In the previous 2007 lab trials, research graduate student, Alvaro Romero, and Professor Kenneth Haynes, tested Phantom on field-collected and laboratory strains of bed bugs. The majority of the field-collected strains were proven to be resistant to pyrethroids, some more than 1000-fold resistant. The results of these 2007 lab trials were presented at the 2007 Pest World convention, indicating that Phantom is lethal to both pyrethroid resistant and susceptible bed bug strains.
With interest peaked by results from the 2007 lab trials, a field trial with Phantom as the main control agent and sole liquid insecticide was initiated by Dr. Michael F. Potter, Extension Professor at the University of Kentucky. The trial was conducted within 15 bed bug-infested apartment units in Cincinnati, Ohio, the same region where some of the highest levels of pyrethroid resistance occurred in the field-collected strains from the lab trials.
At 20 weeks post-treatment, live bed bugs could no longer be found in 12 of the 15 apartments in the field trial. In the three apartments that continued to have bed bugs, treatment was hampered by excessive clutter, lack of preparation and poor tenant cooperation. Currently, there is no industry standard or guaranteed timeframe in which infestations can be eliminated.
“With bed bug populations on the rise and pyrethroid resistance continuing to increase, Phantom will become an integral part of controlling this insect,” said Michael F. Potter. “It was encouraging to see that bed bugs can be reduced to low, often non-detectable levels under the challenging conditions of this study.”
“We are extremely excited about this new research, as bed bugs are an increasingly common problem in the pest management industry, and professionals have been outspoken about the need for effective products,” said Michael Littell, Product Manager for BASF. “Phantom’s unique mode of action and residual properties make it a valuable tool for pest professionals, and these lab and field studies show that Phantom needs to be an integral component of a successful bed bug treatment program.”
Additional Phantom testing is planned for 2008 to expand the knowledge base of Phantom’s impact on bed bug populations and its role in integrated bed bug management. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a label amendment that extended Phantom’s use to control bed bugs.
More information about this University of Kentucky study can be found at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp.