As anyone in management knows, the biggest cost of doing business is often labor. And, while labor costs account for as much as 70% of total costs, professionals spend as little as 15% of their time managing them. When management does consider labor cost, it is often viewed through the lens of organizational structure. Common strategic considerations include cross training employees or moving from a specialized workforce to a generalized workforce. Removing redundancies and ensuring tasks are not repeated in several departments. Integrating technology to automate workflows such as GIS and data management systems has been a successful approach in recent years. These strategies require organizational change and restructuring.
Examining application equipment is another key strategy to reducing labor cost for the public healthy industry. The Vortex Granular Systems™ is a proven granular application system for the public health industry. These units are configured to perform with the most difficult to apply materials.
The Vortex TR™ and the Vortex SPX™ are lightweight and ready for use in utility vehicles, pickup trucks, or boats, and have a large capacity hopper that reduces downtime caused loading material . Field technicians spend more time treating than loading, thus completing the application quicker. With a Vortex Granular Systems™, you are able to treat more acres in less time. The time savings gives your technicians more time to inspect sources and respond quicker to disease.
A second approach to reduce labor costs for the public health industry includes examining product selection. For over 50 years, Central Life Science has been dedicated to creating new and better approaches to mosquito control. Their line of Duplex™-G and Altosid® residual products gives your technicians flexibility in the field. With Duplex™-G, you get what the name implies, dual-action control. This larvicide combines biorational and biological control agents in an extended residual granule for up to 28 days of continuous flooding. This clean, spherical larvicide offers excellent flow through application equipment.
Among the extensive Altosid® product line from Central Life Science are two formulations worth noting. Altosid® P35 is a unique granule formulation, with extended release technology that allows for 35 days of residual control in continuously wet conditions. Also providing pre-treatment capabilities 15 days prior to flooding (pre-hatch), Altosid® P35 features dual encapsulation for short- and long-term release of the insect growth regulator, (S)-methoprene. Altosid® XR-G Ultra continues Central Life Sciences’s commitment to creating products that meet high standards. Altosid® XR-G Ultra is a new carbon-free, clean (S)-methoprene granule larvicide formulation that controls adult mosquito emergence for up to 28 days in continuous flooding. The clean, easy- to-apply formulation helps ensure accurate application rates with superior flow through most application equipment such as the Vortex Granular Systems™.
These residual products from Central Life Science provide three labor saving strategies. First, the labor cost associated with product application is greatly reduced compared to non residual products that might require up to four applications in the same treatment period. Secondly, labor costs associated with immature larval surveillance is reduced due to the nature of the product. Inhibition of adult emergence through the treatment period extends time between needed larval sampling. Finally, labor costs associated with ground adulticide applications can be reduced. By utilizing these residual products that inhibit adult emergence throughout the entire larval development site, adult populations are reduced causing less frequent adulticide applications.
Target Specialty Products has been helping public health professionals protect public health for 80 years. If you need assistance with selecting a product, contact us here. We have 43 active locations across the country with vector control specialists ready to provide their expertise and support. For direct inquiries, visit us here.
Joseph Camacho - Vector Control Specialist
Joseph Camacho is based out of Target’s West Sacramento branch, and services the public health industry in the Western United States. Joe has been with Target since 2016. Prior to Target Specialty Products, Joe worked for nearly 15 years for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District and held various positions working extensively in urban stormwater issues, public and private wetlands, residential backyard issues and cemetery environments. Through his in the field experience, Joe has developed an extensive knowledge of chemical products used for mosquito control as well as the equipment to apply them.
