Bug Busters

The old phrase, “there is more than one way to skin a cat” is seldom used anymore, but the fact still remains. When it comes to ridding your house of bugs, you might be surprised to find out there are multiple ways of achieving the same goal. Thanks to ever increasing technology, science has led pest control into a whole other dimension than that of our parents and grandparents. The vast majority of today’s pest professionals couple their insecticides with an insect growth regulator (IGR), and the best part is so can you.

            IGRs can be a useful tool in quickly controlling several types of insects including cockroaches and fleas. The mode of action for insect growth regulators is vastly different than insecticides in that it does not necessarily “kill” or eliminate an insect, rather it disrupts the growth and development that occurs during its life cycle. Almost all species of insects go through some sort of stages, whether it is through instars or molting. It is during these stages that IGRs are effective and can control insect species.

            Insects such as cockroaches, fleas and bed bugs have stages. Bed Bugs have a total of 5 instars and cockroaches molt. But it is not until an insect becomes a full size adult that they have the ability to reproduce. Insect growth regulators are designed to disrupt those stages and prevent immature insects from developing into adults. At Solutions Stores, we often refer to IGRs as “birth control” because they eliminate insect populations through sterilization. Now because they do not actually kill the bugs, products like Pivot will take slightly longer to control a population of insects.

            Let’s say you had a bad flea problem in the carpet of your house. If you were to take a product like Pivot and mix it with an adulticide (insecticide) like Fenva Star Plus, conversely you could control the population much faster. We recommend using IGRs with insecticides whenever possible to more effectively get rid of the problem. We have several insect growth regulators to choose from so be sure to read over each to determine if the product is right for what you are trying to accomplish.

            German cockroaches are notoriously known for how rapidly they reproduce. German roach populations can get out of control in a hurry. Because of this, Zoecon, a professional pesticide manufacturer, has developed a unique product using an IGR in a disposable and easy to use station that can fit essentially anywhere. Combined with a cockroach bait, Gentrol Point Source is one of the best products available to quickly eliminate a severe roach problem. They are very simple to use and consist of paper, plastic and tiny reservoir of Hydroprene (the growth regulator) that is “snapped” similar to that of glow sticks. Once you have cracked the reservoir, the Hydroprene leaks onto the paper filter station and will begin working immediately. All you have to do is determine the best locations for the stations and place them. If you have any questions, give our friendly staff a call at (800)-479-6583.