Sherwood Chemicals have introduced an Australian first for the eradication of termites with the launch of a ready to use Fipronil aerosol foam formulation. According to Sherwood Chemicals Australian General Manager John Ralph,
“Foam application to both termite workings and cavity voids with specialised foaming equipment has been a successful technique in the treatment of termite infestations for many years now. However for spot treatments and inaccessible areas the process is time consuming and labour intensive. Ultraforce Termite Foam is a premixed, ready to use termite eradication tool designed for convenience and to increase the productivity of technicians with improved efficacy and safety.”
Sherwood Chemicals are well known to the Australian pest management industry for their formulation chemistry and also for producing high quality liquid termiticides and cost effective convenient to use aerosols. Ultraforce Termite foam is the combination of two of Sherwood’s most successful formulations, Fipforce Aqua Termiticide containing Fipronil & Chaindrite Extra crawling insect aerosol designed as a cost effective odourless spray targeting convenience.
As with all Sherwood products, Ultraforce termite Foam is manufactured in accordance with ISO9001 (Quality), ISO14001 (Environment) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) to deliver innovation and convenience to professional pest managers as an Australian first.
Sherwood Chemicals are today the leading manufacturer of aerosol formulations in SE Asia. In fact their aerosol factory in Thailand produces over 25 million cans each year. In 2010 during a tour of the Sherwood aerosol factory in Thailand by a number of key Australian pest managers the idea of an aerosol foam targeting termites had its nemesis. With its strength in aerosol manufacture and access to the new non repellent slow acting insecticides, Sherwood started developing such a concept. The visiting Australian pest managers all agreed that foaming using specialized application equipment although effective was time consuming and in some cases inconvenient particularly when trying to move the equipment through roof cavities or tight crawl spaces. In addition there is a time requirement to correctly calibrate equipment to ensure the correct ratio of active to compatible foaming surfactants and the maintenance of equipment which all result in lost productivity for the pest management technician.
To develop this concept the Sherwood formulation chemists firstly needed to perfect a formulation that would allow controlled delivery of foamed material throughout termite workings to achieve uniform delivery. Having developed such a formulation, efficacy trials were undertaken to confirm activity on a range of the most important Australian termite species which attack timber in service. These included Coptotermes spp, Schedorhinotermes spp and most importantly the Great Northern Termite Mastotermes darwiniensis. The laboratory tests confirmed the most effective dose and compatible surfactants to deliver a wet foam to maximise residual surface deposits of Fipronil to termite workings.
Following the lab trials, trial work against termite colonies of Coptotermes acinaciformis in trees was carried out to ensure that the results seen the lab could be replicated in field applications. In the region around Gloucester, NSW, Coptotermes acinaciformis, the most common Australian economic termite species, typically builds nests in eucalyptus trees such as the grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa). The location of a nest can be detected by the presence of flight cuts and the position of the colony in the tree can be confirmed by drilling into the heart of tree and inserting a temperature probe.
Temperatures in the range of 28-38oC indicate the presence of a healthy termite nest if termites are present. Monitoring the nest temperature and the presence and behaviour of termites can be used to determine the health of the colony over time. A nest temperature within 2oC to the ambient temperature, a lack of new termite mudding and the general absence of termites, indicates that the colony has been eradicated.
The field trial clearly showed that the Ultraforce Termite Foam killed all termite activity in treated nests within 14days after treatment, as illustrated in the graph (Figure 2) below with nest temperatures dramatically dropping when compared to the control after 7 and 14 days after treatment and treated nest temperatures returning to within 2oC to the ambient temperature at 4 weeks post application.
Field trial against termite colonies of Coptotermes acinaciformis in trees (Gloucester, NSW)
Further trials were completed to test the product performance in house setting as would be commonly encountered by pest controllers. These house trials were completed in NSW against Coptotermes spp and Mastotermes spp in Qld utilising the expertise of licensed pest controllers in each area. All trials clearly demonstrated that Ultraforce Foam provided outstanding results in the field and most importantly was easy to apply.
According to Vic Morgan of Envirotechnics in Perth, “The foam has allowed us flexibility in managing termite infestations within homes and difficult to access places. It has an ease of application and excellent coverage. The consistency of the foam provides longevity to ensure prolonged control of active termites as they contact the treated areas. We will utilise the foam as a first stage treatment that deals with the clients anxiety of having active termites attacking their home. After we have eradiated the termites from within the structure we will continue to implement integrated termite management plans for our clients by utilising the range of Sherwoods termite protection products. When homeowners feel your empathy and sense your urgency to solve their problems they are more likely to listen to how you intend to mitigate future termite threats through a long term termite solution”. Said Victor
“We are delighted to support Sherwood in progressing development in Australia with products that provide our business with flexibility and the tools to satisfy our customers with less disturbance. We have already placed this new tool in our technician’s toolbox and the initial feedback from technicians was; thank god someone is listening”.
Aaron Bonney from P.O.D.S Pest Control is a well-respected pest manager from North Queensland who deals with Mastotermes spp commented “Everybody will find this aerosol foam very easy to use and safe in its application. The product is of a consistent dispersion whilst maintaining its foam state for around 8 minutes before dissipating. Obviously it requires no mixing and is easy to apply with its rotating flexible nozzle.” Peter Hayman from Accurate Pest Management on the Sunshine Coast has been highly impressed with the delivery system and the new technology offered in the Ultraforce Foam aerosol. He too considers the rotating flexible nozzle of great benefit for application in difficult to access places and has seen his conversion success increase for termite barriers since he stated utilising the termite foam tool.
Niche products are rarely developed by the large multinationals for small volume markets such as professional pest management. As a formulation specialist, Sherwood excel at developing new products based on feedback from professionals in the field which will add value to their businesses. This is what makes Sherwood unique and as a company we will continue to invest in new convenient formulations together with improvements to existing products.
Elton Arderne (Sherwoods East coast Business Manager) concluded by confirming, “The price of the Ultraforce termite foam aerosol will be a cost effective solution for termite eradiation, in much the same way that Chaindrite Extra Aerosol has revolutionised the general pest market I believe Ultraforce foam will revolutionize the termite spot treatment market through convenience and more productive technicians”.
Ultraforce Termite Foam will be available in May through Globe Australia. To download the product brochure, click here. For more information please contact Sherwood Chemicals www.sherwoodchemicals.com.au or www.globeaustralia.com.au.
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