Sentricon®: The Evolution

Though the original Sentricon® system was a game changer for pest control professionals and their clients, the innovation didn’t stop once the system was introduced. The evolution of Sentricon brought a new active ingredient, a new bait matrix and a new above-ground station, which helped make Sentricon a household name in termite control.

FIRST TERMITE-SPECIFIC ACTIVE. While hexaflumuron, the original active ingredient in Sentricon, was rightfully hailed at the time of its discovery, researchers knew there was still room for improvement in speed of action, dosage, half-life of the active ingredient and overall efficacy. That commitment to continuous improvement led to the discovery of noviflumuron, the first active ingredient developed specifically for termite control.

Like its predecessor, noviflumuron is a chitin synthesis inhibitor that kills termites by stopping the molting process. And, just like hexaflumuron, noviflumuron is effective because it uses the termite’s own biological processes against the colony, and because it’s slow-acting and undetectable. But noviflumuron adds speed — colony elimination occurs in just half the time, using one-third less bait — and a high level of efficacy against Formosan termites.

REVOLUTIONIZING COLONY ELIMINATION. Ongoing research and development continued to push the performance of the Sentricon® system and provide CSSs with greater scheduling flexibility. Recruit IV, introduced in 2006, offered quarterly monitoring and double the active ingredient of Recruit III.

When Recruit HD was introduced in 2010, it became the first termite bait to gain a once-per-year service schedule. Not only did Recruit HD contain more than double the noviflumuron as Recruit IV, it offered another secret weapon: Always Active™ technology. The patented formulation of Always Active technology allowed the bait to stand up to extended exposure to subsoil environments, helping reduce the labor required for monitoring and maintenance while also offering a more convenient experience for customers.

While perfecting our in-ground bait formulation, we were also researching a solution for aerial colonies. When Recruit AG was introduced in 1997, it allowed CSSs to place bait in direct contact with foraging workers when discovered on foundations or in crawl spaces. The Recruit® AG FlexPack® bait station, introduced in 2015, made it even easier to install bait packs in corners, around pipes or any other above-ground location where termites can be intercepted.

BETTER AND FASTER THAN EVER. Today, thanks to ongoing input from the Certified Sentricon Specialist community, the Sentricon system has continued to evolve. Features such as RFID-equipped bait station top caps have helped service technicians get in, do the job and move on to the next site, while Sentricon with Always Active technology has given CSSs and their customers the confidence of knowing their homes and businesses are protected, 24/7.