive is effective in colder temperatures as low as 0˚F.  The only difference between the two is the size: The 96WRG is 51/8 inches x 3¼ inches — used for catching small rodents such as mice. The 48WRG is 10¼ inches x 5¼ inches — used for catching larger rodents such as rats. 

The 96WRG is being introduced due to customer requests for a mouse-size cold weather glue trap. The recommended uses for this product include: unheated basements, garages and warehouses; winterized summer homes and boats; and walk-in refrigerators.

In addition, Atlantic Paste & Glue will be launching a new Web site for pest management professionals, www.catchmasterpro.com, which is an interactive portal that includes AP&G’s complete product catalog and other product information.

This May, Atlantic Paste & Glue will be introducing a repeating mouse trap called the 612 Multi-Catch, which will be available with a clear, see-through top or with a solid top.

Ratimor Soft Bait
Unichem has introduced Ratimor Soft Bait, a single-feed, pre-packaged anticoagulant bait containing the active ingredient bromadialone.

The bait is designed to be used in cases of high rodent infestation and in areas where lots of natural food is available to the rodents, notes Andrej Branc, sales manager for BIMEX Corp., which markets the product in North America.

“It is also designed as a highly palatable alternative to today’s conventional baits which may be losing effectiveness and palatability due to large scale usage,” Branc said.

Designed to be used inside of bait stations, Ratimor can be applied as both a clean-out and maintenance bait. The company says the soft bait’s composition and added attractants increase its appeal to rodents and allow for the use of much less bait to achieve a lethal dosage.

What makes Ratimor unique, says Branc, is its formulation and presentation. “It comes in a soft form and the formulation is very moist, allowing the bait to be more attractive to target pests. Because of the formulation (somewhat like a wet pasta dough, Branc noted) it is packaged in tea bag-style packages which can then be placed directly on rods or spikes inside of bait stations.

The product offers added attractants, an added BHT compound that “mummifies” killed rodents and a low concentration of active ingredient. Ratimor also contains added oils to ensure lasting freshness and a continuously moist product, as well as Bitrex to help prevent non-target consumption of the bait.

According to the manufacturer, Ratimor Soft Bait has proven to be palatable even against rodents’ normally preferred diet.

The product’s added attractants are designed to ensure that rodents will be drawn to it, the company says. The attractants also cover the taste and smell of the active ingredient and ensure that rodents keep feeding on the bait for a longer period of time, thus consuming more of it, the manufacturer notes.

For more information, visit www.ratimor.com.

J.T. Eaton Galvanized, Powdercoated Traps and Stations
J.T. Eaton has introduced a line of galvanized steel mouse traps and bait stations, powdercoated in a variety of colors. Available in orange, yellow, brown, green, black and white, these stations can help build a PCO’s brand by showcasing the company’s corporate colors, or be a deciding factor when a client wants a trap to blend in with its environment.

The powdercoating feature is currently available on the following models: 420 J.T. Eaton Repeater Multiple Catch Mouse Traps; 420-CL J.T. Eaton Repeater Multiple Catch Mouse Traps with Window; 425 J.T. Eaton Wind-Up Bait Stations; and 910TP J.T. Eaton Strongbox Bait Stations.

“Not only are the stations and traps superior aesthetically, but the powdercoating is both impact- and abrasion-resistant,” said J.T. Eaton Sales Manager Craig Velte. In a food manufacturing plant account, for example, they will withstand repeated floor detergent sprays and still look new, Velte added.
Furthermore, J.T. Eaton says, outdoors, the powdercoating resists humidity and even salt spray, with no worry of corrosion, saving professionals the added material and costs of frequent replacement.

Velte said the darker colors help blend the traps and stations in with their surroundings, while the brighter colors can become part of a safety program. “They’re easy to spot and not run into with a skid steer, for example,” he said.

For more information, visit www.jteaton.com.

Victor Multi-Kill Electronic Mouse Trap
Victor has introduced the new Multi-Kill Electronic Mouse Trap, a fully automated trap that has the ability to eliminate a rodent infestation in just one night, according to manufacturer Woodstream.

Designed for superior interaction, two points of entry via the lab-tested staircase design lead mice into the Shock N’ Drop Chamber. This chamber’s patented three-plate design senses the mouse’s presence and sends a high-voltage shock to kill in less than three seconds at a 100-percent kill rate guaranteed, Woodstream says.

After the mouse expires, the Shock N’ Drop Chamber rotates, dropping the mouse into the collection drawer and then resets, ready to kill again. It’s this technology that allows the Multi-Kill to dispatch up to 10 mice per setting, according to the manufacturer.

The Multi-Kill features a built-in safety switch that automatically deactivates the trap when the lid is open. The Multi-Kill is easy to use, the company says. Pest management professionals simply bait the trap and turn it on. An indicator light tells the user when a mouse has been trapped and when the collection drawer is full. The Multi-Kill traps and kills up to 150 mice per set of batteries (included), according to Woodstream. For more information, visit www.woodstreampro.com.

RodoTrak Rodent Detection and Tracking Product
The RodoTrak rodent detection and tracking product, from RodoTrak, uses a set of baited rodent detection stations to attract small rodents, and the company recently introduced the RodoMax, a rat-sized box.

Both stations are loaded with non-toxic fluorescent powder that will coat rodents’ bodies for easy tracking using an ultraviolet (UV) flashlight. The fibrous material contains enough powder to cover approximately 15 linear feet outside and even more inside. Once rodents leave the RodoTrak station, they create a trail of powder left as footprints where they walk or “body” prints where they rub against an entry or exit point in a structure. Additional tools needed include a UV flashlight and copper mesh to close holes.

Both the fibrous material and powder applied in the RodoTrak products are used in consumer textiles and are non-toxic, according to the manufacturer.

RodoTrak recently announced the powder and dowsed fiber are now also sold separately. Additionally the company now offers two UV flashlights: a larger, industrial/professional model along with a more affordable, model. For more information, visit www.rodotrak.com

Compiled by the PCT editorial staff and frequent contributor Christine Brazell.  Manufacturers, if we’ve neglected to mention your new rodent control product, please send a press release and photo to Chuck Bowen at cbowen@giemedia.com. Your product will be listed in an upcoming issue of PCT.