Super Ants with a deadly attraction towards electricity

Ants are the most frequent pests which can be seen easily around homes and buildings. There are different species of ants and each species carry different characteristics. There are many householders who are not aware of all these species and find all the species to be the same. Ants have the attraction for electricity due to which they construct a colony, especially where electrical wires come the chances of short circuit is more as the wire can ignite and can cause huge damage. The super ants have an attraction for the electrical current. Their attraction to the electricity is extremely strong and they may eventually result in death.

The super ants are also known as fire ants as they are attracted to electrical wires and cables, sockets etc. and they cause a fire. The super ants are small but builts huge colonies which are spreading over miles as the ants appeared to be spreading at a faster rate. The super ants were first identified in Hungry in the year 1990 and were found in the UK in the year 2009.

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

Fire-starting ‘super ant’ that is drawn to electrics is spreading across the UK, experts warn
By Cristina Criddle

An Asian super-ant that forms colonies of millions and can cause fires due to its fatal attraction to electricity is spreading across the country, experts warn.

The species, Lasius neglectus, thrives in gardens and greenhouses and has invaded homes from Yorkshire to Sussex.

The super ants – also known as ‘the fire ant’ because it is attracted to power sockets and cables, sparking blackouts and fires – was first identified in Britain in 2009 at a National Trust manor in Gloucestershire, where more than 35,000 were found.

The insect looks the same as a common black garden ant but the number of workers in a colony is between 10 and 100 times greater. It is native to Turkey but has been a growing problem across Europe, living interconnected nests that can span 50 acres.

Last spotted in 2014 in London and Cambridgeshire, there have been three reported infestations this year, one in North Yorkshire and two near Eastbourne.

In response, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs commissioned a report into the ant’s potential spread, with options for control and eradication.

The University of York, who worked on the risk assessment for the Government, estimated the super ants cost the UK £1.7billion every year through damage and management costs.

Super ants with a deadly attraction to electricity escape from Gloucestershire and head for London

An invasion of “super ants” with an attraction to electricity so strong it may eventually result in their own death is feared to have spread across the south of England after a large nest was found in London.

Known as fire ants, or Asian super ants, the insects were first spotted in the UK in 2009 at Hidcote Manor – a National Trust property in Gloucestershire – where more than 35,000 were discovered.

Unlike normal ants, the Lasius neglectus super ants form huge colonies which can interconnect over many miles.

Now it is believed this colony of ants is on the move after a colony was found to have invaded a house in Hendon, north-west London, almost 100 miles from Hidcote, while more have been discovered in Buckinghamshire.

The super ant’s attraction towards electricity is stronger than its compulsion to eat or drink, meaning it can gnaw through electricity cables and nest in electrical equipment and plug sockets.  These ants usually nest in electrical items and this means they can pose a fire risk and when they swarm can cause blackouts.

 

Conventional insecticides have proven to be a failed solution to give effective results. These insecticides are toxic in nature. They kill target as well as nontarget species. They are also hazardous to human health. Moreover, species like super ants are not at all affected by the toxic effects of these insecticides.

C Tech Corporation offers extremely low in toxicity and low hazard product, Combirepel™ to protect the electrical application and cables from these ravenous insects.

It is an environmentally safe product that works by repelling the insects without causing any harm to the target or non-target species.Combirepel™ is available in form of a solid masterbatch which can be safely incorporated into the PVC insulation of wires and cables while manufacturing or coated on surfaces to keep crazy ants away from the application.

Combirepel™is available in the form of liquid concentrate and lacquer which can be easily blended with paints and organic solvents and can be applied to already installed wires and cables, sockets, electric board etc.

Our newly developed product in the form of a spray can be applied to already installed wires and cables, it is compatible with all types of surface and can be sprayed by anyone

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com to keep the pests away.

Pesticide poisoning to bees

Are bees endangered because of the use of pesticides which are used on many crops?

Recent research states that 30% of the French bee colonies died in the winter of 2017-2018 while US beekeepers lost 33% of bees in 2016-17!!

In recent winters, in Europe alone, bee losses up to 53% became a reality.

There are some pesticides that kill the bees directly. This occurs when bees are on the flowers at the time of application of the insecticide or pesticide and the bees die instantly. Some other types of pesticides allow the bees to return home and then they die. There are certain pesticides that do not have any effect on the adult honey bees but cause damage to young, immature bees.

Exposure to agricultural pesticides called ‘neonicotinoids’ has been linked to ‘large-scale population extinctions’ in the bee populations.

