Many types of pest products can be foamed, including insect growth regulators, microbial agents, insecticides, and borates. Foaming products can be used in many situations where liquid or dust insecticides are not adequate.
What are the advantages of choosing a foam insecticide?
- Foam increases accuracy and precision of product placement as it cannot be pulled by gravity to the lowest point in a given area like a liquid or dust treatment.
- Foam's ability to expand extends coverage to out of the way voids and small spaces that would otherwise be missed. For example if a wall void needed to be treated for termites, spraying in a liquid would certainly miss key areas potentially leading to further termite damage. If the same wall void were treated with a foam termiticide, the foam would expand and fill the void, allowing the active ingredient to bond with all surfaces.
When should foam be used?
There are many pest control situations that benefit from using a foam.
- Fly management in commercial kitchens : Using a foaming microbial product such as Invade Bio Foam will help the product adhere to the surfaces being treated and allow the microbes more time to break down the organic matter that has built up in hard to treat areas. Use the foam in sink and floor drains and around loose flooring to eliminate breeding areas for drain flies, vinegar flies, fruit flies.
- Roach control programs: Termidor FOAM is a non-repellent foam that can be applied inside hollow metal tubing such as table legs and appliance legs, notorious roach breeding grounds. Foamed insecticides may also be applied to wall voids to eliminate roaches.
- Bedbug control programs: Hollow metal or brass bed frames and furniture are next to impossible to properly treat. Using Termidor FOAM in the hollow tubing could get rid of any nesting insects within making this type of furniture salvageable.
- Termite treatment programs : Use foamed termiticides to treat above window encasements and in wall voids where liquids or dusts would not be able to stick and provide ample coverage.
- Odor Control in wall voids: Bac-A-Zap is an enyme product that can be foamed directly into wall voids to get rid of odors caused by rodents that have died in walls or other inaccessible area making removal impossible.
How are liquid insecticides made into foam?
Many types of insecticides can be "foamed". Most require two things to turn into foam:
1) A foaming agent (such as ProFoam) must be added to the diluted mixture. The amount of foaming agent added to the mixture will depend on the expansion needed for the treatment being completed and the insecticide manufacturer's instructions regarding the foam application of the product.
2) A foaming device like the Chapin Poly Foamer will be required to actually add the air needed to make the liquid solution into foam and to apply the foam to the treatment area.
There are several products that come in an aerosol type can and are ready to use, no mixing or special devices required. Products like Termidor FOAM provide broad spectrum insect control and are easy to use and make for fast applications and easy clean ups. These ready to use foams would be a good choice for small treatment areas but may prove to be too expensive for large areas.
Some products like Invade Bio Foam do not require a foaming agent. These products come with the foaming agent already added to the mixture eliminating the need to purchase a separate foaming agent and the need to measure and mix individual products. A Chapin Poly Foamer is still needed for the application process.
Insecticides that can be foamed:
To find out if insecticides not mentioned on this list can be foamed, please read the manufacturer's label or call Do My Own Pest Control
Ready To Use Foam (Do not require any special equipment or foaming agents)
No Mixing Required Foams (Requires foaming device)
Foaming Equipment: