Perimeter IPM and COVID-19

Intercepting and preventing pests from gaining access to a customer’s home eliminates the need to routinely go inside when physical distancing from others is a priority.


PCT Custom Content Staff

Published January 06, 2022

It’s safe to say the SARS-COV-2 virus has affected virtually every aspect of life in the U.S. The good news in all of this for pest management professionals is that pests are unaffected by the pandemic and continue to do what they do best — survive, reproduce, and invade. 

In addition, more people working from home has translated to even less tolerance for pests inside and outside; therefore, most pest companies have experienced greater opportunities for growth in residential services during the past 18 months.

Only a few types of pests — German cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, Pharaoh ants, stored product pests — require being carried inside to infest homes. The vast majority of home infestations originate from the outside which fits nicely with a perimeter pest control service model. 

Intercepting and preventing pests from gaining access inside is the ideal approach for most homes and negates the issue of needing to routinely go inside when physical distancing from others is critical during the pandemic.
 
PERIMETER TREATMENT ADVANTAGES. Perimeter service provides a significant amount of flexibility for both the customer and the pest professional. Scheduling is simpler when interior service is not needed, and the sources of pest activity can be more easily addressed because they are outside. 
 
The pest professional can vary the techniques and treatment strategies needed for a particular property and pest situation. Interior pest services will be necessary when pest activity is reported inside and the potential source of the infestation is also inside.
 

The approach to perimeter service varies depending on if it is the initial service to take care of an immediate pest problem or a routine pest service where pests may or may not be a priority issue. When pest activity is reported, the approach is to focus on finding sites where the target pest(s) are most likely to harbor or nest. 

For routine service, determining if any pest that may threaten inside invasion is present is the priority. For example, Argentine ants seen inside will involve looking for nest sites outside, particularly near the house. A routine pest service will focus on looking for the same types of nesting sites, but also checking other sites where different pests may be harboring.

A significant part of perimeter service offered by pest control companies involves spider and web removal by brushing with a cobweb brush. Pest professionals typically perform this part of the service first in order to look for signs of pest activity as they move around the house, targeting wasp nests, ant mounds and likely harborages that will need to be checked (i.e., items on the ground, tree holes, etc.).
 
IDENTIFY & TREAT HARBORAGE SITES. A key strategy for keeping outside pests from entering the structure is finding and treating active harborages starting at the foundation and away from the house. By reducing populations of pests to all sides of the property, the likelihood pests will enter inside is greatly reduced. 
 
For example, if only ant colonies next to the foundation are treated, any ant colonies elsewhere on the property can quickly move in and reinfest treated areas. A good time-saving tip is to carry a sprayer while inspecting to drench ant colonies and treat other pests as they are exposed.
 
For long-term relief from pests, customers should be educated regarding conducive conditions and convincing them to correct as many of these as possible. The most important of these are exclusion to close off entry points and water-management (i.e., gutter cleaning and extended downspouts to move water away from the foundation). 
 
Exclusion efforts should extend all the way to the soffits and include properly screened foundation and attic vents. Many pest companies are now offering gutter guard installation and exclusion services as a part of comprehensive IPM services to residential customers.
 
Perimeter services during these COVID times has the disadvantage of reduced personal contact with customers so pest professionals need to use technology to create added value via more informative service reports and follow-up phone calls to ensure customer satisfaction. 
 
Technology today offers greater opportunities to create more informative pest service reports with photos showing customers where conducive conditions exist and instructions for correcting these items. Service reports explaining what was found and the treatments applied can be emailed to customers rather than hanging paper reports on doorknobs. 
 
Pest control companies always have been innovators and this pandemic has forced the need for greater innovation. As we move out of the pandemic to a return to normalcy, these innovations are sure to become an entrenched part of improved residential pest services, as well as services for commercial facilities. – Stoy Hedges
 

The author, one of the country’s leading structural entomologists, is president of Stoy Pest Consulting.

 

 

Technology Solutions for the ‘New Normal’
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on businesses around the globe, changing the way employees work, driving adoption of digital technologies and altering go-to-market strategies, as evidenced by the significant number of PMPs who pivoted to “perimeter-only” services in the early days of the crisis.

As treatments moved outdoors, however, product selection becomes even more critical as environmental factors such as exposure to UV light, humidity, complex surfaces and rainfall challenge the performance of insecticides.

To address this market concern, Bayer Environmental Science recently introduced Barricor SP, an innovative general use insecticide designed specifically for frequent maintenance applications on complex surfaces like those found around the perimeter of structures (i.e., mulch, concrete, gravel, etc.)

“Several years ago, we looked at the market and recognized that in many parts of the country because of climate, pest pressure and other factors, there’s a significant number of companies that perform service on a more frequent basis,“ said Joe Barile, technical service lead, Bayer ES. “So, we asked ourselves, ‘What can we do as a company to meet this market need?'”

After thoroughly studying the issue, Bayer created Barricor SP, a new product featuring the proven active ingredient deltamethrin in an innovative solid particle (SP) formulation. When placed in suspension, deltamethrin adheres to the solid particles, making it more bioavailable to the insect.

“Once applied, it stands up on the surface, making it readily accessible to insects,” Barile said. “It also protects the AI for a longer period of time, which are both important benefits.”

With the growth of the perimeter market fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of a new formulation designed specifically for outdoor perimeter treatments couldn’t have come at a better time.

“The industry is more familiar with microcaps, which were developed in the 1980s, so it’s been quite a while since a truly new formulation has been created for the dilutable insecticide market,” Barile observed. “That’s why we’re so excited to offer Barricor SP to the marketplace at such a critical time in its history. We’re confident it will provide excellent control on a wide variety of surfaces against more than 40 common pests.”

To learn more about Barricor SP, contact your Bayer sales representative or visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.us.

 

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