The neonicotinoids are a relatively new class of pesticides that have an effect on the bee’s central nervous system. It is the most widely used insecticide in the US, which is used as a coating in agricultural seeds and in potted plants. It spreads to the whole plant including pollen and nectar that the bees eat. Scientific studies indicate that the bees that feed on neonicotinoid contaminated pollen and nectar forage less and produces fewer offspring. The other insecticide, coumaphos, is a compound that is used in a honey bee hive to kill a parasite called the Varroa mite that commonly attacks honey bees.

The combined effect of these two pesticides was far greater than individual effect.

Recent news reported were as follows:

Fipronil blamed for historical bee deaths

Scientists urge regulators to consider bioaccumulation when approving new pesticide uses

By Britt E. Erickson │December 3, 2018

Researchers in the UK report new evidence that the pesticide fipronil, not the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, caused a massive die-off of honey bees in France from 1994 to 1998. Both pesticides hit the market in the early 1990s.

The researchers determined that bees rapidly eliminate imidacloprid from their bodies, but they bioaccumulate fipronil. So over time, after prolonged exposure, fipronil becomes more lethal to them. Fipronil is associated with kidney, liver, and thyroid problems in humans.

More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction

By Justin Worland │ March 2, 2017

Population levels of more than 700 North American bee species are declining as habitat loss and pesticide use continue at a breakneck pace, according to a new report.

The report from the Center for Biological Diversity relies on an evaluation of more than 1,400 bee species with sufficient data for the assessment. More than half of those species are on the decline and nearly a quarter is at risk of extinction, according to the report.

The study joins a growing body of research sounding the alarm on the threats facing bees. A 2015 report from a United Nations group found that populations are declining for 37% of bee species, with 9% of butterfly and bee populations facing extinction.

The evidence is clear: pesticides kill bees.

We at C Tech Corporation have a unique, effective, and efficient way to tackle these pesticides and replace them with the pest repellent products that we manufacture.

The unique product CombirepelTM manufactured by C Tech Corporation is an insect, animal, and bird aversive which repels the pests.

CombirepelTM works on the mechanism of repellency. It is an extremely low concern, low toxic, low hazard, non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic pest aversive. It does not kill or cause harm to the pests as well as to the environment which indirectly helps to maintain the ecological balance.

CombirepelTM is available in the form of the masterbatch, which can be incorporated into the polymeric applications like pipes, agriculture mulch films, floating row covers, greenhouse films etc. used for crop cultivation purpose.

 

The product available in the form of liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a predetermined ratio and be applied to the fences in the garden and farms to keep the pests away from these places. It can also be applied to the warehouse structures where the cultivated crops, equipment are stored.

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 already installed pipes in the fields or garden, fences around farms and garden, walls of the warehouses where the agricultural produce are stored, thus protecting it from damage.

Our newly developed product in the form of a spray can be sprayed anywhere to repel the pests. The product is compatible with all types of surfaces and can be used by anyone. The CombirepelTM pest repellent spray is safe for use in farms and warehouses.

CombirepelTM 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, EU – BPR, ISO, REACH, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted.

Contact us at
technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com to keep the pests away and decrease the use of pesticides and thereby contribute towards protecting the bees.

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/
3] https://www.facebook.com/Rodrepel-120734974768048/

Follow us on our Twitter pages at:

1] https://twitter.com/rodrepel
2] https://twitter.com/termirepel
3] https://twitter.com/combirepel

The Nutria Nuisance

They are back!

And this time they are huge in numbers!!

The nutria which has been especially damaging to the marshland ecology once thought to be eradicated from California is making a comeback and posing a threat to agriculture in the state, according to FERN’s latest story with KQED’s The California Report.

If you wonder about their nuisance causing habits, let me first explain you the menace they cause.

On the banks of rivers, the digging of the long burrows of the nutria often leads to destabilization and erosion of these, or an accelerated filling when it comes to ditches or canals. The network of tunnels can even, when the population is large, even weaken hydraulic structures.

Nutria feed primarily on marsh vegetation that extends above the waterline.   Nutria uses their beaver-sized incisors and powerful forefeet to dig under the marsh surface to feed directly on the root mat, leaving the marsh pitted with holes causing erosion and convert healthy marsh into open water habitat. Also a favorite with corn, wheat and all kinds of vegetables, it can do considerable damage to crops if they are close to its habitat.

