Vermin powder

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Vermin powder or vermin powder is a pest control agent . There are insecticidal and non-toxic powders. Some are used in their powder form, others are mixed with water and then sprayed (so-called wettable powders, water-dispersible powders and granulates, wettable powders).

There are insecticide-containing powders z. B. as contact poisons based on pyrethroid or as spray (after mixing with water).

Poison-free variants essentially contain diatomaceous earth , which has been specially prepared for use as an insecticide and destroys the outer wax layer of insects, so that they die from drying out. The effect is based physically on the abrasiveness and chemically on the adsorption power of kieselguhr. Studies on bed bugs have shown that silica gel is very effective against these in vitro , but only achieved very poor to mediocre success in field trials. Apart from a weaker actual effect of kieselguhr in drying out the bed bugs, this result was attributed to a number of other factors, such as fluid supply (through access to the host), a moist atmosphere in commonly inhabited hoards or the renewal of the outer shell of the nymphs by molting. Diatomaceous earth also has a repellent effect - this aspect is currently the subject of further research.

A synthetic, purely amorphous variant of diatomaceous earth is silica gel , which is also offered for pest control. In contrast to natural kieselguhr, the effect here is essentially based on the very strong adsorptive power of silica gel against the fat-soluble components of the outer wax layer of insects. Since it is a purely amorphous form of silicon dioxide , it should not be able to cause silicosis even with long-term exposure . However, this is hardly to be expected even with natural kieselguhr, since it usually consists of at least 97% to almost 100% amorphous silicon dioxide. In studies on bed bugs, silica gel has proven to be incomparably more effective than the natural variant in vitro and in field tests. If it is mixed with water and then sprayed, the effect is reduced to a fraction, but it is still well above that of diatomaceous earth.

Legal Aspects

In the US, it falls under pesticide legislation . In the EU it falls under the biocide regulation. and the EU definition of pesticides silica gel should be classified as an insecticide legally analogous to kieselguhr.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hotrega® vermin powder (press release)
  2. ↑ a b c Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes, Jennifer R. Gordon, Larry Washburn, Melody Washburn & Travis Hardin: Silica Gel: A Better Bed Bug Desiccant . In: PCT Magazine . No. 8 , August 2014, ISSN  0730-7608 , subsection Mechanism of Action , p. 77 ( Flash version [Non-Flash existent + defective, see source code] [accessed on September 9, 2015]).
  3. ↑ a b Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes, Chris Christensen, TJ Neary, Chris Turner, Lawrence Washburn & Melody Washburn: Diatomaceous Earth: Where Do Bed Bugs Stand When the Dust Settles? In: PCT Magazine . No. December 12 , 2013, ISSN  0730-7608 , p. 72 ff . ( Online version [accessed September 9, 2015]).
  4. ↑ a b c Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes, Jennifer R. Gordon, Larry Washburn, Melody Washburn & Travis Hardin: Silica Gel: A Better Bed Bug Desiccant . In: PCT Magazine . No. 8 , August 2014, ISSN  0730-7608 , p. 76 ff . ( Flash version [Non-Flash exists + defective, see source code] [accessed on September 9, 2015]).
  5. ↑ Cimexa® Insecticide Dust ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Product information) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rockwelllabs.com
  6. ↑ CimeXa® Insecticide Dust and Silica Gel ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (general product information) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rockwelllabs.com
  7. ↑ a b c Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes, Jennifer R. Gordon, Larry Washburn, Melody Washburn & Travis Hardin: Silica Gel: A Better Bed Bug Desiccant . In: PCT Magazine . No. 8 , August 2014, ISSN  0730-7608 , subsection Safety Profile , p. 77 ( Flash version [Non-Flash existent + defective, see source code] [accessed on September 9, 2015]).
  8. ↑ a b diatomaceous earth: A Non Toxic Pesticide , May 1986 Professor Stuart B. Hill, Department of Entomology and Ecological Agriculture Projects, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Canada
  9. ^ Pesticide Labeling Questions & Answers - Advertising Claims , Question No. LC11-442; 10/6/11, US Environmental Protection Agency
  10. ↑ CLP help desk: Biocide definition . Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ Pesticides (definition)