It’s a fact that Certified Sentricon Specialists™ (CSSs) have made the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ technology the most rapid adoption of a termite control technology in the history of the pest control industry. It’s also a fact that rapid adoption played an important role in Recruit® HD termite bait getting U.S. patent protection.
“Recruit HD took more than 10 years in research and development,” says Bruce Jacobs, pest management project success leader. “To be successful, it had to be durable, dense and palatable. And it had to be effective on subterranean termites in all regions of the United States as well as around the world.”
The rapid market adoption accomplished by CSSs also helped convince the patent office that Recruit HD was something special.
With the patent protection, CSSs will continue to enjoy a distinct market advantage through August of 2032. Jacobs says that prior to earning the U.S. patent, Recruit® HD already had earned patents in China and Japan.
“We knew that a highly durable bait would give CSSs a big advantage over the competition,” he says. “We’ve had Recruit HD in the ground for eight years now, and it is still holding up. What was a huge plus was the palatability. Termites decide what they want to feed on, and they actually prefer the Recruit HD formulation over wood. And Recruit HD becomes even more preferred by termites over time. This is why we stress that technicians should replace it only if more than one-third of the bait is depleted.”
High density was a key factor in earning the industry’s only once-per-year bait label. Each Recruit HD bait device contains 150 grams of bait, more than is required to eliminate a typical subterranean termite colony. A protective ring of Sentricon stations with Recruit HD is able to provide protection between annual service visits.
While the patent for Recruit® HD is important for CSSs and the homeowners they serve, Jacobs says additional innovations are being researched to ensure the Sentricon System remains the market-leading technology.
