Active ingredients get the attention – but formulations lead to success in cockroach control
How the advanced formulation technology behind Maxforce® gels make them the smart choice for quick and reliable cockroach control
As regulatory restrictions phase out more active ingredients (AIs), the value of formulation technology has become a real game-changer in developing the most effective options for cockroach control.
No matter how potent an AI is, it will be useless if cockroaches aren’t tempted to eat it. This is where formulation technology comes in. It’s the clever science that transforms AIs into viable pest control products that work in real world situations; tailoring them to the environments where they’re needed, and ensuring that once the bait is laid, pests are compelled to consume it.
Monika Ballmann is one of Envu’s Formulation Development Managers, one of the scientists that make the magic happen. Based at Envu’s R&D base in Germany, she works alongside teams of dedicated scientific experts who continually develop and refine Maxforce® cockroach gels to ensure they remain the most effective products on the market.
“As a formulation development scientist, my role is to get the full potential out of an active ingredient,” she explains. “For cockroach gel, it works like this. If we put just the active ingredient on the floor in a room, cockroaches would ignore it. But if we create a formulation by adding something that attracts cockroaches to the AI and tempts them to eat it, then we’ve got a bait that will work. It’s a simple example, but one that demonstrates the value of formulation technology.”
Cockroaches are one of the most resilient of all synanthropic insects. Their survival for over 300 million years is a testament to their ability to thrive almost anywhere—from sewers to kitchens, industrial facilities to schools. Posing a significant threat to public health, they present one of the toughest challenges for pest control officers (PCOs). Choosing bait powered by advanced formulation expertise, from a trusted brand with 40 years of experience in the sector, is the best option for professionals looking for swift knockdown and long-lasting control.
Maxforce® Platin helps create healthier environments and can be used in every space where people live, work, and play. Its versatile formulation is stable at extreme temperatures and is designed to be easy to apply with any bait gun. Though soft and wet when applied, the gel will dry within hours and remain firmly in place to give palatable and effective control for up to 12 months.
Monika explains the process behind the gel that ensures that its properties align with PCOs needs. “We start by always working with the customer,” she says. “We ask many questions and establish the most important factors in a cockroach gel for the PCO so we can create a product that suits their needs. This can cover anything from how the bait is made, how it is produced, stored, or applied— right through to how the cockroach reacts to it. Formulation technology is involved at every stage of the process.
“For example, we found that PCOs wanted to use the product straight from their vehicles. In winter, the bait will be very cold when stored in a van overnight. To then take it into a hot and humid kitchen to apply it required us to develop a formula that can quickly adapt so it still works effectively with any extreme temperature change.
“During the development process we will recreate scenarios like this many times, in the lab and in trials, to ensure our gels perform exactly as our customers want to use them. With Maxforce® Platin, another example is how we ensured the gel performed well when applied to smooth walls in hot and humid environments. Our work on the formulation meant the gel could be easy to apply and remained firmly in place without any risk of runs or leaks.”
Making AIs palatable is the overriding feature that ensures pests will consume the bait. When controlling cockroaches, effective formulations need to account for the insects' physiological and behavioural resistance. Mutations in the species can mean that some cockroaches will no longer feed on glucose and other simple sugars. Maxforce® cockroach gels have been formulated to address this.
Made with complex carbohydrates and phyto-lipids to help combat problems with aversion, the Maxforce® recipe works together with Envu’s patented BlueBead Technology to ensure excellent long lasting palatability—creating a gel that’s the most powerful ally when used independently and as part of rotational treatments.
Monika explains how science is the power behind the Maxforce® recipe. “First, we make sure the formulation keeps the AI homogenous throughout the gel, ensuring that every exposure will have an effect. Then, we add food ingredients we know cockroaches like to eat, using science and rigorous testing to create the final product we know will work,” she says.
“The power of an AI is important for sure, but combining this with food ingredients that are delicious to cockroaches, moisture, and our technologies is what makes the bait so attractive. We focus on bases with water to mimic the environments where cockroaches most like to live, such as damp, humid places like kitchens and bathrooms. And finally, we’ve got the irresistible banana flavour, which works as a feeding stimulant in our BlueBead Technology. Significantly, this also makes the bait particularly attractive to nymphs, as well as adult cockroaches,” she highlights.
“As we’re using food ingredients to tempt the cockroaches the formulation also needs some preservatives to keep it fresh, and to counteract any bacteria and other damaging microorganism that comes in contact with the bait. Formulation technology addresses this too, so that the gel remains fresh, attractive and palatable for as long as it's needed.”
Cockroach control depends on advanced formulation technology and the scientists' expertise to integrate essential properties—such as attractiveness, palatability, ease of use, and longevity—into every gel. These innovative, rigorously tested formulations, combined with our deep understanding of customer needs gained from extensive market experience, have made Maxforce® cockroach gels the first choice for swift and effective, long-lasting control. Monika concludes:
“It can take anything up to 7 years to develop the formulation for a new product that’s perfectly in tune with customers’ needs. Throughout the whole process we are always in close contact with regulators to ensure we’ve incorporated all the essential processes, like checking if everything is registered in the countries we want to supply to.
“The whole formulation process relies on expertise, internal resources and experience; without that, everything would take much longer and cost more in the long run. So, the most important thing for developing a new product in a complex market like cockroach control is the experience and knowledge—the value that we provide to our customers, through our innovative and reliable formulations, is priceless.”
