Termirepel™- An effective solution against Spider mites…

Spider mites are members of the Acari (mite) family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 other species. Spider mites are extremely tiny creatures, less than 1mm (0.04 in) in size and they vary in color. Among plant pests, mites are amongst the most difficult to control, and are responsible for a significant portion of all pesticides used on ornamentals. Individual spider mites are almost microscopic, yet when they occur in large numbers, they can cause serious plant damage. They generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and they can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells to feed. Spider mites are known to feed on several hundred species of plants. They lay small, spherical, initially transparent eggs and many species spin silk webbing to help protect the colony from predators; they get the “spider” part of their common name from this webbing. A single mature female can spawn a population of a million mites in a month or less. This accelerated reproductive rate allows spider mite populations to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Usually one should look out for Spider mite damage in the summer months when the temperatures are high and conditions are dry as these conditions are most suitable to spider mite proliferation.

Many different species attack shade trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. Spider mites attack a wide range of plants, including peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, corn, cannabis, and strawberries. The top of the leaves look like they have a bronze cast to them usually, but sometimes the look may be a silvery cast or even just a dull gray look. When spider mites attack the underside of leaves, we may mistake them for dust as they give a brownish brazen tinge.

Spider mites lack chewing or piercing-sucking mouthparts. They use a pair of needle-like stylets to rupture leaf cells and then push their mouth into the torn tissue to drink the cell sap. Small groups of cells are killed, which results in a stippling or speckling on the upper leaf surface. On plants which are heavily infested, the foliage will often become gray, yellow, bleached, dry, or bronzed, with leaf drop, loss of vigor and eventual death if untreated. With a magnifying hand lens, cast skins, eggshells, and individual mites, as well as mite colonies, are visible on the undersides of leaves.

An early sign of infestation is a very fine, light speckling or localized pale yellow spots on the upper surface of leaves. Careful examination of the undersides of affected leaves, preferably with a hand lens or magnifying glass, will reveal colonies of mites. A more generalized bronzing discoloration develops as infestation progresses.

Spider mites continue to be a pest problem in dry beans, soybeans and field corn in droughty areas. When left untreated, spider mites can cause extensive and irreversible damage to soybean foliage, so growers need to keep an eye on their fields – especially if the weather remains dry. Researchers muse that ‘Amino acids are more available to insects when they feed on stressed soybeans instead of healthy soybeans’. This means that the mites can proactively use these nutrients from stressed plants to synthesize proteins for use in their reproduction.

Spider mite damage is typically most visible at first in the most stressed areas of the field; this often includes field edges. Soybean growers are likely to first notice foliar damage in the form of subtle stippling of leaves, which can progress to bronzing.

If a mite infestation develops, leaves may be severely damaged and the food manufacturing ability of the plants progressively reduced. If an infestation is severe, leaves may be killed. In corn, effects on yield are most severe when mites start damaging leaves at or above the ear level. Infestations may reduce corn grain yields due to poor seed fill and they have been associated with accelerated plant dry down in the fall. The quality and yield of silage corn also may decline due to mite feeding.

Damage is similar in soyabeans, and includes leaf spotting, leaf dropping, accelerated senescence and pod shattering, as well as yield loss. Early and severe mite injury left untreated can completely eliminate yields. More commonly, mite injury occurring during the late vegetative and early reproductive growth stages will reduce soybean yields 40%-60%. Spider mites can cause yield reductions as long as green pods are present.

Not just soybean and corn, other crops of great economic importance like coffee beans have to bear the brunt of a mite infestation. Let us look at the following news article:

Soybean School: Dry weather brings spider mites and aphids

July 1, 2020

From cereal aphids to armyworm, Ontario growers have already seen significant pest pressure in 2020 crops and there’s more on the way.

As the calendar turns to July and hot, dry conditions persist, soybean growers need to be on the lookout for both spider mites and aphids in their crops, says Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs field entomologist Tracey Baute.

On this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Baute explains that with wheat harvest fast approaching, mites will now be looking for a new home and will be seeking out soybean and edible bean fields.

Spider mites latest threat to Colombian coffee crop

September 06, 2012|Reuters

Colombian farmer Jairo Morales is worried. His coffee trees are speckled with crimson as tiny red spider mites attack his plantation, posing a threat not only to his livelihood but also to output in the world’s No. 3 coffee growing country.

The mites cling to the leaves of coffee plants and gradually turn them reddish until they wither and die.

The threat comes at a time in which Colombia is struggling to raise annual coffee output to 11 million 60-kilogram sacks, the country’s long-term average.

The tiny arachnids have always been a menace to coffee crops in the Andean country, but other predator insects have usually kept them at bay.

“This has been a surprise. I’d never seen anything like this in the many years that I’ve been growing coffee. I often see small areas by the side of the road, but never an attack like this,” Morales said.

Red spider mites have attacked many plantations in Caldas, the No. 4 coffee producing region in Colombia, contributing about 10 percent to the country’s total coffee output.

Morales suspect that the increasing number of spider mites could be a consequence of the ashes that covered the area after the Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption in June, which apparently killed the insects that prey on the arachnids.

“The risk is that they ‘burn’ the leaves, and it takes a long time for the plants to recover,” said the farmer at his plantation on a mountain slope in the Caldas region.

“If the coffee trees fail to grow branches and flower we’ll lose the crop that we’re about to harvest and we can lose next year’s because they will not flower,” he said.

Crops in the Quindio, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca regions also have been hit, though less severely, according to the coffee grower’s federation.

Colombia, the world’s top producer of high quality arabica beans, has missed its annual coffee production goals for three consecutive years due to torrential rains brought on by the weather phenomenon La Nina.

Heavy rains prevent flowering, which last year resulted in an output of 7.8 million sacks, the lowest in three decades. Production this year is expected to be around 8 million bags.

Moreover, due to their ever-growing population, spider mites quickly adapt to changes and learn to resist pesticides, so chemical control methods can become somewhat ineffective when the same pesticide is used over a prolonged period. Spider mites are difficult to control with pesticides, and many commonly used insecticides aggravate the problem by destroying their natural enemies. Use of the wrong pesticide at the wrong time can result in a season-long infestation of mites, which will be difficult to control with miticides. Although the labels on common pesticides do include spider mites, they usually contain pyrethroid. Because they contain pyrethroids they will be highly toxic to all beneficial insects such as predatory mites, big-eyed bugs and other insects that would normally prey on the spider mites. What is likely to happen following a pesticide application is that some of the spider mites will be killed and most or all of the predators also will be killed. Very quickly, the spider mites that were not killed by the application will begin to produce eggs, and when those eggs hatch there will not be any predators present to kills the mites. Thus the use of conventional pesticides will not effectively deal with the problem, but just might aggravate it further! The conventional pesticides and insecticides can thus not ensure that the problem won’t recur.

Termirepel™ a product by C Tech Corporation can provide much-needed relief from this problem. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous insect and pest repellent. It is effective against a wide array of pests that attack the agricultural sector, some worse and difficult to eradicate like spider mites. Termirepel™ is available in the form of a liquid concentrate which can be further diluted and made into a spray, to be sprayed on the plants. Termirepel™ is also available in the form of polymer masterbatches to be added to agricultural films and micro-irrigation pipes during processing. This product will not kill the spider mite population but will just discourage their proliferation as well as return. It is designed in such as a way so as to discourage subsequent attacks. Thus it works on the principle of prevention being better than cure.

