Product Education   |   July 15, 2021

Keeping homes safe: the value of strong outdoor pest management

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re left with a world that has fundamentally changed many of our living environments. They must function as a place for work, rest and recreation, causing us to need and expect more from our homes. That’s why homeowners are investing more into creating their ideal spaces, including protecting their yards, decks, patios and more from harmful pests like disease-carrying ticks.

For Pest Management Professionals (PMPs), tick management services are not only a growth opportunity, but also a powerful contribution to public well-being as they help protect their customers from devastating illness.

 

Ticks find hosts by sensing body heat, moisture and vibrations from animals nearby. They typically stay in areas along commonly used paths and walkways where they’ll wait on plants in a process known as “questing.” During this process, ticks hold onto the plant with their lower legs and leave their upper legs outstretched — ready to latch onto unfortunate passersbys. Once they hitch a ride, they’ll find a place to attach and feed. Serious diseases vectored by ticks during feeding include Lyme disease, Powassan virus and human babesiosis.

 

As a trusted PMP, treating tick activity sites helps protect customers’ health and peace of mind. This goes beyond treating their yards — it also relies on education and advising ways to keep ticks away and reduce the likelihood of infection. To get the most benefit from treatment, remind customers to mow their lawns regularly, keep things like playground equipment and picnic tables away from trees and brushy areas, and to remove trash and debris that could harbor immature tick hosts like deer, mice and chipmunks. From a landscaping perspective; removing fallen leaves, clearing brush, and placing a barrier of gravel or mulch between lawns and wooded areas can help deter ticks from migrating into recreational spaces.

 

In addition to ticks, the presence of ants, spiders, scorpions and ground wasps can also threaten the extent to which people can enjoy their outdoor spaces. Contact granular insecticide formulations can provide effective, long-residual control where sprays are not allowed or are inconvenient to apply.

Bayer DeltaGard® G meets PMPs’ requirements for delivering control of these outdoor pests by providing excellent penetration and coverage in thick mulch or thatch, placing more of the active ingredient where it is needed. DeltaGard G is a low-dose, low-dust formulation with virtually no odor after application and it has the added benefit of being a light brown color to blend in with most landscapes. Instead of dragging heavy spray hoses around the yard or stopping to refill backpack sprayers, the formulation is easy-to-apply with hand or drop-spreaders, saving both time and money.

 

When it comes to treating ticks, DeltaGard G is the preferred formulation. To treat, always read and follow label directions, then apply the product into the ‘tick zone’. The granules penetrate low foliage and deposit in the leaf litter where ticks live and move from to find their hosts. Rain and/or irrigation will begin the release of the deltamethrin active ingredient from the solid granule. In addition, DeltaGard G can be used to control ants, crickets and springtails. Label directions also allow for spot treatments of ant mounds (including imported fire ants), ground-nesting digger wasps and interior plantscapes (check local regulations for certification requirements). DeltaGard G may also be applied as a perimeter treatment to supplement between-spray treatments or to replace sprays during low activity periods like winters in milder regions.

 

DeltaGard G with deltamethrin provides effective residual control. In a field trial performed in New Jersey, a single application of DeltaGard G provided 97%-100% control of I. scapularis (black-legged tick) for 12 weeks post-treatment (Schulze, et al, j. Econ Ent 98(3): 976-981, (2005)).

 

Contact your Target Specialty Products representative for more information.

 

Source: CDC