Because of its size and scope, managing pests in New York City is no easy task. So having the right tools for a job is essential, especially when dealing with American cockroaches and pigeons. That’s when InVict Xpress Granular Bait and InVade Bio Foam from Rockwell Labs factor in. InVict delivers a lightning-fast kill of a broad spectrum of insects such ants, cockroaches, crickets, mole crickets, silverfish, firebrats and earwigs. With the power of imidacloprid and the irresistibility of its bait matrix, pest management professionals (PMPs) see the carnage quickly. Joshua Bloom, quality assurance director for Standard Pest Management, is one of those PMPs. Standard, which employs about 25 people, serves the five boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. The company, which has been around since 1929, is family-owned. Bloom, a fourth-generation PMP, has been working for the company, which his great-grandfather started, for the past 15 years.
Standard has been using InVict from Rockwell ever since its supplier, Residex, introduced the product to the company when it first came out on the market a few years ago. “It fits a need for us, with its quick action and low-use rate, and it’s less hazardous to non-target animals than some older baits,” Bloom says. “The products we use are all about versatility. Because we have walking routes in the city, our technicians need to be able to carry them, so InVict’s smaller bottle can easily fit in a tool bag. The packaging is great. It can also be used in both our commercial and residential accounts.” “InVict is the best granular product for American cockroaches, Bloom says: “It’s our No.1 go-to bait.” Standard’s technicians use InVict in and around multifamily buildings for a variety of labeled pests, but they mainly use it to combat moisture-related pests. They apply the bait in utility rooms and other rooms where people aren’t around much, in areas where pipes go in and out of a building, and near sewer lines and drains. Technicians also place the bait outside buildings throughout the year. By treating basements aggressively, it results in fewer pests in the apartments above. “When our techs apply the bait around American roaches, they go right to it,” Bloom says, adding that Standard is using about a case of bait a week. “We see less American roaches. The products we were using before weren’t as fast acting. They didn’t contain imidacloprid.”
In addition to InVict, Standard also relies on Rockwell Labs for its InVade Bio Foam because Standard cleans a lot of pigeon droppings on building facades, which the company has been doing for more than a decade. Bird-related work is a significant part of the company’s business. “We needed a product that breaks down bird poop, but doesn’t damage structures,” Bloom says. InVade’s super concentrated foaming formula contains a blend of premium natural microbes and citrus oil for eliminating odors and organic build-up. It’s applicable for food and nonfood areas in commercial, residential, industrial, institutional, agricultural and educational establishments. It’s also applicable in transport vehicles. Standard’s technicians foam surfaces, spray them down, then power-wash them, which is much easier to do and much more effective with InVade because the Bio Foam loosens organic material. Standard has been using InVade for years. In addition to these effective, low-risk products, Bloom likes Rockwell’s level of service.” Our rep, Pat Ryan, is fantastic,” he says. “He gets back to us quickly.”