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If fleas are making your life a living hell, you are not alone. Ask any pet owner, fleas are a constant bane in their lives. Adult fleas live on warm-blooded animals and get their food at their expense. When they bite, it results in prolonged itching and swelling.
Now for the good news, only 5% of fleas are adults while the remaining 95% are in their early development stage and can still be prevented from maturing into adult fleas. Flea eggs, flea larvae, and pupae are the early stages of development.
Luckily, insect growth regulators are potent chemicals that can effectively prevent fleas from creating a dreadful infestation. With the use of these inhibitors, insects won’t be able to jump, bite and most importantly, reproduce fleas!
IGRS For Fleas – What You Should Know?
The safest birth control method for fleas, IGRs work by disrupting the normal life cycle of fleas. They are not meant to kill insects. All they do is stop the eggs or larvae from becoming adults and thus reproducing. Damaging flea eggs and flea larvae before they develop into full adults is probably the most effective way to wipe out flea infestation.
IGRs work on several types of insects such as fleas, cockroaches, ants and mosquitoes. They are low in toxicity for human beings as well. They don’t immediately banish all of the insect population at once, but they continually stop an entire pest population from reproducing until all of their insects have died.
IGRs become especially useful during intensive clean out services. Where it can take care of any insect or cockroaches that are left behind. IGRs also work on insects that have shown resistance to other standard insecticides as it employs a different approach.
A Complete Guide To Insect Growth Regulators For Fleas
In theory insect growth regulators are juvenoids, man-made chemicals that replicate the juvenile growth hormone found in an insect’s body. These hormones are responsible for controlling how long an insect will remain in its larvae stage and at what point it will turn into a reproductive adult.
Insects that are exposed to IGRs at an early stage either never grow as adults or if they do, they may grow into sterile adults who cannot reproduce. For example, cockroach nymphs exposed to IGRs may have shorter, twisted wings and a darker body color.
Not only at an early stage, IGRs can also affect insects that are exposed later in an adult stage by halting the development of eggs. Eggs that are affected by IGR may not hatch.
Alongside juvenoids, other IGRs are chitin synthesis inhibitors wherein “chitin” stands for insect’s skin. These inhibitors work by blocking the growth of chitin so that the insects can’t form new skin or shed off the old one. With their inability to perform this integral process, most affected insects will squeeze and die during the adulting stage.
Hyper accelerated growth is the third approach IGRs take. In this method, the insects grow up so quickly that they bypass the sexual production stage and turn into adults who are incapable of reproducing at all.
However, IGRs slowly take effect. If they are used alone, it will take months to see visible control on insect population. Although no young insects will crop up, the current lot will have to die of natural causes before you see results. That is why, IGRs are generally used along with a standard insecticide so that users can see immediate results.
Best IGR For Fleas – UPDATED 2020
Now that you know IGRs are the most effective plan of attack against those pesky insects, here’s what you should look for in the market. The following active ingredients are the most likely used growth regulators by professionals-
Methoprene – fleas, ants, mosquitoes, etc.
Hydroprene – Cockroaches, flies, bed bugs, pest on store products.
Pyriproxyfen (marketed as Nylar) – Fleas and cockroaches.
Hexaflumuron, diflubenzuron and noviflumuron – Termites
Nylar IGR
Nylar is a very popular insect growth regulator that is commonly found in products like NyGuard, Archer and Flea Fix. The chemical is safe to be used inside the house as well as outdoors to prevent the growth of insects.
Once sprayed, the effect of Nylar lasts upto 3 to 6 months in indoor areas and 30 days when used outside. Nylar can be used alone or by tank mixing with other insect pesticides. The best insect killer for fleas that you can mix with Nylar are Suspend SC and Permethrin Pro.
You don’t need to visibly see fleas moving around or a full-fledged infestation to take place in order to use Nylar. As a precautionary step, Nylar can be sprayed in and around the house to better prepare yourself for the forthcoming attack.
Comparatively, Nylar works on more insects and more stages of their lifecycle than Methoprene, Hydroprene, and Archer.
Gentrol IGR
Gentrol contains hydroprene, a synthetic hormone which disrupts the insect’s normal lifecycle. Gentrol comes in an aerosol spray form, liquid concentrate and solid dispensers. Its active ingredient prevents pests in larvae and nymph stage from adulting. It also prevents rebound infestations.
However, hydroprene is not photostable which means it can be used only indoors. Gentrol is advised to be used inside apartments, buildings, cafes, residential areas, laboratories, schools, restaurants, nursing homes, warehouses and the likes. This IGR can be mixed with water or tank mixed with other approved pesticides.
Zoecon Precor 2000 & 2000 Plus
Zoecon precor contains a high concentration of methoprene IGR. The formula combines fast-acting insecticides and slow-acting IGR to stop eggs and larvae from reproducing. If used alone, Precor is capable of preventing indoor flea infestation by upto 3 to 7 months. It offers 2,000 sq ft. of coverage area from a single aerosol spray. It can be used alone or mixed with pesticides that are labeled for indoor flea prevention. Precor tackles a number of insects including adult fleas, hatching flea eggs, flea larvae, ticks, cockroaches, ants and more.
