Should You or Shouldn't You?

Over the years we have often been asked whether new lures should be placed into traps without removing the old ones first. Despite what you may have heard, we would recommend against this practice, since the purpose of monitoring is to obtain consistent information, and adding new lures to a trap with old lures still in place will bring about a concentration change in the release level of pheromone from that trap.

On the face of it, that may seem just fine, but unfortunately " more is not better" in this case, since the higher levels of release do not necessarily improve the attraction of the insect. In fact,the reverse can be true, since the higher level can actually be slightly repellent.

What you should aim for in your monitoring program is a constant pheromone release rate, so that any changes in trapcatch reflect the insect activity, not changes in attractancy. During the first 4-6 weeks the release rate of IMM pheromone from a rubber septum tends to be constant, so changing the lures on a regular basis within that period will give you a constant level of attraction.

Lures are formulated and loaded with considerable accuracy in order to give you that constant release rate, so by working with that in mind, you can reduce the variables and make the information more meaningful.

"Stealth Trap" for food retailers now available.

Several managers of retail food stores approached us over the past few years asking for a discreet IMM trap that could be used in food display areas, that would pass unoticed by customers. As a result of these requests we designed a simple 'under-the-shelf' trap that would meet that need. We call it the "Stealth Trap" since it is barely noticable once it is installed. It's reusable, costs little and is very effective. The trap is baited with the standard IMM lure in the normal way and can be serviced quickly and easily.

New '2000' Roach Monitoring System is well liked.

We are really excited about this one ! The '2000' Monitoring System which has been designed by experts in the pest control industry incorporates a lot of new features that make it superior in performance to other traps on the market. The major difference between this and other full-size roach traps, is the fact that the '2000' Monitoring System uses replaceable inserts within the trap body and thereby results in lower costs.

In addition to this, there are several new design modifications built into the '2000' trap that make it more appealing to the insect as well as to the user. Contact us today for a brochure outlining these new features of the '2000' System and check out our "Product Samples" on this web-site for a special introductory promotion.

Indian Meal Moth problems continue to increase across the North American continent.

For the past 25 years, requests have been coming into us from all parts of North America asking for help in dealing with Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) problems.

Most of these requests came from the food industry, ranging from manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers, and some requests also came from unusual areas such as dried vegetable and dried flower businesses.

The main concerns centre around the warehousing and transportation sector, where 'clean' products in the course of distribution have become contaminated by being in close proximity to other 'infested' products. Below average sanitation and food-contaminated pallets were frequently found to be the cause of these infestations.

Short-cuts in sanitation seem to be an inevitable repercussion of company downsizing and what we first saw on a large scale in 1997, might well be an indication of more serious insect contamination problems that are now developing, and all organizations will have to take measures to watch the situation more carefully to keep problems in check

In addition to the reports of increased activity with Indian Meal Moth, we have also had reports of many more cases of Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuehniella) being present, so this is an area that we shall have to watch carefully in the future.

For those who are not aware of it, our Indian Meal Moth lures are formulated to attract both Ephestia species as well as Plodia, so remember to check your traps for WHAT is caught as well as HOW MANY insects are caught.

Whatever size of business you are involved with, call us if you have any concerns about stored product pests in sensitive areas - we'll help you with advice and can supply you with most of the products that you might need, or at least tell you where to get them.

Auto-Confusion - A First in Canada !

This is a new concept of Mating Disruption that has been under research by us for the past two years. The exciting feature is that it uses about 25 times less pheromone than any other mating disruption method.

Initially our research work has being conducted against Codling Moth in Apple orchards, this has since been expanded to Grape Berry moth and Oriental Fruit Moth. The results here look very promising, and mirror those obtained in several other countries. We will keep you informed.

"Cluster Buster" now in big demand

Introducing an entirely new concept for trapping and holding insects, this highly effective Canadian invention is a 'must' for those who have to deal with Cluster Fly problems that already exist in buildings. The compact trap, which fits on the inside panes of windows, contains a finely ground powder ( made from eggshells ) that coats the bodies of insects that enter the trap,and acts like quick-sand, preventing them from escaping. The trap will hold up to 1000 Cluster Flies (Pollenia rudis), is non-toxic and can be disposed of easily in the garbage when full. What's more, it has a pleasing design that makes it acceptable for use in any location. Available from some of our Pest Control distributors, or direct from Cooper Mill Ltd. For those who would like to purchase the 'Cluster Buster' direct from us, we are currently running an introductory promotion on our 'Sample our Products' page.

Making insect light traps more effective...

There are many thousands of electric light traps being used across North America and elsewhere in the World. These are mainly found in restaurants, kitchens, retail food outlets, food processing plants, livestock premises, and are generally used for housefly control.

While these electric light traps are effective, they depend on only one insect sense - that of VISION. Although houseflies have a wider range of colour vision than humans, their long-range vision is however poorer than ours.

Because of this fact, we have now developed a way to attract the houseflies towards electric light traps from greater distances - BY APPEALING TO THEIR SENSE OF SMELL

To achieve this attraction, we use a specific lure that contains a powerful protein attractant in combination with a pheromone, which is then placed on, or close to, an electric light trap. It is effective for approximately 3 months

The cost of these lures is Can$ 5.00/each - a small but effective addition to your investment in light traps.

New colour brochure on Monitoring Traps now available.

If you would prefer a hard copy brochure on traps and lures, and need a pricelist, please send a request with your complete delivery address to ipm@coopermill.com

Do you want to try out some new products ?

On the Cooper Mill homepage, go to the 'Sample our Products' link. Click on this link to see a selection of traps and lures that are being offered for sale at special introductory prices. The reason for this addition to the site is to allow new buyers to try out products for themselves, without making a major committment.

The way the 'Sample our Products' link works is very simple; It lets you to select what you need, and then calculates all the taxes and shipping costs for your selected items. It will do this in either Canadian Dollars or in US Dollars, depending on which you choose.

Once complete, print out the order form that shows on your screen and send it by regular mail to us with your payment or use the PayPal option. Your order will only be considered firm after your payment has been received

If you would like to respond to any of the above news items, or place an article for submission in the 'Integrate' newsletter, please contact us directly at ipm@coopermill.com orCooper Mill Ltd. R.R.3, MADOC. ONTARIO. CANADA. KOK 2KO.