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http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
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Ash Borer- The tree damager

The inevitable arrival of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that has wiped out entire populations of ash trees is spreading widely and causing extensive destruction.

It has killed a large number of ash trees in North America and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas across Canada and the United States.

The emerald ash borer is native to China and eastern Asia. It was found in North America in 2002. In May 2002, it was discovered in southeastern Michigan in the United States and in July 2002 it was found in Essex County in Ontario. Like some other exotic pests that affect plants and trees, it is believed to have been accidentally introduced to North America in imported wood packaging or crating material

The beetle is metallic green in colour and is 8.5 to 14.0 millimetres long. While the back of the insect is an iridescent, metallic green, the underside is a bright emerald green. The body is narrow and elongated, and the head is flat. The eyes are kidney-shaped and usually black.

Many infestations began when people moved infested ash trees from nurseries, logs, or firewood to other areas that did not have infestations. The emerald ash borer also spreads naturally through a beetle flight. Research indicates the adult can fly up to 10 kilometres, but generally does not stray from the immediate area when it emerges.

The leafy canopy of infested ash trees will begin to look thin. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) chews through the tree’s water and nutrient-conducting tissues, strangling the tree. If there is a high population of EAB in the tree, the leafy canopy in ash trees will start to die. A third to a half of the branches may die in one year. Most of the canopy will be dead within 2 years of when symptoms are first seen. Sometimes ash trees push out sprouts from the trunk after the upper portions of the tree die. The adult beetles will leave a “D”-shaped hole in the bark, roughly 1/8 inch in diameter when they emerge in June.

EAB is now considered the most destructive forest pest ever seen in North America. The scope of this problem will reach the billions of dollars nationwide if not dealt with.

Ash trees provide many benefits within urban environments, such as increased property values, windbreaks, temperature regulation, pollution abatement, runoff prevention, and provision of wildlife habitat. With extensive ash tree mortality caused by EAB, the cost of replacing such services can be immense for municipalities.

Damages reported were as follows:

Emerald ash borer destroys 10 large trees in Edmundston

The City of Edmundston plans to cut down 10 ash trees this week that it planted more than 30 years ago, because of damage caused by the destructive emerald ash borer.

“It’s very unfortunate, but it was inevitable,” Alain Laplante, an urban forester with the city’s public works department, said in a statement.

Once the presence of the flying beetle was confirmed in the city in 2018, officials knew all ash trees were at risk, he said. The invasive insect has killed millions of trees across North America.

Ash borer to cost Mitchell millions

Mark Andersen │ May 11, 2018

The pending death of an estimated 8,000 ash trees in Mitchell will be tragic, but the millions of dollars needed to address those dead trees will compound the disaster.

Sioux Falls will be looking at the death of its 87,000 ash trees over the next decade. Ball estimates Mitchell has 8,000 ash trees, based on its proportionate size.

His ballpark estimate for removing Mitchell’s ash once they die hovers around $5 million. He estimates it would cost $1.6 million every two years to treat Mitchell’s ash trees with insecticide.

Invasive beetle wiping out city ash trees

Sharon Roznik │ May 14, 2016

The emerald ash borer is widespread throughout Fond du Lac, said the city’s arborist, Brian Weed. So far, the city has treated 344 trees, and private residents have adopted 98 trees to care for on city terraces.

The ash borer could kill more than 99 percent of the ash trees in the state, experts say, which would account for more than 725 million trees and more than 20 percent of the state’s urban forests, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Insecticides and some biological control practices like exploration for natural enemies are being implemented but these are proved to be ineffective.

We need a solution that is effective, eco- friendly and easy to use.

The unique product Termirepel™ manufactured by C Tech Corporation is an anti-insect aversive which repels insects.

Termirepel™ works on the mechanism of repellency. It temporarily inhibits the mating cycle of the insects. The product impairs the ability of the insects to reproduce, that is the insects will not lay eggs or the laid eggs will be infertile. The product causes feeding disruption in an insect by triggering an unpleasant reaction within the insect which might try to feed on the application.

The product temporarily blocks the reproduction system of the insects by hindering the release of the vital hormones for growth.

Termirepel™ is an extremely low concern, low toxic, nonhazardous, non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic insect aversive. It does not kill or cause harm to insects as well as to the environment which indirectly helps to maintain the ecological balance.

Termirepel™ is available in the form of the masterbatch, which can be incorporated into the polymeric applications like polymeric tree guards, pipes, etc.

The product available in the form of liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a predetermined ratio and be applied on the fences in the garden to keep the ash borer away from these places.

Our product in the lacquer form can be applied topically on the applications. The lacquer is compatible with most of the surfaces like wood, concrete, metal, polymer, ceramic, etc. The lacquer can be applied on the trunks of trees thus protecting it from damage.

The lacquer can be applied to the tree trunks protecting it from the attacks. The product is also effective against other pests thus protecting the trees from other pest attacks.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil.

Also, visit our websites:

http://www.ctechcorporation.com/
http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
http://www.combirepel.com/

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Protecting Hospitals from Insect Menace!

Insect control in hospitals and health care facilities presents a real challenge. Hospitals require higher levels of hygiene than most other facilities. The presence of insects in hospitals can cause the spread of dangerous diseases, loss of life, damage to modern equipments, monetary losses etc.

Insect infestation in hospitals is an extremely serious issue. With cockroaches, the close association with filth makes them potential transmitters of a plethora of diseases, such as dysentery, salmonella, cholera and tuberculosis. The risk of secondary infections in a hospital increases exponentially in the presence of cockroaches.

Ants are looked up as potential vectors of diseases by carrying the bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Salmonella, as they have a propensity to feed on variety of food, like soiled linen, excrement and septic dressings.

Mosquitoes are responsible for the weakened immune systems of most patients in a hospital and other healthcare facilities and there is an increase in risk of fatalities through Malaria, Dengue and other mosquito transmitted diseases. Diseases, like Chikungunya, where mosquitoes spread the disease from infected to healthy persons, can easily go out of control in hospitals.

Bed bugs, on the other hand are very commonly encountered pests in hospitals because of their busy nature and other healthcare facilities. The mobility of flies coupled with their potential to spread pathogens and bacteria, makes them a high risk pest in hospitals. The larvae of some fly species are known to infest human flesh through open wounds causing myasis.

Let us have a look at some news articles pertaining to insect menace in hospitals

Indore: Cockroach in corona patient’s meal at MRTB triggers anger
Indore: A cockroach was found in the meal of a Covid-19 infected patient at MRTB Hospital triggering anger among other patients at the dedicated medical facility for coronavirus patients.

Director of the agency, that has the food contract, reached the hospital and assured of getting the incident probed.

When the meal was served in the morning, one patient complained that there was a cockroach in his plate. Initially, employees of the Khajrana Ganesh Temple society, who are supplying the food at MRTB Hospital and other hospitals associated with MGM Medical College, rejected the allegation that it was a cockroach and claimed that it was some ingredient. This further angered the patients.
Indianapolis man allegedly catches bed bug on camera at IU Methodist Hospital
FOX 59, Indianapolis, USA

An Indianapolis man is speaking out against IU Methodist Hospital after he says he found a bed bug crawling on his wife’s hospital gown, just hours after she gave birth.

