Concrete foundation crack and expansion joint in raking morning light

Crawling Insect Concentrate: Ants and Cockroaches (In Development)

Vegalab is developing a geraniol concentrate for ants and cockroaches on perimeters, cracks and crevices, and in animal housing. It is not yet for sale. Field experience with Spider Mite Control at higher concentrations indicates activity against both pests; the program turns that into trial data and a label.

Why geraniol for crawling insects

Geraniol is already the active ingredient in minimum-risk products labeled for ants and cockroaches, so the active is established for these pests. Terpene alcohols act on insect octopamine and GABA signaling and disrupt the cuticle at contact concentrations. Our own observation is that Spider Mite Control, used at concentrations above its crop rate, controls ants and cockroaches. Those uses are being labeled through the Crawling Insect Concentrate program, and Spider Mite Control is used for the pests on its current label.

The residual problem

Ants and cockroaches are managed by barriers and harborage treatments that need to stay active for weeks. Contact botanicals typically evaporate from surfaces within days, which is why most professional programs rely on synthetic residuals and baits. A botanical concentrate is competitive only if it holds residual long enough to matter between service visits. That is the claim the trials must establish. Our trials therefore measure activity at fixed intervals after application, not only at day one.

Crevice cross-section with free droplets evaporating and encapsulated droplets holding along the walls — Free geraniol evaporates quickly from cracks and crevices; encapsulation is being tested to extend residual. Not yet for sale.

Trial and label plan

Trials cover contact mortality and residual on concrete, wood, and painted and stainless surfaces, with target species chosen by market (Argentine and odorous house ants, German and American cockroaches). Results set label rates and re-treatment intervals. The label will list sites and pests only, with no disease or public health claims, and will go through state acceptance before sale. Pest management professionals can apply to run field sites. Results will be published by species and surface.

Key facts

Geraniol is a listed minimum-risk active ingredient (40 CFR 152.25(f)(1))
Minimum-risk labels may not claim to control microorganisms that threaten human health or insects carrying specific diseases (40 CFR 152.25(f)(3)(ii))
Several monoterpenoids act on the insect octopamine receptor, contributing to their insecticidal activity (Enan 2001, Comp Biochem Physiol C 130:325)

How our delivery technology applies

A crack-and-crevice treatment needs the active to stay on the surface and to reach into harborage. Nano-emulsion droplets wick into narrow gaps, and biopolymer layers slow evaporation of geraniol from porous surfaces such as concrete and wood. The program measures residual on those surfaces directly rather than assuming it.

Pest management professionals: apply to host a crawling insect trial site.