The bed bug epidemic has been an increasing problem for the past decade, with bed bugs infesting homes, apartments, and hotels as well as hospitals, nursing homes and even subway cars. Bed bugs are one of the most challenging pests to eradicate because of their rapid reproduction rate.
Read more →First, please don’t confuse mixture rates with application rates. In this blog I want to address a common discussion with our new clients… application rate. There are 2 broad categories involved: direct spray and residual sprays. For residual applications, the most common industry standard is always 1
Read more →There are several factors to take into account when we spray pests or surfaces for our lab tests. First, you have to control any air flow or cross current that can cause a portion of the spray to miss the target. Next, you have to be concerned
Read more →Nearly every client that is looking for a test on their bed bug mattress encasement will eventually ask about ‘certification’ of their product. This was started by one company and one test several years ago. The facts as I understand them are simply that the researcher that
Read more →Residual studies are tests that involve applying a product over a surface and then allowing it to dry for a specified period of time before insects are placed on the treated surface. The budgets for a residual test need to be 4-10x higher because these tests can
Read more →One of the most common types of feedback I get from clients is questions about data that doesn’t make sense. Most commonly – “How can we have 8 out of 10 ‘dead’ at 4 hours and then only 2 out of 10 dead at 24 hours?” Actually
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Oh, the good ole’ days. There was once a time when labs could combine their reps’ knockdown and dead counts. So I frequently get concerned clients worry about why we don’t do this. Here is how Snell Sci defines the 3 categories: Alive = an insect capable
Read more →I was recently provided a report from a major university that greatly embarrassed me for the sake of our industry. It was a standard efficacy report that included 2 standard front pages (title and confidentiality) and then 2 pages of an actual report. Two pages should be
Read more →The ‘10% Control Death’ Factor: Over the past few years, EPA has been requiring that all efficacy testing data stop once the average for the control treatment reaches 10%. This is a huge factor that has great repercussions on the results of your test product(s). First, let’s
Read more →Let’s face it, you probably didn’t have an easy time finding our site if you don’t know my last name. When you are searching for a lab to test your new pesticide, you quickly get lost in university sites that are not really relevant to your product.
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