For over 20 years when consumers ask pest controllers what they will use to protect their homes or businesses against termites, the best answer has remained the same: Termidor®. Since 2012 there have been alternative products which claim to be the same, but Termidor’s original formulation remains unique and unmatched. To make the gap between the best and the also-rans even wider, the introduction of the Termidor HE (High Efficiency) formulation raised the standard of control – and ease of installation – to a level no other manufacturer even claims to have matched.
“As a pest controller, there are two points of view you have to consider when you’re choosing which products to use,” says Mark Wilson, BASF’s Technical and Development Manager. “Looking at it through the consumer’s eyes, they want the reassurance that you are using the best possible treatment because they find termites a really scary problem to deal with. From your own point of view, you want to be using something you can have total confidence in and that gives your customers both confidence and peace of mind. Plus, you want to make a decent profit – and that is a bit more complicated than just your margin on the product. Faster installation and fewer callbacks really help the bottom line as well.”
Mark has years of experience in supporting loyal Termidor users, so he has seen many ways in which using the best-known, most strongly backed termiticide benefits them. But pest control is such a cost-conscious business that some Termidor users occasionally try a cheaper alternative in an attempt to save money – and then come back!
“Every once in a while, a pest controller tells me they’ve switched across to generics for a period,” Mark says. “But all the ones I talk to end up coming back to Termidor once they realise how much time and money they are losing dealing with product quality issues. We are using the slogan ‘if you’re not asking for Termidor, you’re asking for trouble’ because it comes straight out of that experience. Why give yourself the hassle, expense and stress of multiple callbacks and arguing about product quality? No correctly installed Termidor treatment has ever failed, and Termidor HE is actually easier to install than its competitors.”
In Mark’s view, the uptake of Termidor HE has shifted the whole debate and shown that pest controllers who try to get away with using cheaper products need to start thinking more positively.
“You can get in negative mindset which prevents you realising your business’s full potential,” he says. “You self-censor and offer consumers a budget approach when they are more concerned about quality than cost. Companies that have the confidence to offer their customers Termidor HE are finding that most of them are happy to pay more for the best available solution. Plus, the reduced digging and drilling make Termidor HE easier and faster for the technicians to install.”
The key to Termidor HE’s appeal is that its proprietary Advanced Polymer Technology (APT) increases the spread of the active ingredient into the soil and creates an enhanced protection zone. The diagram (Figure 1) is a simplified presentation of trial data which shows that the APT results in a much more even distribution of the active ingredient across a greater area compared to standard fipronil products without the polymer technology.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Another important advantage of Termidor HE is that its performance is not compromised by particularly heavy or light-textured soils. The graph (Figure 2) shows the results of a trial which measured the concentration of active ingredient at the application point (AP) and 300 mm away through different soil types. Termidor HE’s polymer technology distributed the same sort of very even concentration regardless of soil type. A competitor product with no polymer in the formulation always left a greater percentage of the active ingredient at the application point and produced uneven results across the three soil types. By contrast, the data used to establish its label claims shows that Termidor can be relied on to deliver an even spread out to at least 350 mm in clay soils and 450 mm in lighter ones.
The superior spread of Termidor HE creates a uniform and consistent protective zone, so termites passing through will carry a lethal dose back to the rest of the colony and the Termidor Transfer Effect™ will rapidly eliminate the threat.
“We supply Termidor users with all the information they need to show potential customers that they’re getting the best protection,” Mark explains. “And of course, the operators who have been using it for years or even decades can tell them about their personal experiences of never letting a client down or being let down themselves.”
Mark stresses that it’s important companies don’t aim too low, which can limit their ability to provide the top level of termite protection and run a more profitable business. “A lot of the companies we work with began by quoting jobs with both Termidor formulations but are now always just quoting on the Termidor HE option and getting the jobs. Their customers appreciate the faster turnarounds and are happy to pay a bit extra for the highest level of protection available.”