The unique benefits of Ridesco® WG Insecticide
Dr. Freder Medina, Technical Market Manager – BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions
Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) often need to show fast results. Whether the situation is a clean-out, an initial, or a one-time service, homeowners and PMPs want to solve the problem as quickly as possible. In some situations, the problem can be so out of control that it calls for a fast-acting insecticide to quickly reduce the pest population before continuing into a regular maintenance program.
The newest innovation from BASF, Ridesco WG insecticide, meets the most demanding expectations with an upfront kill and fast results. In fact, our BASF team refers to it as a “rapid response heavy hitter” on target pests. Input from the field indicates that customers trying Ridesco WG for the first time are seeing the benefit of the dual active ingredients, Alpha-Cypermethrin and Dinotefuran, working together to eliminate a problem that may well have taken longer to manage with other products.
Although PMPs can quickly identify when, where, and how to use an insecticide, the choice of product depends on many things, including the customer’s needs, the target pest, time of the year, local government regulations and label restrictions, to name a few. With so many insecticide options from which to choose, it can be daunting, so it is important to summarize the main features and advantages of our top dilutables: Fendona® CS Controlled Release Insecticide, Alpine® WSG Water Soluble Granule Insecticide and Ridesco WG Insecticide.
- Fendona CS Controlled Release Insecticide is a microencapsulated formulation that is designed to last longer in the environment; in addition, the surface of these capsules is formed by a lipophilic micromesh structure that allows the slow release of the active ingredient on contact with the insect’s exoskeleton.
- Alpine WSG Water Soluble Granule Insecticide forms a true solution and is a non-repellent insecticide. This allows for its use near baits, for example, when controlling German cockroaches in a restaurant. PMPs can always count on the power of Alpine WSG for fast results while still being able to apply baits in harborage areas under kitchen equipment, tables, bar areas, or in residences.
- Ridesco WG is in a league of its own. It is a non-microencapsulated repellent insecticide that is best used away from baits, thus not the ideal choice for German cockroach control. However, against other listed pests, Ridesco WG can quickly reduce the pest population, which is ideal for initial or one-time services that do not require the use of baits. It is also ideal for when homeowners want to ensure their special family gathering or event is not interrupted by an invasion of pests.
Some other reasons Ridesco WG holds a unique place in the BASF portfolio of dilutables include:
- It is a highly effective and broad-spectrum insecticide with an easy-to-use and flexible label. One rate for all your needs indoor and outdoor, in residential and commercial accounts, including food/feed handling establishments.
- The right combination of the two active ingredients, Dinotefuran (IRAC Group 4A) at 20% and Alpha-cypermethrin (IRAC Group 3A) at 10%, makes it a deadly combination with a rapid response to active infestations.
- The product uses two different physiological pathways (modes of action) to target the pest’s central nervous system, which makes Ridesco WG an excellent insecticide resistance management tool.
- Alpha-Cypermethrin is four times more powerful than Cypermethrin and is a sodium channel modulator. Dinotefuran belongs to the Nitroguanidine class, a Neonicotinoid class of its own, which is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist..
- Ridesco WG is the only dry water-soluble granules in the market with dual modes of action and a quick release formulation (not encapsulated) to deliver an overwhelming upfront strike.
It is important to mention that the flexibility of Ridesco WG is not only based on the single application rate of 0.15%, but also that the product can be applied through different types of equipment: an air-compressed handheld sprayer, backpack, truck-mounted sprayer, mist blower, and even by adding a foaming agent for void applications. In addition to crack and crevice, spot, general surface, and perimeter applications, Ridesco WG can reach under mulch, rock aggregates, or any other pervious surfaces while still maintaining the same full-label rate of 0.15%. Competitors allowing this type of treatment require increasing the volume of water for better soil penetration, which can also significantly reduce the amount of active ingredient applied per square foot, thereby affecting efficacy.
Ridesco WG excels at controlling pests like spiders, occasional invaders, perimeter pests, and large peridomestic cockroaches, just to name a few. Aside from my role as a Technical Market Manager for BASF, I am also a homeowner, and I have used the product at my own home in North Carolina and can confidently say that wolf spiders, June bugs, and other occasional invaders do not stand a chance. Any spiders and other pests that dare to enter my garage are done. A BASF colleague tried it at his home in Tennessee and the next day piles of dead spiders turned up in his back yard and porch. Another colleague in the Midwest grabbed his backpack sprayer and went to battle armed only with Ridesco WG; he had the same results: dead spiders and other dead perimeter pests. Additionally, a customer mentioned that he saw quick action against stink bugs, orb weavers, ants, and lady bugs. These anecdotal accounts demonstrate that Ridesco WG lives up to the “rapid-response, heavy-hitter" description used by the BASF team early on.
For PMPs who need a powerful product to use against tough perimeter pests in both residential and commercial accounts that is particularly designed for one-time/initial services, look no further than Ridesco WG Insecticide. Customers will be impressed, and relieved, by the visible results after the first application, which should lead them into a regular maintenance program. After all, Ridesco WG Insecticide will ensure there are no party crashers at their upcoming events.
