PCOs, Regulators Attend American Cyanamid EUP Tour

This article appeared in the February 1999 issue of PCT Magazine.

Nearly two dozen prominent PCOs, state regulatory officials and industry consultants traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., recently to learn more about chlorfenapyr, a new active ingredient currently being field tested by American Cyanamid Co.

During the two-day event attendees visited several sites where the chemical has been applied under an experimental use permit (EUP) approved by the state of Florida, in-cluding a single-family home, commercial warehouse and motel complex. The sites featured infestations of both eastern subterranean and Formosan termites.

"We’re excited about this compound and we wanted to share our excitement with others in the industry by sponsoring the EUP tour," said Paul Canavan, sales and market manager for American Cyanamid’s Pest Control Products Group. "To date, the EUP trials have yielded promising results and participating PCOs have been pleased with the performance of the product."

Chlorfenapyr, discovered by American Cyanamid scientists in 1988, is a broad spectrum insecticide from a new class of compounds known as pyrroles. "The chemical interrupts energy production at the cellular level which eventually results in death," according to Bob Farlow, manager of product development for the company. "With this chemical, we’re impacting the termite population in a matter of days rather than weeks. How quickly it kills is a real attribute, particularly when the homeowner wants the problem corrected immediately."

Other features of the active ingredient include no cross-resistance, excellent residual activity, no odor, low volatility and no repellency. "When applied around structures, the termites don’t even know it’s there," Farlow said. "Since they don’t detect it, they readily tunnel through it, acquiring a lethal dose of the material."

Tom Nishimura, master technical specialist for American Cyanamid, added that "the compound seems to transcend soil differences which is very impressive. That’s one of the reasons it appears to perform so well as a termiticide."

While the EUP tour focused on the chemical’s termite control qualities, chlorfenapyr also shows promise as an ant and cockroach control agent, according to American Cyanamid scientists. "At rates ranging from .25% to .01%, we’ve seen very effective control of all ants tested to date," Farlow said. "It also has performed well in our cockroach control trials, providing excellent residual activity."