No matter how potent an AI is, it will be useless if cockroaches aren’t tempted to eat it. This is where formulation technology comes in. It’s the clever science that transforms AIs into viable pest control products that work in real world situations; tailoring them to the environments where they’re needed, and ensuring that once the bait is laid, pests are compelled to consume it.
Monika Ballmann is one of Envu’s Formulation Development Managers, one of the scientists that make the magic happen. Based at Envu’s R&D base in Germany, she works alongside teams of dedicated scientific experts who continually develop and refine Maxforce® cockroach gels to ensure they remain the most effective products on the market.
“As a formulation development scientist, my role is to get the full potential out of an active ingredient,” she explains. “For cockroach gel, it works like this. If we put just the active ingredient on the floor in a room, cockroaches would ignore it. But if we create a formulation by adding something that attracts cockroaches to the AI and tempts them to eat it, then we’ve got a bait that will work. It’s a simple example, but one that demonstrates the value of formulation technology.”
Developed for pest controllers
Cockroaches are one of the most resilient of all synanthropic insects. Their survival for over 300 million years is a testament to their ability to thrive almost anywhere—from sewers to kitchens, industrial facilities to schools. Posing a significant threat to public health, they present one of the toughest challenges for pest control officers (PCOs). Choosing bait powered by advanced formulation expertise, from a trusted brand with 40 years of experience in the sector, is the best option for professionals looking for swift knockdown and long-lasting control.
Maxforce® Platin helps create healthier environments and can be used in every space where people live, work, and play. Its versatile formulation is stable at extreme temperatures and is designed to be easy to apply with any bait gun. Though soft and wet when applied, the gel will dry within hours and remain firmly in place to give palatable and effective control for up to 12 months.
Monika explains the process behind the gel that ensures that its properties align with PCOs needs. “We start by always working with the customer,” she says. “We ask many questions and establish the most important factors in a cockroach gel for the PCO so we can create a product that suits their needs. This can cover anything from how the bait is made, how it is produced, stored, or applied— right through to how the cockroach reacts to it. Formulation technology is involved at every stage of the process.
“For example, we found that PCOs wanted to use the product straight from their vehicles. In winter, the bait will be very cold when stored in a van overnight. To then take it into a hot and humid kitchen to apply it required us to develop a formula that can quickly adapt so it still works effectively with any extreme temperature change.
“During the development process we will recreate scenarios like this many times, in the lab and in trials, to ensure our gels perform exactly as our customers want to use them. With Maxforce® Platin, another example is how we ensured the gel performed well when applied to smooth walls in hot and humid environments. Our work on the formulation meant the gel could be easy to apply and remained firmly in place without any risk of runs or leaks.”
Formulation that creates the recipe for success
Making AIs palatable is the overriding feature that ensures pests will consume the bait. When controlling cockroaches, effective formulations need to account for the insects' physiological and behavioural resistance. Mutations in the species can mean that some cockroaches will no longer feed on glucose and other simple sugars. Maxforce® cockroach gels have been formulated to address this.
Made with complex carbohydrates and phyto-lipids to help combat problems with aversion, the Maxforce® recipe works together with Envu’s patented BlueBead Technology to ensure excellent long lasting palatability—creating a gel that’s the most powerful ally when used independently and as part of rotational treatments.
Monika explains how science is the power behind the Maxforce® recipe. “First, we make sure the formulation keeps the AI homogenous throughout the gel, ensuring that every exposure will have an effect. Then, we add food ingredients we know cockroaches like to eat, using science and rigorous testing to create the final product we know will work,” she says.
“The power of an AI is important for sure, but combining this with food ingredients that are delicious to cockroaches, moisture, and our technologies is what makes the bait so attractive. We focus on bases with water to mimic the environments where cockroaches most like to live, such as damp, humid places like kitchens and bathrooms. And finally, we’ve got the irresistible banana flavour, which works as a feeding stimulant in our BlueBead Technology. Significantly, this also makes the bait particularly attractive to nymphs, as well as adult cockroaches,” she highlights.
“As we’re using food ingredients to tempt the cockroaches the formulation also needs some preservatives to keep it fresh, and to counteract any bacteria and other damaging microorganism that comes in contact with the bait. Formulation technology addresses this too, so that the gel remains fresh, attractive and palatable for as long as it's needed.”
Cockroach control depends on advanced formulation technology and the scientists' expertise to integrate essential properties—such as attractiveness, palatability, ease of use, and longevity—into every gel. These innovative, rigorously tested formulations, combined with our deep understanding of customer needs gained from extensive market experience, have made Maxforce® cockroach gels the first choice for swift and effective, long-lasting control. Monika concludes:
“It can take anything up to 7 years to develop the formulation for a new product that’s perfectly in tune with customers’ needs. Throughout the whole process we are always in close contact with regulators to ensure we’ve incorporated all the essential processes, like checking if everything is registered in the countries we want to supply to.
“The whole formulation process relies on expertise, internal resources and experience; without that, everything would take much longer and cost more in the long run. So, the most important thing for developing a new product in a complex market like cockroach control is the experience and knowledge—the value that we provide to our customers, through our innovative and reliable formulations, is priceless.”
