NORTH BERGEN, N.J. – The USDA IR‐4 Public Health Pesticides Program recently published the results of one of their funded projects, a field study conducted by the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University in 2013. Results of the study revealed that EcoRaider, a 25b exempted bio-insecticide, shows similar control on bed bugs to that of a leading professional pesticide.

The field study was conducted in a high-rise public housing apartment building in Irvington, NJ with a known bed bug infestation. Temprid SC was used for means of comparison because it is a popularly used product previously proven to be highly effective against bed bugs and used by many professionals. After 12 weeks of evaluation on 24 treated apartments, the study concluded that “no significant difference was found between Temprid SC and EcoRaider” in the overall bed bug reduction rate.

Bed bugs can be difficult to control in public housing settings. The apartments are often inhabited by the elderly who are reluctant to vacate the premises, typically have more clutter and are willing to do less prep work. Tenants often struggle with long-term infestations and have gone through a variety of treatments with consumer or professional pesticides. According to researchers from Rutgers University, bed bug populations in such environments are typically found to have “moderate to high levels of resistance” to pesticides.

Since bed bug work requires treating the bed and sleeping areas, there is a concern over misuse of pesticides and the associated health concerns that might have. Therefore, having this study identify a ‘low-risk and effective alternative pesticide’ is an important initiative for the USDA IR-4 Public Health Pesticides Program. The program supports the development of new pesticides to protect public health.

Pest professionals are also recognizing the benefits of utilizing green products in their service offerings. Bill Hastings, Director of Ancillary Services Rose Pest Solutions in Chicago, shares his experience with green products, “Many botanical products that we’ve tried had some performance/efficacy issues coupled with an odor problem. With EcoRaider, we are getting great efficacy without any long lasting or offensive odor issues. We haven’t received any performance or odor complaints using EcoRaider. We have included EcoRaider in our bed bug protocol with chemical and heat treatments and especially for use in sensitive accounts.”

EcoRaider is a 25b exempt minimum risk pest control product manufactured by Reneotech Inc, North Bergen, NJ.  It carries no signal words or cautions, and has no label restrictions or precautions on usage. As a green product, EcoRaider is ideal for sensitive environments where low impact methods are advised yet high efficacy is needed.