It destabilizes the aquatic ecosystem by over-consuming aquatic plants and destroying aquatic bird nests.

Nutria are highly prolific and breed all year. One female nutria can lead to 200 offsprings in just a year! Imagine how rapidly their population increases within a year!!

Nutria, sometimes call coypu, are hosts for several pathogens and parasites that can infect people, pets, and livestock. This rather repulsive animal may carry diseases such as leptospirosis or liver fluke.

 An invasive, elusive 20-pound rodent threatens California agriculture

By Lisa Morehouse and Angela Johnston, Food & Environment Reporting Network │ December 2, 2018

Wearing chest-high waders, biologist Sean McCain tries to tiptoe to the edge of a marsh in California’s Central Valley. A biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, McCain squints as he searches the shoreline.

Sweet potato farmer Stan Silva hadn’t even heard the word “nutria” until a few months ago. He’s still never seen one, but he’s worried about the damage nutria could do if they aren’t eradicated.

“It would be devastating,” Silva says. “They can basically ruin the ag industry here — they get in your fields, burrow into your canal ways, your waterways. They’re just a menace.”

Rodents of Unusual Size Invading U.S. Wetlands

By Sarah Gibbens│ February 16, 2018

TWO HUNDRED YEARS ago, you probably wouldn’t have been able to find them outside of South America.

But since then, nutria, a giant rodent that can grow larger than 20 pounds, has taken hold in the U.S.

California is the latest region to be plagued by the large, buck-toothed, web-footed rodent. Earlier this month, the state’s fish and wildlife department issued a warning about the influx of nutria.

Breeding populations have recently taken hold in the San Joaquin Valley, just east of San Francisco.

It’s a very frightening situation in terms of impact.”

Use of traps is not a feasible way to combat the menace caused by the nutria. Rodenticides inhibit the coagulation of blood. Thus the logistics of using traps or rodenticides is not at all a solution to this menace.

What can be an effective and efficient way to keep this nutria away from the marshlands?

We at C Tech Corporation manufacture a product CombirepelTM which is developed by using green technology. It is an extremely low concern, low toxic, low hazard and non-mutagenic animal aversive. It is durable under extreme climatic conditions.

Our product works on the mechanism of repellency. The product does not kill the target species but merely repels them.

Our product is ROHS, ROHS2, EU-BPR, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:1996, APVMA, NEA complaint, and FIFRA exempted.

CombirepelTM is available in the forms of a masterbatch, liquid concentrate, and lacquer.

Masterbatch can be incorporated into polymeric applications like fencing, water pipes, irrigation tubing, agricultural films, polymeric tree guards, wires, cables, tires, agricultural equipment, etc. This would result in the final application being rodent repellent.

Liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a pre-determined ratio and be applied to the interior and exterior of farms, gardens, etc. to repel nutria from the area required.

Lacquer form can be directly applied to the already installed application such as farm fences, tree guards, pipes, wires, cables, etc. The lacquer is compatible with most of the surfaces like metal, wood, concrete, polymer, ceramic etc.

Hence by using CombirepelTM the farms and marshlands can be prevented from nutria damage effectively and considerably.

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com if you’re facing problems with rodents and other 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/

Follow our Facebook pages at:

1] https://www.facebook.com/Combirepel-411710912249274/
2] https://www.facebook.com/Termirepel-104225413091251/
3] https://www.facebook.com/Rodrepel-120734974768048/

Follow us on our Twitter pages at:

1] https://twitter.com/rodrepel
2] https://twitter.com/termirepel
3] https://twitter.com/combirepel

Not VIP’s but still managed to cancel the flights: The rats!

Aviation is one of the most ‘global’ industries: connecting people, cultures and businesses across continents. Aviation has continued to expand. Aviation provides a rapid worldwide transportation network, which makes it essential for global business.

Another species which is making the most of this means of transport is the rodents!! Contrary to popular belief they are making these huge carriers their home. In the recent years, there have been numerable incidents of rodent sightings on planes domestic as well as international. So why do these creatures want to be airborne?

Airports often provide good year-round habitat for rodent populations. Rodents at airports can cause damage directly by gnawing and burrowing activities.

Recently Germany’s Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz’s travel through his jet was canceled not due to bad weather or mechanical problems, but because the rodents had bitten through the electrical cables.

News reported was:

Travel stress in Bali: rodents paralyze Olaf Scholz government plane

October 13, 2018

Olaf Scholz actually wanted to return home quickly from the IMF meeting in Bali – just in time for the Bavarian election. But the Vice Chancellor’s jet was not ready to go. The reason: damage caused by hungry rodents.

