Sep 25, 2012 – Comparing Products
QUESTION:
What is the main difference between Onslaught Microencapsulated and Onslaught Fast Cap? The label for Fastcap says the target pests are spiders and scorpions, but we like the Microencapsulated for fleas. How will it compare for fleas? Should we switch or stay with the original, and why? Thank you
ANSWER:
Onslaught Fast Cap is still a microencapsulated formulation, so if that is a major consideration then either product still fits the bill. The difference is in the active ingredients. The original Onslaught contains only the pyrethroid esfenvalerate, which is a perfectly good active. But, according to the manufacturer MGK, they felt there was a need for the long residual and effectiveness of the microencapsulated pyrethroid along with a faster knockdown, and they specifically target spiders and scorpions in their product features. To do this they added another short-lived pyrethroid called prallethrin as well as the synergist PBO, which you find in nearly all pyrethrum formulations. These last two may be free materials within the Fast Cap concentrate so that they are available immediately to contact and affect the targeted pest, giving that rapid knockdown. The kill of the pest is then accomplished for sure with the esfenvalerate.
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What is the main difference between Onslaught Microencapsulated and Onslaught Fast Cap? The label for Fastcap says the target pests are spiders and scorpions, but we like the Microencapsulated for fleas. How will it compare for fleas? Should we switch or stay with the original, and why? Thank you
ANSWER:
Onslaught Fast Cap is still a microencapsulated formulation, so if that is a major consideration then either product still fits the bill. The difference is in the active ingredients. The original Onslaught contains only the pyrethroid esfenvalerate, which is a perfectly good active. But, according to the manufacturer MGK, they felt there was a need for the long residual and effectiveness of the microencapsulated pyrethroid along with a faster knockdown, and they specifically target spiders and scorpions in their product features. To do this they added another short-lived pyrethroid called prallethrin as well as the synergist PBO, which you find in nearly all pyrethrum formulations. These last two may be free materials within the Fast Cap concentrate so that they are available immediately to contact and affect the targeted pest, giving that rapid knockdown. The kill of the pest is then accomplished for sure with the esfenvalerate.
The label uses, according to MGK, remain very much the same for both Onslaught and Fast Cap. For fleas it is still one of the few products that allows overall treatment of carpeted surfaces, and this can be an important use for fleas indoors. But, for many pests getting that very quick (within 15 minutes) knockdown may not be necessary, as it is not for general flea control where it is the larvae that you are targeting. But, there still is that sense among many of your customers that there should not be anything still moving on their property when you finish the job and leave, so the spider hanging in the web that is not clearly either dead or terribly distressed will make that customer believe you did not do the job. Simply knowing that it is "going to" die may not be enough.
I would suspect that with the additional active ingredients the cost to use Fast Cap may be slightly higher than for original Onslaught, but I could be wrong. You'll need to do that calculation yourself, but even if it is slightly higher that difference would be insignificant in the overall cost of doing the work. If the rapid knockdown is a benefit for some customers or some kinds of pests then that would be a good reason for adding Fast Cap to the arsenal. Specifically with respect to flea control, I think that Onslaught original, along with the addition of an IGR to the spray mix, should be perfectly acceptable as long as the customer understands their role in effective flea control and follows your instructions. This means the needed vacuuming and elimination of fleas on the pets.
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