Jun 30, 2011 – Foam It Up
QUESTION:
What makes foam better than regular surface sprays?
ANSWER:
Foam is only a carrier, but if you have watched some of the home improvement shows you may have seen where they applied foam insulation by spraying the liquid into a wall void. Immediately the liquid converts to an expanding foam that fills that void completely. While this is a bit different than using foam with insecticides it is similar. The foam you inject into a void expands to fill that void, carrying the insecticide mixed with the foam along with it to apply the active ingredient to all the surfaces the foam contacts. Since you are injecting this into an inaccessible void it offers an excellent means for getting the active ingredient onto all the surfaces, increasing the chances that insect pests will contact it.
Some of the first applications our industry had for this was foam injections under slabs. The termiticide is mixed in a tank along with the proper amount of foaming agent, and when it was injected the result was the foam expanding to push outward from that point. Since subterranean termites often would tube along the underside of the concrete where there had been settling and subsidence of the soil below that slab, this applied the active ingredient to all surfaces and kept the termites from bypassing the treatment.
Now we have various formulations of insecticides in foaming aerosol cans for injection into wall voids or directly into termite galleries in the wood. We could foam into a wall void for ants or termites using a contact insecticide mixed in a sprayer with the foaming agent, and using the proper equipment that is designed to create the foam upon release we increase the chances of depositing the active ingredient on more surface area. The trick is to regulate the foam output so it is a "dry" foam that expands and dissipates slowly, much like shaving cream, rather than a "wet" foam that runs down quickly and whose bubbles disappear rapidly. We also have foaming injection of drains for fly management, such as the Invade Bio-Foam products, perhaps using the Foamer Simpson for application.
We might use Fast-Out CS Foam for roach or bed bug control to increase surface area coverage in the hidden voids these insects hide in. We can do odor control using a liquid concentrate deodorizer, again mixed properly with the foaming agent in an applicator that will create the foam, and injecting it into voids where there is a source of a foul odor. Many pesticide labels will have specific instructions on how to use them with a foaming agent and a dedicated foaming applicator.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
What makes foam better than regular surface sprays?
ANSWER:
Foam is only a carrier, but if you have watched some of the home improvement shows you may have seen where they applied foam insulation by spraying the liquid into a wall void. Immediately the liquid converts to an expanding foam that fills that void completely. While this is a bit different than using foam with insecticides it is similar. The foam you inject into a void expands to fill that void, carrying the insecticide mixed with the foam along with it to apply the active ingredient to all the surfaces the foam contacts. Since you are injecting this into an inaccessible void it offers an excellent means for getting the active ingredient onto all the surfaces, increasing the chances that insect pests will contact it.
Some of the first applications our industry had for this was foam injections under slabs. The termiticide is mixed in a tank along with the proper amount of foaming agent, and when it was injected the result was the foam expanding to push outward from that point. Since subterranean termites often would tube along the underside of the concrete where there had been settling and subsidence of the soil below that slab, this applied the active ingredient to all surfaces and kept the termites from bypassing the treatment.
Now we have various formulations of insecticides in foaming aerosol cans for injection into wall voids or directly into termite galleries in the wood. We could foam into a wall void for ants or termites using a contact insecticide mixed in a sprayer with the foaming agent, and using the proper equipment that is designed to create the foam upon release we increase the chances of depositing the active ingredient on more surface area. The trick is to regulate the foam output so it is a "dry" foam that expands and dissipates slowly, much like shaving cream, rather than a "wet" foam that runs down quickly and whose bubbles disappear rapidly. We also have foaming injection of drains for fly management, such as the Invade Bio-Foam products, perhaps using the Foamer Simpson for application.
We might use Fast-Out CS Foam for roach or bed bug control to increase surface area coverage in the hidden voids these insects hide in. We can do odor control using a liquid concentrate deodorizer, again mixed properly with the foaming agent in an applicator that will create the foam, and injecting it into voids where there is a source of a foul odor. Many pesticide labels will have specific instructions on how to use them with a foaming agent and a dedicated foaming applicator.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
