Bed bugs are labelled…just not where they hide!

Here’s a prime example of an on-going PROBLEM in our federal registration process, and with the supplier industry to some extent.

On the label, and rightly so, are statements explaining WHERE you can use a pesticide, and on WHAT pest, and at the correct RATE.

Easy Peesy as my granddaughter would say.

Au contraire..

A recent inspection brought to light an issue, while accurate, really should be examined and worked out.

Dragnet is labelled for Bed Bugs, in a residence, and as a crack and crevice only.  There are lots of suggested locations on where to spray.

Just furniture is not mentioned, or beds, and a crack & crevice on/under the box springs has been deemed to be an illegal treatment.   And in review of all the labels, it appears Demand mentions not to spray surfaces of furniture where people can come in contact with the spray. but not Dragnet or Prelude

Is it interpretation, or black and white?  In this case if an area or item is not specifically spelled out, it is not allowed.

And in this case, or any bed bug case, you can spray according to the label, and still have a 1000 insects toasty cozy in the frame.

To sum it up,  we are trying to make an exact science out of something with constantly changing variables, locations and insect pests.  It’s like we want to manage the product to such extremes we kinda forget the purpose of it???

THE MATRIX:

We are blessed (ahem) with a very limited selection of chemicals in Canada, but if added up, 83.28% is a pyrethroid.   A synthesized bench lab chemical now churned out by big chemical plants.  At $3.00 a kg.  There may be 4 – 5 generations of products, but a pyrethoid is a pyrethroid is a pyrethroid.  The major difference is rate responsiveness, residual activity, and some variation in toxicology.

And yes I realize there may be different sodium channels for each…but don’t get anal about it.

So when a new pyrethoid is registered…shouldn’t we have the same sort of insect pests and locations on each???

Do we need 5 pyrethroid products with a huge variation of insects and locations…and restrictions…

(it’s here where I need to say everything I say may be wrong and is not representative of me, myself and my kinfolk on the poor farm in Kansas, my wife, my one grandson but not the other and won’t take responsibility for anything)

READ THESE LABELS!

Example; is Deltagard good on all tick species and not one other structural insect?   And the Perm Boyz, Prelude and Dragnet, only work on brown dog ticks.

Quantum will NOT control carpenter ants…I love this one…If I have pharaoh ants AND carpenters I need two baits.

Demand will kill Germans, but not Orientals.  Or is that vice versa?  Which one has the stripes and can fly backwards????

You can use a 0.5% aerosol pyrethrin for flying insects, not for crawling.  That takes another a different 0.6% product.

lambda is okay on box springs, not permethrin.

BUT…can each of your haul around 10 different products???  Just because one rodenticide is labeled for outdoors and one for indoors?

I AM NOT ADVOCATING GOING OFF LABEL!!!  DON”T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

But, maybe we can sit with the industry and PMRA and university researchers, and come up with a better plan?   An easier and safer plan?

Let’s disconnect the matrix, and come up with a solid INSECT CONTROL plan, with the use of pesticides as a component…only.

I’m available, for small stipend!