Ants and Flies Causing Nuisance At Tayside Hospitals
January 2^nd 2016, thetele.co.uk, UK

Creepy crawlies and flies are among the many pests causing a nuisance in hospitals and care facilities across Tayside. Details released by NHS Tayside in response to a Freedom of Information request have documented pest control incidents across the last two years. NHS Tayside has a local pest control contract in place and is called out to deal with outbreaks of pests as they occur. The total cost associated with the services of the outside pest control agency between 29 November 2013 and October 7 2014 was £67,124.94. From November 1 2014 to November 9 2015, costs had dropped substantially to £16,003.20.The total spend from November 2013 to October 2014 included £40,000 of “proactive spend”.

The conventional methods that are being used in the hospitals to get rid of insect menace include periodic fumigation which is an expensive, tedious and time consuming process. Because insects are becoming increasingly resistant to the conventional toxic and hazardous insecticides, the traditional pest control methods recommended by many pest control businesses no longer work. Therefore, we are in dire need of an infallible plan to combat the problem of increasing number of insects.

At C Tech Corporation, we provide a safe and non-toxic solution to deal with this issue. Our product Termirepel™ is non-hazardous, environment-friendly product that helps to keep insects at bay. However, the best feature of the product is that it does not kill the target species! In fact, it is completely safe for the target as well as non-target species. These innovative products, in masterbatch form, can be incorporated with wires and cables of various medical equipment, which would protect these expensive equipments from insects found in hospitals. Various PVC surfaces can also be coated with our product in lacquer form which would ensure complete protection against these creatures. The hospital premises such as canteens, operation theatres etc. can be also be kept safe by coating the surfaces in lacquer form.

The Termirepel™ insect repellent spray is an easy to use product and compatible with most of the surfaces.

Hence by using Termirepel™ in the hospitals, you can get rid of the bedbugs and other insects and thereby making a pleasant stay for the guests.

You may also use our Combirepel^TM product which is all in one pest repellent effective in repelling rodents, insects, and birds.

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com if you’re facing problems with pests and get best remedies to combat the pest menace.

Also, visit our websites:

http://www.ctechcorporation.com/
http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
http://www.combirepel.com/

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Bedbugs in hotels

Is it possible to tell that the bed on which u sleep is infested with bed bugs? The real truth is, it can be difficult to spot beg bugs especially during the day as they are nocturnal and their nests which are very tiny will be hidden within the dark crevices under the bed. Since bedbugs got their name for a reason as they tend to live around bed or mattress.

People believe that only the unhygienic and the dirty hotels get bedbugs but the truth is that all hotels get bedbugs. Whether it would be the cheapest hotel or the five star one, all hotels get bed bugs from time to time. Therefore any hotel in the world can be infested with bed bugs.

These little bedbugs have nothing to do with the hygiene they can simply enter by someone’s luggage and can make their home in the beds enjoying a meal that is feeding on our blood while we are sleeping.

Let’s have a look at some of the evidence,

Disneyland Hotel guest ‘absolutely butchered’ by bedbugs

Ivy Eldridge, who visited the park with her family in April 2018, is claiming she suffered both physical and emotional damage after waking up at Anaheim’s Disneyland Hotel covered in bedbug bites, according to a lawsuit filed earlier last week, The Los Angeles Times and Fox News report.

Ms Eldridge also claims she required medical treatment following the incident.

Ms Eldridge’s lawyer Brian Virag, of legal firm My Bed Bug Lawyer, Inc, filed the lawsuit on her behalf, and named Walt Disney Co. and Disney Parks and Resorts as defendants in addition to Disneyland Hotel.

“People put trust in the Disney name and pay top dollar to stay at Disneyland Hotel. In this case, Ms Eldridge’s trust was betrayed,” Mr Virag said in an article posted to the My Bed Bug Lawyer website.

“This was not a situation where a person sustained one or two bites. Ms Eldridge was bitten throughout her body, including, but not limited to her face, ears, neck, arms, and back.

“She was absolutely butchered.”

The lawsuit further claims that Disneyland was aware of the bedbug infestation, but did not take the appropriate steps to rectify it.

A spokesperson for Disneyland did not comment on the lawsuit but told Fox News the resort took “extensive preventive measures” to keep guests safe.

Holidaymakers attacked by BEDBUGS left ‘mentally scarred’ after infestation at four-star hotel ruins £2,000 trip

A British couple say they were left traumatised after they were bitten by bedbugs during their Spanish getaway.

Sue and John Berry claim to have suffered dozens of bites all over their bodies at a four-star hotel just three days into their two-week, £2,000 holiday.

The retirees are now so fearful of the parasitic insects that they haven’t been on holiday since then.

And they claim that they have been “passed from pillar to post“after complaining to the tour operator who sold them the trip.

Sue told the Liverpool Echo that she and her husband were left “mentally scarred” and embarrassed as strangers stared at their bites.

The couple, from Melling, Merseyside, went on the trip to Levante Park Hotel in Cala Bona, Majorca, in August last year after booking with Tui Gold (formerly Thomson Gold).

They said the company hasn’t responded to their latest correspondence.

Sue, 63, said: “It was my husband’s first holiday away in ten years and within a couple of days it was ruined. I had bites all over my body and he had them on his legs.

“They were on my neck and chest. We looked like we had a disease. I was really embarrassed and it felt like everyone was looking at us.”

Sue said that she was told by a maid that the bites were the work of bedbugs that had infested the room.

At one stage the “infestation” got so bad Sue said they woke up in the middle of the night and could feel the bugs crawling on them.

She added: “We asked to move rooms and they said the hotel was full and it wasn’t possible.

“I was so exhausted and started to cry with frustration as we were covered in bites and it was so sore and uncomfortable.

“That night we sprayed the bed with something the maid had given us but woke up and could see the bugs crawling over us and the bed.“

Since returning home Sue said she and her 67-year-old husband are yet to go on another holiday for fear of wasting their money and being affected again.

with the ongoing pandemic, here’s a piece of sad news to all the travelers:

Hotel warning: Guests urged to prepare for ‘starving and aggressive’ bed bugs in hotels

HOTEL holidays and stays in a B&B are much loved by British tourists but enjoying a break in these accommodation types now come comes with a warning – of very hungry bed bugs. This is what you need to know.

By HARRIET MALLINSON

June 25, 2020

Hotel and B&B guests are being urged to prepare for an invasion of bed bugs. Holidays in the UK can return from July 4, according to an announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week. However, although holiday accommodation has been lying empty for the past few months, travellers do still need to take care when it comes to bed bugs and follow the right travel advice.

Pesticides have detrimental effects on human health and cause harmful diseases so instead of using outdated control measures we can make use of our product, our product Termirepel™ manufactured by C Tech Corporation is an anti-insect aversive which repels insects.

The product temporarily blocks the reproduction system of the insects by hindering the release of the vital hormones for growth.

Termirepel™ is an extremely low concern, low toxic, low hazard, non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic insect aversive. It does not kill or cause harm to insects as well as to the environment which indirectly helps to maintain the ecological balance.

Termirepel™ is available in the form of the liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a predetermined ratio and be applied on the material which has to be protected from bedbugs

Termirepel™ in the lacquer form can be applied topically to the applications. The lacquer is compatible with most of the surfaces like wood, concrete, metal, polymer, ceramic, cables, wires, etc.

Termirepel™ in the form of the masterbatch, which can be incorporated into the polymeric applications like polymeric tree guards, pipes, wires, cables, polymeric material, instruments, and equipment which we use at hotels.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, ISO, REACH, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted.

Also, visit our websites:

http://www.ctechcorporation.com/
http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
http://www.combirepel.com/

Follow our Facebook pages at:

1] https://www.facebook.com/Combirepel-411710912249274/
2] https://www.facebook.com/Termirepel-104225413091251/
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2] https://twitter.com/termirepel
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The leaf cutter ant

You definitely must have read about woodcutters, but have you heard of leaf cutter ants?!

Yes, leaf cutter ants!

They are known to cut down the leaves of the trees and carry those along to their nest. Interesting, aren’t they?!

Here’s more about them.
There are 47 species of leafcutter ants. Leafcutter ants are fairly large ants, and are reddish-brown in color. They have small spines on their backs.
Like all insects, a leafcutter ant’s body comprises three main parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. The head is where the mouth and sensory organs are found, the thorax is where the legs and wings are joined, and the abdomen houses the digestive and reproductive organs.

Leafcutter ants have two long antennae, and five eyes: two big, compound eyes on either side of their heads, and three simple eyes on the tops of their heads.
While it might seem like they’re vegetarians creating a massive salad bar inside their nests, they’re actually collecting those leaves to feed to their fungus gardens. It’s the fungus they grow from the decomposing leaves that’s their food. Yes, they need the leaves, but only in the way that we need fertilizer to grow our crops.

Leafcutter ant’s social structure is extremely complex with multiple chambers and passages. Leafcutter ant’s colonies can be up to 10 million ants strong, and they need space for all those ants plus their fungus gardens, nurseries, trash chambers and other chambers within their nest. Nests can be from 30m2 to 35m2 in area, and several meters deep, with up to 8,000 chambers and tunnels 70m long, depending on the species. The nest’s chambers are built at depths that provide a suitable temperature for their intended use.

Leafcutter ants are incredible workers, and it’s no wonder they’re considered a major crop pest. They are able to strip a tree of its foliage in less than 24 hours. And studies show that more than 17 percent of leaf production by plants surrounding a leaf-cutter ant colony goes straight into that big, fungus-growing nest. Each ant has a role to play in the colony such as workers and soldiers, and their size and physical appearance reflect what their job is within the colony. But a surprising role is that of a tiny protector. There are ants whose job it is to protect leaves from parasitic flies and wasps. These ants, called minim ants, ride on the leaves and pluck off any parasites that could cause disease or destruction if the parasite made its way into the ant colony.

The ant society actually consists of four main social levels, or ‘castes’: minims, minors, mediae, and majors. Minims, described earlier, mainly work inside the nest, tending to the fungus and ant larvae. Minors protect the foraging columns and also guard the nest. Mediae carry heavier loads back to the nest. Majors provide additional security when the nest is threatened. Some species of leafcutter ants remove waste material from the nest and take it to special areas; others have chambers within the nest to store waste.

When carrying loads back to the nest, minors are susceptible to attack from phorid flies. These flies are parasitic, and lay eggs on the heads of the ants. To prevent this, minims are known to ride on the larger ant’s back (or on the top of the leaf being carried), to fend off any attacks.

They are known to destruct essential trees by cutting down their leaves. Below is the evidence of the same:

Biggest colony of leafcutter ants in Britain has self-destructed – after they chewed through an electric power cable in their tank

By Sophie Jane Evans – Daily Mail

Britain’s biggest colony of leafcutter ants has self-destructed after chewing through a power cable in its tank.
More than a million of the tropical insects – who can carry 20 times their weight in their jaws – had been living at Butterfly World near St Albans, Hertfordshire.
They were dominated by a giant queen ant, the size of a small mouse, who was protected by an inner circle of soldier ants.
But in recent weeks, some of the ants had started nibbling on a power lead in their glass cabinet, which was linked to a water tank regulating their temperature.

C Tech Corporation has a solution to leaf-cutter ant’s menace.
We, at C Tech Corporation, a viable solution. The solution is named as Termirepel™. We are the sole manufacturers of the product Termirepel™.

Our company believes in the principles of sustainability and eco-balance. We do not want to imbalance the cycle of life; therefore Termirepel™ can be easily described as insect aversive, used also against all types of insects and which works on the mechanism of repellency. It means that it does not kill the target insects but only repels them, thus balancing the ecology and helping in maintaining the goal of sustainability.

The product available in the form of masterbatch can be incorporated into the polymeric applications like the agricultural films and mulches, tree guards, and other horticultural equipment.

The liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a pre-determined ratio and can be applied on the concrete fences around trees.

The product available in the form of lacquer can be applied on the trunks of the trees. The lacquer can be used on already installed polymeric tree guards.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil.

Also, visit our websites:
http://www.ctechcorporation.com/
http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
http://www.combirepel.com/

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Termites: How to Identify and Control Them

Termites are one of the most damaging pests a person can have. Not healthwise, as they are not dangerous to humans and pets and they do not transmit diseases. However, they can cause a ton of damage to your property, they spread extremely fast and are very hard to kill because of their reproductive abilities and long life. Still. Easy to say, termites can be a great nuisance and aren’t something that should be taken lightly.

In this article, we will shed some light on the most common signs of a termite infestation, ways to prevent one and what to do once they have already invaded your property.

Signs of a termite infestation

If you have any doubts that your house is the victim of a termite infestation, there are certain signs and things you need to look out in order to be completely sure.

Keep in mind that termites are often mistaken for white ants due to their colour and front body part, however, all similarities stop there. The wings of the ant are actually different in size – one pair is larger than the other, whether the termite ones are absolutely the same. The ant’s antennae are bent unlike those of termites that are completely straight and their bodies, in general, are quite thick in comparison.

So here are the main things you should pay attention to if you are worried about having termites.

Alates

Also known as flying termites or swarmers, they are the males and females who have set out to a new journey to mate and create a new colony. If you see any, there is still probably time to eradicate the infestation as they might not have settled in yet. Most of the alates swarm after a big rain and on warmer days. Keep an eye on for discarded wings as the swarmers lose theirs once they’ve mated and settled. After that, the king and queen of the termites look after their young until there are enough workers to replace them. An interesting fact is that even though worker termites usually live up to 2 years, the queen and king can look after a colony for a full decade.

Termite faeces

If you have an infestation, it’s very unlikely that you don’t see any live termites, but it’s not impossible. In that case, look out for their droppings, also called “frass”. While some species, like the subterranean termites, use their faeces to build the tunnels and foundations of the colony, the ones that invade homes usually pile them up at the entrances of the tunnels. So if you see a concentration of dark powdery substances near small holes, it’s most likely frass.

Banging

Termites can be quite noisy when they are working, so keep an ear out for low clicking sounds coming from your walls. This is actually the termites banging their heads against the walls in order to notify the other members of the colony in case of immediate danger. It may sound weird and that it’s not enough to signal the whole colony, but termites can actually detect very quiet noises and vibrations because of the several organs dedicated especially to this function. It’s been speculated that they can even tell the size of the wood by using those vibrations to analyze it from the inside.

They are also quite loud when eating so if you put your ear close to a wood piece, you might hear the sounds of them munching from afar.

Hollow wood

One of the most obvious signs is, of course, finding hollow wood as termites normally eat it from the inside out. Initially, you might notice tunnels, also known as galleries, in pieces of fallen timber, meaning it’s already been invaded by termites. Very often they will just leave the coat of paint or the most top layer of the wood. First, the sound when you knock on the furniture will change to sounding papery and hollow and after that, at the end stages of the carving, you will be able to just run your finger through the surface without any problem.

Mud tubes

You’ve probably seen wasp or hornet tubes outside your home, but these ones are a bit different. While wasp tubes are usually concentrated in one area, the ones of termites are spread across the exterior of your home, climbing the foundations, wood beams, and even reaching attics and crawl spaces.

Doors and windows are hard to open

Termites produce a lot of moisture when digging and eating window and door frames. This causes the wood to warp making the windows quite difficult to open and the doors extremely tight-fitted.

DIY methods to prevent and control termites at home

If you´ve noticed any of the signs we´ve mentioned above, the wisest thing to do would be to seek professional treatment or use products made especially for dealing with a termite infestation. Most DIY methods do not guarantee a 100% eradication of the pest and would just slightly slow down the whole process.

How to prevent termites from entering your home

Protect your home with Termirepel™. You can use the product in the form of a masterbatch, liquid concentrate, lacquer, wood polish additive, or spray! Apply Termirepel™ to the areas that look attractive to termites and save your home and your wallet.
Repel them with essential oils. It’s been recently proven by scientists from the Clemson university that the scent of geranium, cedarwood, and tea tree oil can actually be fatal to termites. When they become in contact with those oils, their nervous system is affected in a way that blocks their neurotransmitters’ receptors and might also disrupt their whole metabolism, leading to death. Simply apply those oils to endangered surfaces. However, they will only work for the insects they actually come in contact with.
Remove wood in your home that is in direct contact with soil. This isn’t always applicable, of course, but it’s important to mention that the termite’s most common point of entry are damp and moist wood areas in the foundations of the house. The same goes for window and door frames. Make sure that there is some distance between them and the ground so that they aren’t used as entries.
Maintain your crawl spaces and basements. Make sure they are dry and there aren’t old, damp and moist wooden areas that might attract the termites. Place vents where it’s needed and regularly check if they are working properly. You can additionally help your underground spaces stay dry by installing a 4 to 6mm polyethylene plastic sheeting over at least 75% of the overall surface.
Be careful when applying mulch to your garden. Never place it close to the foundations of your home or near wooden frames. Yes. it is very useful to plants and gardening in general, because of its moisture-retaining properties. But those same properties will be the ones to attract termites to your home if you are not careful enough.

How to get rid of termites at home?

Still, if you are in the beginning stages of a termite infestation here is what you can do and the products you can use.

Sunlight and cold. As strange as it sounds, termites are actually incapable of surviving in harsher weather conditions. If you find a piece of wooden furniture that is infected by the pest, you can simply take it outside to stay under direct sunlight for about 3 days, and the termites will die. If you want them dead even faster you can put them in a place with 50°C for around 40 minutes and it’s adios termites. The same goes for freezing temperatures – if they are exposed to them for more than 1 day, the termites will die. However, this method is only applicable when it comes to separate pieces of furniture and obviously not an entire room or a window frame.
Diatomaceous earth. This is a natural pest killer that is often used with spiders and other crawlies. The way it works is quite brutal but very effective. You have to apply it to the highly infested areas and the sharp microscopic particles will cut through the termites’ hardcover, penetrating the organs and killing them. Be careful when applying it and always wear a mask and goggles. Also, keep in mind that diatomaceous earth works only when applied to dry timber and it’s completely useless if there is even a bit of moisture.
A simple cardboard trap. Termites love munching on cardboard as it contains plenty of cellulose which they require for nourishment. So what you need to do is break down a cardboard box and take two of its sides. Wet them so that they are quite moist but not too much to fall apart. Place them on top of each other close to a termite nest in order to attract them inside. They will be quickly tricked into going in between the cardboard to feed. Once you see there are enough of them inside, just take the cardboard outside and burn it. Keep in mind that this technique will not help you get rid of an entire colony as they reproduce extremely fast and probably not all of them will decide to actually get inside the cardboard.

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com in order to get solutions on termite infestations and other pest infestations as well.

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http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
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Black biting flies

These guys look like harmless house flies but pack a serious punch in swarms. Black flies do not transmit diseases like ticks and mosquitoes do but they sure can be a nuisance.

These small flies are commonly called “buffalo gnats” because of their humped back appearance. They are typically dark in color and appear in a variety of neutral shades from light gray to black.

It can hurt when a black fly bites because she cuts a hole into the skin so she can feast on a pool of blood. She also injects an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting, which can cause a mild to the severe allergic reaction in some people.

The painfully itchy bite of the black fly is created when the female cuts a hole in the skin to suck blood from animals and people. Females will attack incessantly around the eyes, ears, scalp and occasionally on the arms and exposed legs. The pain and swelling of the bite are due to allergic reactions to foreign proteins and toxins that the female injects when feeding. Black flies transmit diseases in the tropics, such as River Blindness. Fortunately, they do not transmit any diseases to humans but can cause extreme discomfort and irritation due to their biting habits and/or great numbers.

The bites of black flies cause different reactions in humans, ranging from a small puncture wound where the original blood meal was taken to a swelling that can be the size of a golf ball. Reactions to black fly bites that collectively are known as “black fly fever” include a headache, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Besides being a nuisance to humans, black flies can pose a threat to livestock. They are capable of transmitting a number of different disease agents to livestock, including protozoa and nematode worms, none of which cause disease in humans. In addition to being vectors of disease agents, black flies pose other threats to livestock. For example, when numerous enough, black flies have caused suffocation by crawling into the nose and throat of pastured animals. On rare occasions, black flies have been known to cause exsanguination (death due to blood loss) from extreme rates of biting. Saliva injected by biting black flies can cause a condition known as “toxic shock” in livestock and poultry, which may result in death.

Black flies are back and biting people and pets in Spokane

May 30, 2019

Northwest Counseling Center’s therapy dog, Bentley, had red marks appear all over his stomach and legs on Tuesday. When his caretaker, Terese Medina, called the veterinarian and sent in a photo, she learned the culprits likely were black flies. The vet said they have recently received many similar calls.

Sandy Phillips, technical adviser for the Spokane Regional Health District’s environment program, said she’s seen an uptick in black flies over the past five years.

Black flies are the only flies in which the females need blood for their eggs. They are the only fly to bite for a purpose, Phillips said.

The flies make a slit or cut as they bite and leave their saliva behind, which is what causes an individual’s immune system to respond and cause the itch, Owen said.

Black fly outbreak across Spokane brings itchy, bleeding misery

June 2, 2017, The spokesman review

Danniele Hall was with her two young children and dog in the Dishman Hills when the black flies attacked.

“Within five minutes, our daughter’s forehead and the back of her neck were bleeding from five different bites,” Hall said. “In the same time, our son had bites all over his shoulders, and I had a bite that caused blood to run down my face.”

Her daughter’s ear and neck became swollen and one of the bites on her son was turning into a blister. Even the family dog suffered bites on his stomach.

“It’s as if they’re feeding on our skin!” she said.

Are black fly bites a health concern?

May 30, 2017, Washington news

Health officials said Monday that black fly populations seem to be on the rise.

The Hole family in Spokane Valley said they enjoy playing in their backyard, especially little Sophia. But Sophia found out the good times outside can come with something very unpleasant.

Sophia’s father, Chris Hole said “She started getting bit and we thought it was spiders at first but then we found it was black flies, they started getting her around the neck.”

Hole said his daughter has been bitten at least six times.

“She doesn’t ever feel them but she ends up getting little welty, red bloody wounds from it,” said Hole. “We don’t like her constantly being attacked when she comes out to play,” added Hole.

Blackflies are actually beneficial to our ecosystem. Black flies sup on nectar and therefore play a valuable role in the ecosystem as pollinators. They also feed and filter dissolved organic matter, making it available to other organisms within the food chain. Since these insects are vital for our ecosystem, it is of extreme importance to find a safe and non-toxic solution for the blackflies problem which would keep these insects at bay while not causing any harm to these beneficial insects.

Now, we no longer have to depend on these conventional, toxic insecticides to deal with these pests!

We need a long-term and effective solution to control their nuisance.

We at C Tech Corporation have a solution to combat against these black flies. Termirepel^TM insect repellent additive is a C Tech Corporation product which is the best solution to prevent the infestation against these pesky little black flies.

Termirepel^TM does not kill the target species but only repels them thus balancing the ecology and thus helping in maintaining the goal of
sustainability.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil.

Termirepel^TM liquid concentrate can be mixed into paints in a specific ratio and can be applied to the interior and exterior of houses, schools, hospitals, warehouses, offices, etc. to keep black flies at the bay.

Termirepel^TM lacquer can be coated as a topical application on the surface of wood/concrete metal fences. The lacquer can be applied on the already installed applications like cables, pipes, metallic decors etc. The lacquer is compatible with most of the surfaces like wood, metal, concrete, polymer, ceramic etc.

Besides this, we offer Termirepel™ masterbatches that can be added to cables, films, pipes, tree guards, etc. to protect them from the ravaging insects.

This product work on the mechanism of sustainability and green technology and therefore significant in today’s time and date as ecology salvation has become the prime focus.

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The fall armyworm menace

Fall armyworm can be one of the more difficult insect pests to control in field corn. Late planted fields and later maturing hybrids are more likely to become infested. Fall armyworm causes serious leaf feeding damage as well as direct injury to the ear.

The fall armyworm has been around us for quite some time now. It has caused damage to various crops, primarily maize.

The spherical gray eggs are laid in clusters 50 to 150, usually on the leaves. Egg masses are covered with a coating of moth scales or fine bristles.

It has continued wreaking havoc on crops and a piece of recent news is:

Fall armyworms wreak havoc

Long Kimmarita | Publication date 09 June 2020

Upon intervention from the technical team, some corn crops were rescued and other farms in the province have not yet been affected by the armyworms. Ministry of Agriculture

The General Department of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said 400ha of corn crops in Banteay Meanchey province has been half-destroyed by a new type of invasive insect in the area called the fall armyworm.

The fall armyworm is the larval life stage of a fall armyworm moth.

According to a department report, agricultural officials intervened at the request of residents from June 3 to June 6 and they were able to save the crops from further destruction.

The report said crops in O’Sralao, Tuol Pongro, Boeung Beng and O’Sampoar communes in Malai district suffered the most damage. In O’Sampoar commune, between 80 and 90 per cent of the crops were destroyed in a 50ha area.

What can be an effective solution to this menace?

Well, C Tech Corporation’s Termirepel^TM can prove to be a boon when the farmers are grappling with armyworm horror.

Termirepel^TM is an anti-termite and insect aversive repellent manufactured by C Tech Corporation, India. It is an extremely low toxic and extremely low hazard, non-mutagenic and non-carcinogenic anti-insect aversive based on green technology.

The product works on the mechanism of repellency.

Termirepel™ is available in the form of masterbatch, liquid concentrate, lacquer, and wood polish additives.

Termirepel™ masterbatch is specially made for polymeric applications and used as additives in their processing time. It can be incorporated into polymeric applications like agricultural films and mulches, irrigation pipes, tree guards, greenhouse films, etc. used for crop cultivation purpose. The product can be incorporated into the cables, and other applications used for agriculture.

Termirepel™ liquid concentrate is to be mixed in paints in pre-determined proportion and then applied on the concrete fences around farms. It can be used on the interior and exterior of storehouses used to store food grains and other agricultural produce.

Termirepel™ lacquer can be directly applied to applications such as wooden fences, already installed pipes, wires, cables, etc.

The wood polish additive can be mixed with wood polish and then applied on wooden fences and other articles for protection.

Termirepel^TM insect repellent spray can be used to keep these armyworms and other insects from causing damage to the crops and equipment.

The repelling mechanism of the product would debar the worm and other insects that could damage the crops. Thus Termirepel™ is the best protection against these invasive fall armyworms.

Also, visit our websites:

http://www.ctechcorporation.com/
http://www.rodrepel.com/
http://www.termirepel.com/
http://www.combirepel.com/

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Green way to combat against these pesky little criminals

Thrips are small enough that most of the time you won’t know they’re there, and the damage they inflict on plants is often confusing and can lead one to believe that something else is responsible. And often when I’m assessing a problematic plant and mention them, people will frown and ask, ‘What are thrips?’

Thrips are a minute less than 1mm, slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are predators.

Thrips primarily feed on new growth of leaves, flowers, and fruit, the damage they do is often caused before this new growth develops fully: flowers and leaves then open with distorted shapes, necrotic patches and streaks that can resemble disease, mechanical damage or nutrient deficiency. They can also feed on matured foliage, leaving behind silverish patches which in some species can become bronze-coloured or corky with time. Thrips are quite tiny, and when hidden deep in a flower bud or the like can be practically invisible. Knocking the plant part while holding it above a white sheet of paper will often dislodge a few and reveal their presence, and they do leave dark little globs of faeces near feeding damage as well.

The most obvious contribution that thrips make to their ecosystem is the damage they can cause during feeding. They feed on flowers, buds, under leaves, or other hidden areas of growing plant parts such as central terminals. This sneaky habit is what makes it hard to control them. Citrus thrips can occur on most fruit trees, California pepper trees, and pomegranate. That infestation is indicated by yellow to brownish scabby feeding scars that form on fruit, often in a ring around the citrus stem.

The damage from flower thrips can be discoloration and stippling. The more common damage seen is the bleaching and stippling of leaves. The once green leaves take on a silvery appearance and when you turn the damaged leaf over you will notice the tiny black excrement specks. They look like tiny drops of oil. They fly only weakly and their feathery wings are unsuitable for conventional flight; instead, thrips exploit an unusual mechanism, clap, and fling, to create lift using an unsteady circulation pattern with transient vortices near the wings. They are capable of flight and also of being carried by the breeze due to their tiny size.

Thrips can also be a nuisance because of their small size. They are able to get into strange places like the inside of a picture frame or LCD television. Imagine the expense of taking your TV apart to extract a wayward thrip. And, to top it off, thrips can bite. The bite can create an irritating, itchy bump.

The main challenges are with their management by chemical means; as they reproduce so quickly, they are able to just as quickly develop resistance to insecticides, and thus this only offer a measure of control for a short time before they are useless.

Let us look at some evidence:

Garden Alert – Thrips Damage Tender Spring Plants

Thrips can cause many types of damage and transmit viruses.
By Staff | on April 21, 2020

Ken Lain, the Mountain Gardener

Tiny but mighty, these pests bedevil local gardener. More than 6,000 species of thrips roam the planet, yet only five are of real concern to local gardeners, attacking an array of backyard plants from fruits and vegetables, to ornamentals. Plant damage is a result of thrips feeding on developing plant parts, causing deformed or scarred leaves and flowers. They transmit various tospoviruses such as impatiens necrotic spot virus and tomato spotted wilt virus. One of the most reviled species of all is the western flower thrips, which quickly multiplies and ravages a wide range of plants, especially backyard perennials.

At a mere 1 millimeters long in adulthood, these tiny terrors inflict damage through feeding. “They have a super-specialized mouth that’s like a big needle injected into a plant cell, sucking out all its sustenance. This causing the cell to collapse,” says Ken Lain, owner of Watters Garden Center in Prescott, Arizona. “They don’t discriminate. They pull it out and move to the next cell, scraping the tissue as they feed. They’ll feed on any soft plant tissue, especially early spring flowers.”

Coffee pest outbreak threatens Kenya’s yield

Standard digital
Coffee pest outbreak threatens Kenya’s yield.Kenya’s coffee output could be adversely affected following an outbreak of thrips in one of the most productive parts of Central Kenya.

The outbreak has hit all coffee-growing zones in Mwea East and Mwea West sub-counties due to what experts said were prolonged drought conditions under which the pest thrives best. Gitari Ndambiri from Kiamichiri village, whose 500 coffee trees have been attacked by the pest, said he had not appreciated the magnitude of the attack until recently. “Towards the end of March, I started noticing some leafs turning grey from underneath, but I did not get bothered since I thought it was due to the prevailing drought,” he said.

According to John Kimani, an industrial crops scientist, thrips have the capacity to obliterate entire crops if untamed.

He said coffee yields could drop by up to 5,000 metric tonnes per season unless farmers unless continuous spraying is done.

Georgia cotton growers having tough time with thrips

By Phillip Roberts, Georgia Extension Entomologist, Southeast farm press,May 31, 2013

Infestations vary across the state of Georgia, but as a whole, this has been a tough thrips year. Cotton planted in late April and early May grew off slowly which exacerbated (made worse) plant injury symptoms associated with thrips feeding. Thrips numbers were only moderate during the first half of May but plant injury was severe in some areas.

Beginning late last week (about May 23), thrips numbers significantly increased in many areas. We normally expect the peak in thrips populations to occur earlier, but the peak appears to be later than normal.

As stated earlier some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. Hence they hold a lot of ecological importance in our ecosystem. In many thrips species, by the time their damage is observed, such as after buds open, the thrips may no longer be present. Thus instead of taking controlling remedies, one must look for effective preventive measures.

The main challenge is with their management by chemical means; as they reproduce so quickly, they are able to just as quickly develop resistance to insecticides, and thus this only offer a measure of control for a short time before they are useless. Irresponsible use of these chemicals by producers (failing to rotate chemicals, calendar spraying, and incorrect technique) have not helped the situation, and in fact, probably the most widespread of these beasts in Canadian ornamental horticulture, the western flower thrips, is now resistant to most chemical insecticides.

But before your despair causes you to throw your scarred old plants and crops, wait there is a hope.

At C Tech Corporation we offer a safe and effective solution to deal with these insects. Termirepel^TM is a non-toxic, non-hazardous product that primarily repels insects from the application. The best feature of this product is that it is environmentally safe and causes no harm to insects as well as for humans.

Termirepel^TM product is available in the form of the masterbatch, liquid concentrate, and lacquer. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous broad-spectrum insect aversive masterbatch which works not only against termites but a host of other insects.

Termirepel^TM masterbatch can be incorporated into different kinds of agricultural films, tree guards, mulches, etc. and is found to be effective against the most aggressive insects. These films can also be wrapped around fruits to prevent from damage.

The liquid concentrate can be mixed with paints in a pre-determined ratio and can be applied to the concrete fence around farms and garden. The liquid concentrate is compatible with all types of paints and solvents.

The lacquer can be used as a direct application and can be applied as a topical application on the wooden fences, already installed tree guards, pipes etc. to keep pest away from the trees.

Our product works on the mechanism of repellency. It temporarily inhibits the mating cycle of the insects. The product impairs the ability of the insects to reproduce, that is the insects will not lay eggs or the laid eggs will be infertile. The product causes feeding disruption in an insect by triggering an unpleasant reaction within the insect which might try to feed on the application. The product temporarily blocks the reproduction system of the insects by hindering the release of the vital hormones for growth.

All this can be done by just repelling the insect and not killing them. Thus, following the course of ecological balance and sustainability.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil.

Follow us on our Twitter pages at:
1] https://twitter.com/rodrepel
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Mayfly: The pesky little flies

Don’t let the “flies” portion of this insect’s name fool you; they begin their life underwater! The majority of the insect’s life will be spent underwater until it reaches adulthood. Adults leave the water to mate and live anywhere from two days to a week. The mayflies are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera. Mayflies are relatively primitive insects and exhibit a number of ancestral traits that were probably present in the first flying insects, such as long tails and wings that do not fold flat over the abdomen.

During mating swarms of mayflies are known to pile up on surfaces and roads, coating them in a mat of living insects. This makes these insects more of a nuisance, with rare cases of car accidents caused by a lack of visibility from a buildup of mayflies on windshields.

The nuisance of mayflies is typically only present for the one or two weeks a year in the springtime when adulthood is reached and mating begins. After that, it’s back to their eggs and underwater development.

Mayflies are attracted to light. They gather in large numbers around homes and commercial buildings. They can result in massive swarms around buildings at night and piles of dead flies below lights and windows in the morning.

The sheer numbers of these insects during their mating season can cause problems for drivers and annoy homeowners whose houses are coated with bugs. The dead bodies and shed skins of mayflies can also cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Mayflies are a particular nuisance pest for those who live near the lakes and streams where they live and breed. Mayflies may cluster on houses and buildings during mating, becoming an annoyance to homeowners. They may also cover roads, making it difficult and dangerous to drive. Some people also have allergic reactions to the shed skin and dead bodies of mayflies, which dry up and crumble and become airborne.

Mayflies descend on Nekoosa stores

July 19, 2017, Daily Tribune

“Along the Mississippi River there have been clouds of mayflies that are so large that they have registered on the weather radar,” Liesch said. “These clouds can include billions of mayflies.”

Liesch said mayflies are a bit of a nuisance, but are completely harmless to humans.

“There’s nothing effective to get rid of them, and because they only live a day or two, it’s not worth spraying.”

Heckendorf said there still were mayflies at the store Wednesday afternoon, and gas station employees were attempting to spray them away.

