Robert's Rants
Robert's Rants
A personal blog on the Canadian pesticide industry and other pet peeves and interests

Canada’s PMRA to increase bed bug infestations and as a bonus create Super Bug.

That headline reads pretty drastically doesn’t it?  But think about it.  If you took the time to slog through the Re-evaluation decision on boric acid (see the previous post) that’s great, but you can simply go to section 7.1.1 and see all the formulations that will be removed for commercial use. Dust formulations will be gone.

What happens when you no longer have a boric acid dust for use on bed bugs?  For use in all the little hiding places under the base boards, head boards, box springs, electrical boxes?

You might think nothing, because you have a ton of other options right?  What choices or options do you have left for treatment?

Permethrin…lambda cyhalothrin…pyrethrin…resmethrin.

Notice something similar in all those products?  Four different generations of pyrethroids.  Isn’t it a concern when applying the same chemistry over and over and over and over again?  Or did I misinterpret all the issues surrounding resistance management?  Hasn’t this been taught since when 1970? If there isn’t an issue with resistant management, why is it mandatory we classify and print on the label the need to rotate classes?

There’s one rule that you need to rotate chemistry, but then another that bans your options.  Hmmm

So what’s the net effect?  Without the proper tools, used in the right combinations, you won’t control the population.  That’s simple enough.  The bed bug infestation won’t come under control, and will continue to spread.

If you use the same tool over and over again, trying your best to rid Canada of this menace, you really run a major risk of creating a resistant strain.

Partial control, resistant strains, re-treats, and more money out of people’s pockets who can’t afford it.

This is being done to protect the workers applying the product.  Trained professionals who do this daily using the proper equipment, and placement techniques.  Putting on respirators with GMA P100 cartridges and pulling on a pair of nitrile gloves.

So were these tests and trials on the product conducted in real life situations?  Did they consider the total pounds of product used in Canada?  Or are they modeling based on some ones assumptions?  Don’t know.

Yeah yeah…I missed diatomaceous earth…which is a good product but not and end all.  Oh, and glue boards, also a big winner.

Boric acid re-evaluation…follow up as promised

For those of you who have trouble finding the document through the previous link, I have attached the 2 pdf files here for your use.

PRVD2012-03 Acide Borique-fra

PRVD2012-03 Boric Acid-eng

This could be a big negative hit in the fight against bed bugs as this is one of the best dusts to use.  What will we have left in our arsenal of products?  Very little.

We can always monitor…just can’t kill ’em!

Maybe next we’ll find out their an endangered species!

BORIC ACID…Another lost product???? For Shame

If you take a few minutes to surf around the PMRA website, you might be lucky enough to stumble across the document (in English and French of course) concerning the Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2012-03 on boric acid and its Salts.

I have provided the link below:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_prvd2012-03/prvd2012-03-fra.php

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_prvd2012-03/prvd2012-03-eng.php

I will have the pdf docs ready here for you in a bit….

Seems one of the better products we have in Canada is now on the hit list, which is very worrisome to this writer.  One of the few compounds approved for organic uses, available in a multitude of formats, and normally deemed “safe” as a pesticide is going by the wayside.  At least some of the current uses.

I have not had time to totally digest the re-evaluation but will endeavor to do so and summarize to the best of my ability. (Which isn’t saying much).

Getting scary….but read it yourself and then decide if this is something you want to get involved in (the only answer is yes) and speak your mind on this compound.