A rather unusual case of damage has caused travel stress for Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. Because of a broken government plane, the SPD politician had to reschedule his return from the IMF meeting in Bali.

The Airbus “Konrad Adenauer” was damaged in Indonesia by rodents, which apparently have bitten through electrical cables. This was announced on Saturday on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from delegation circles. Vice Chancellor Scholz was rebooked on a scheduled flight to Germany.

Since he had to go to the airport immediately to be back in Germany because of the eagerly awaited state election in Bavaria, Scholz could not also deny the traditional final press conference with Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann.

Earlier a news was reported as:

MOUSE SPOTTED ON PLANE COSTS BRITISH AIRWAYS QUARTER OF A MILLION POUNDS

Roaming rodent triggers £250,000 bill for passenger care and compensation

By Simon Calder │March 1, 2017

British Airways faces a massive bill to compensate passengers after a mouse was spotted on a Boeing 777 about to depart from Heathrow to San Francisco.

Flight BA285 was due to leave Terminal 5 at 10.40am, but the presence of a roaming rodent meant the original aircraft could not be dispatched. Because mice have been known to gnaw through wiring on planes, wide-ranging checks must be made to ferret out any problems.

A chewed cable could be located anywhere between the tail and the ram air turbine (RAT).

Periodic fumigation for pest control is done by airlines to tackle the menace. Use of rat baits, mechanical traps, and glue boards have already proved to be ineffective. But the growing number of incidences reported clearly states the ineffectiveness of these methods.

Rats on board an aircraft can lead to a catastrophe if they start chewing up electric wires and if that happens, pilots will have no control over the system on board leading to a disaster.

What effective measures can be implemented to avoid this menace?

Combirepel™ is a product manufactured by C Tech Corporation which is an extremely low toxic and extremely low hazard, and environmentally safe anti-rodent, anti animal additive specially developed for a range of polymeric and coating applications including films, wires, and cables, etc.

The wires and cables used in the airplanes for radar, communication, control, signaling, data transmission, lighting, surveillance etc. can be incorporated with Combirepel™ masterbatch to prevent them from pest attack and ultimately avoid any signaling loss, communication disruption or fire hazard. Different types of polymeric seats can be manufactured by incorporating our masterbatch in them.

Combirepel™ is also available in lacquer and liquid concentrate form and can be easily coated onto an application to repel the rodents.

The liquid concentrate can be blended with paints and applied to the interior and exterior of the airplanes to prevent the entry of pest in them. The liquid concentrate can be applied to the interior and exterior of the airports and the offices. The storage areas from the airports can be coated with our liquid concentrate to keep those places safe from pest menace. The liquid concentrate can be used in accommodation areas of pilots and crew members. The liquid concentrate is compatible with all types of paints and it dries off easily.

The lacquer can be applied on already installed wires and cables, utility pipes, polymeric and metallic racks, pallets. The already installed arrestor cables can be coated using our Combirepel™ lacquer which will prevent the rodents from chewing them. The lacquer can be applied to metallic components from the equipment. The lacquer is an easy application which is compatible with most of the surfaces like wood, concrete, polymer, ceramics, concrete etc.

Our product CombirepelTM bird repellent lacquer can be used in the airport premises to prevent the nuisance caused by birds.

We have developed our product in the form of a spray, the CombirepelTM  pest repellent spray which is an easy to use product. The product can be sprayed on components from airplanes, offices, kitchen and canteen areas, storage areas, food carts, trolley cars, etc. after clearing the dust and waste from components. It can be sprayed on the wires and cables, seat cushions, doors, and windows of airplanes. It can be sprayed on infested areas and entry points. The product when applied properly repels the pests and protects the components from damage. The expensive components can thus be protected, and unnecessary maintenance cost spent on replacement of the parts damaged by pests can be saved. The product does not cause any harmful effect on human health, non-target species or even target species. The product is safe for the environment.

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com if you’re facing problems with rodents 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/

Follow our Facebook pages at:

1] https://www.facebook.com/Combirepel-411710912249274/
2] https://www.facebook.com/Termirepel-104225413091251/
3] https://www.facebook.com/Rodrepel-120734974768048/

Follow us on our Twitter pages at:

1] https://twitter.com/rodrepel
2] https://twitter.com/termirepel
3] https://twitter.com/combirepel