Product Education   |   October 8, 2021

Bell IQ Products

Rodents are extremely intelligent and hard to control. Knowing when and where rodents are traveling is vital information for Pest Management Professionals (PMPs). Rodent control used to be based on circumstantial evidence, where PMPs must rely on clues such as droppings or sebum, to tell them where rodents were. Opening a bait station without any technology provides you with little information, and that information can be wrong – if it’s wrong, that can be costly. PMPs can now gain real, verifiable rodent knowledge with the help of rodent monitoring technology.

 

Bell’s new line of iQ products will give PMPs the expertise to perform the best at their job. iQ products are scalable, affordable, and use integrated technology that will make pest control businesses successful. This technology sends signals through Bluetooth straight from the iQ rodent trap or station to any smart device. This allows PMPs to place traps in areas that are hard to access, where rodents are traveling. iQ gives you the ability to check those traps effortlessly by simply being in proximity to the devices. After each account visit, PMPs will be emailed all the data for further analysis and will always have access to this data through their portal. Now they can verify and prove where activity is occurring, what time it occurs, and how much activity there has been. This information gives PMPs proof of when and where rodents are going, allowing them to make smart decisions on where to do inspections, placement of traps, what recommendations to make to the customer, and where to do exclusion. With this advanced technology, rodent control becomes predictive instead of reactive. Not only do PMPs get a full picture of rodent activity at the account, but they will also save a great deal of time on the job site. Time that can be used to conduct an in-depth inspection.

 

iQ products are unique because they were designed with the challenges encountered by PMPs in mind. Bell Labs currently has 3 iQ products out on the market: EVO Express iQ tray, Trapper T-Rex iQ, and Trapper 24/7 iQ.

 

EVO Express is the most popular bait station in North America because of its versatility. It has a brick enclosed on the inside of the station, with a tray placed on top of it. All PMPs need to do to turn your regular EVO Express into an Express iQ is to switch out the old tray for a new iQ tray; it’s as simple as that, and instantly you’re monitoring rodent activity. Bell recommends using a targeted approach when baiting with rodenticides. One technique is pulse baiting, which is the initial use of a non-toxic bait, such as Detex, and waiting until consumption can be proven and timestamped in the Express iQ. Then when you return for your next service, you can replace the non-toxic bait with an active bait. The purpose of pulse baiting is to only place active bait in stations that you know rats are actively searching and feeding in, rather than every single bait station at the account.

 

The T-Rex iQ fits in any bait station that the original T-Rex does, Bell’s newly introduced Protecta EVO Tunnel, or it can be used on its own. T-Rex iQ snap traps can be placed vertically or horizontally, on the ground, up in rafters, or secured to pipes with a zip tie. Intuitive to use, the Bell Sensing app will communicate if the trap is open or closed. If it’s open that means the trap is set and ready for action. Closed means that the trap witnessed activity or has a catch. The ability to place two T-Rex iQ snap traps back-to-back at a great height and never have to get on a ladder to visually inspect them, unless you have a verified catch, is a great advantage. Being able to tell from up to 100’ distance if there’s a catch or not, eliminates service specialists having to bend over and crouch down to check empty traps on the floor, making them more productive and their jobs more rewarding.

 

What should PMPs do with all your time savings? Technicians can spend that additional time investigating and using your education, license, and skills at accounts. You could also take the route of improving your customer service through providing professional recommendations based on real data. The professionalism that PMPs will convey to your customer by having these reports at their fingertips, will increase customer satisfaction. Providing proof that your service is working will lead to loyal customers, which creates profitability for your company.

 

This technology can help solve problems beyond sensing rodent activity. Integrating iQ products into your rodent control toolbox will help protect customers and empower your employees.