Unbelievable: Swarm of mayflies covers car near Port Clinton, Ohio

Mayflies cover car parked at the Miller Ferry lot on Catawba Point (Source: Facebook)

By Chris Anderson | June 27, 2019

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Swarms of mayflies invaded Northeast Ohio’s lakeshore overnight, blanketing cars and homes that were in their path.

Unbelievable photos shared on Facebook shows a car covered in the pests at the Miller Ferry parking lot along Lake Erie.

Mayflies cover car near Port Clinton (Source: Facebook)

The mayfly swarms were so dense overnight, they were caught on weather radar.

As annoying as they are, mayflies are completely harmless. They tend to congregate under bright lights and rest on the side of cars or buildings.

The sky was just BLACK’: Small Pennsylvania town invaded by a plague of mayflies as ‘nuisance season’ hits full peak

1 July 2016, Daily mail

A small riverside town in Pennsylvania has been invaded by a plague of mayflies that have taken over houses and cars and even blackened the sun.

The swarms of insects have been emerging from the Susquehanna River in Columbia, to the extent that locals have described what’s happening as like a ‘blizzard’.

Mr Fine said that one of the worst parts of dealing with the pests was that, simply, there is no way to really deal with them – you just have to wait for them to die, and then clean up the mess.

Locals have been cleaning up the mayflies that have strew their doorsteps and porches, but handling the live ones is a lot harder.

Mayfly nymphs are an important component of many freshwater ecosystems. Grazing by mayflies is important in preventing the build-up of a large biomass of aquatic algae and detritus, and in nutrient cycling.

The most common tool used to manage mayflies is insecticides. However, besides being extremely toxic and harmful to the environment, most insecticides used for mayflies control will destroy beneficial insects.

Now, we no longer have to depend on these conventional, toxic insecticides to deal with these pests!

C Tech Corporation offers a range of non-toxic, non-hazardous anti-insect aversive, which can be successfully used to keep pesky creatures at bay.

Termirepel™ can be easily described as insect aversive, used also against all types of insects and which works on the mechanism of repellency. It means that it does not kill the target insects but only repel them, thus balancing the ecology and helping in maintaining the goal of sustainability. There are more than 500 species of insects against which this product works. This product can be easily used against a number of insects.

The product available in the form of liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a specific ratio and can be applied to the interior and exterior of houses, school, hospitals, warehouses, etc. to keep these areas safe from the mayflies.

The product available in the form of lacquer can be used as a direct application and is compatible with most of the surfaces like wood, metal, concrete, polymer, ceramic, etc.

Termirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, RoHS3, REACH, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted.

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Grasshoppers – Threat to the crops!

Grasshoppers, the ground-dwelling insects are the real threats to your crops. They belong to suborder Caelifera which are the plant eaters and considered as serious pests of cereals, vegetables, and pasture, especially when they swarm in their millions as locusts and destroy crops over wide areas.

Grasshoppers have a brilliant skill of protection i.e. through Camouflage they protect themselves from predators. This leads to significant increase in population which also depends upon the weather. When the populations are large many locusts and swarming grasshoppers emigrate from their habitat.

Thus the emigration can cause severe destruction to your crops and following are some recent evidence experienced.

Grasshoppers feast on crops in Wayanad

E.M. Manoj

KALPETTA, MAY 19, 2020

Grasshoppers feeding on plants at Pulpally in Wayanad.

Climatic variations behind sudden spurt in insect population, says scientist

Swarms of grasshoppers, disconcertingly resembling locusts, have descended upon parts of Pulpally in Wayanad, leaving farmers anxious about a possible damage to their crops.

However, scientists at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) at Ambalavayal, who have since been getting numerous phone calls from farmers, said the damage had been noticed at its initial stage.

It was found that attacks by nymphs of spotted grasshoppers or coffee grasshoppers had triggered panic among farmers.

Central Australian quandong harvest significantly down due to grasshopper influx

By Katrina Beavan

Posted Monday 18 September, 2017 | Rural News

A Central Australian quandong grower says yields are significantly down this year, thanks to the high amount of grasshoppers in the area over summer.

Gunnar Nielsen, who grows the fruit on his block in Alice Springs, said the influx of the insects in the area in January destroyed many of the trees, some of which did not recover.

“[The grasshoppers] were really hard on all the trees, they scoffed all the leaves, and the trees have been flat out recovering.

“That’s just how it goes, when the grasshoppers eat [the] leaves and flowers then we have a bad year.

The news articles depict the grasshopper nuisance created in the agriculture sector.

Let’s see how they damage crops.

Grasshoppers are general feeders on grasses and weeds and often move to cultivated crops. Crop damage is likely to be greatest in years when dry weather accompanies high populations. Drought conditions reduce natural vegetation, forcing grasshoppers to move to cultivated crops.

The damage that grasshoppers cause appears as round to ragged holes in the leaves. These ragged holes extend in from the leaf margins and between the veins. Grasshoppers may also feed on and damage soybean pods, often chewing through the pod tissue into the seed. This may be a serious problem in dry years.

There are different types of grasshoppers and accordingly, the host plants vary. Here are some of them mentioned below:

The Clear-winged grasshopper is mainly a grass feeder. Economic damage is primarily to cereals, especially wheat and barley. Clear-winged and migratory grasshoppers have together destroyed areas of range grass and hay almost entirely.

The Packard’s grasshopper prefers herbs to grasses; it causes little damage to rangeland but will damage field and garden crops and legume pastures. It feeds on leaves, stems, and flowers of many plants. Cereals and alfalfa are heavily attacked.

The Two-striped grasshoppers feed on grasses and broad-leaved plants. The broad-leaved plants are necessary for maximum growth. They prefer the lush growth around edges of streams, marshes, and cultivated fields. Hosts include weeds and most crops, especially alfalfa and vegetables, and occasionally trees and shrubs.

The migratory grasshopper is one of the most destructive pests in western Canada. Outbreaks can lead to costly losses for grain growers. This species attacks both field and garden crops, especially cereals, tomato, celery, onion, and carrot.

According to the crop report – Aug 17, 2017: The Grasshopper invasion in crops are as following:

In Northwest region, Grasshoppers are 49 percent moderate and 11 percent over the threshold population.

In Peace, The grasshopper population is 8 percent moderate and 4 percent over the threshold.

To get rid of these pesky grasshoppers we have an eco-friendly solution!!!

C Tech Corporation provides you with Termirepel™ which is an insect aversive repellent. Termirepel™ is manufactured on the basis of green technology. It is durable at extreme climatic conditions such as changes in temperature, rainfall, water pressure etc.

The product is RoHS, RoHS2, RoHS3, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted. Our product will not kill the targeted as well as non-targeted species but only repel which helps in maintaining the ecological balance of the earth.

Termirepel™ is available in three basic forms: Masterbatch, liquid concentrate, and lacquer.

Termirepel™ Masterbatch is specially made for polymeric applications and used as additives in their processing time.

Termirepel™ Liquid concentrate is to be mixed in paints in proper proportion and can be applied on the interior and exterior of houses, schools, hospitals, offices, warehouses etc. to keep this pest out of these areas.

Termirepel™ Lacquer form can be directly applied to the applications such as fences, pipes, wires, cables, etc.

Agricultural equipment can be covered by our Termirepel™ product and have an effective protection against these pesky grasshoppers. The crops which are suitable to cover with plastic bags/covers can be applied to our product.

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