Data-driven rodent control

PHOTO: BELL LABORATORIES

A few years ago, Bell Laboratories set out to “build a better mousetrap” for pest management professionals (PMPs), and that is precisely what the Windsor, Wis.-based company accomplished.

Unveiled two years ago, Bell’s iQ products transform pest control service specialists from bait station and snap trap inspectors into rodent detectives gifted the data and time they need to pinpoint and solve problems earlier and faster.

Powered by Bell Sensing Technologies (BST), iQ products help techs identify and focus on bait stations and traps that have experienced rodent activity. Predictive rodent control and proactive problem solving is iQ’s endgame.

“When PMPs shift their time and expertise toward solving rodent problems exactly where activity occurs, they can fix problems faster,” says Steve Levy, president and CEO of Bell Laboratories. “iQ-equipped devices yield more-satisfied customers and more-rewarding careers for service specialists, who no longer have to check empty bait stations or traps without activity.”

How iQ Works

PHOTO: BELL LABORATORIES

iQ products feature integrated, weatherproof Bluetooth sensors, antennas, and batteries that last two years in snap traps and three years in bait stations. With iQ, PMPs can quickly identify devices experiencing rodent activity — as well as rodents’ likely sources of nearby food, water, and harborage.

“When creating BST, our strategic vision was to provide our industry with rodent monitoring technology that was integrated in the product, easy to use, at an affordable price. The iQ product line is that vision come to life, delivering to our PMP partners time savings and previously unknown, verified rodent data,” says Patrick Lynch, ACE, senior VP of sales for Bell Laboratories, and general manager of Bell Sensing Technologies. “iQ products deliver significant and sustained returns on investments. Equally important, as the world leader in rodent control technology, we understand that PMPs need access to a variety of tools to successfully navigate their jobs. iQ is integrated for use in snap traps, multiple catch traps, and bait stations.”

“iQ devices communicate rodent data via the BST app.” Lynch adds. “There is no limit on the number of app users a company can have, and each subscription comes with the ability to connect with unlimited accounts and unlimited iQ devices. The data and time savings allow PMPs to focus their time on better inspections, IPM and customer service — limiting costly callbacks to an increasingly loyal customer base. iQ products mean PMPs never have to check an empty trap again.”

iQ Products

Bell unveiled its iQ product line, powered by Bell Sensing Technologies, by making a big splash at PestWorld 2019, with the introductions of:

• Protecta EVO Express iQ bait station tray with sensor.
• Protecta EVO Ambush iQ low-profile bait station tray with sensor.
• Trapper T-Rex rat snap trap with sensor.
• Trapper 24/7 iQ multiple-catch mouse trap with sensor.

At PestWorld 2021 in Las Vegas, Nov. 2-5, Bell plans to showcase its expanded iQ family of smart rodent control solutions, including:

• Trapper Mouse iQ mouse snap trap with sensor.
• Pulse Mouse iQ bait station with sensor.
• Pulse Rat iQ bait station with sensor (which is replacing Protecta EVO Ambush iQ).
• Protecta EVO Weighted Landscape iQ bait station tray with sensor.

Investing and Growing

PHOTO: BELL LABORATORIES

Refusing to rest on its laurels, Bell over the past two years has launched more than a dozen solutions for PMPs. In addition to the eight iQ products detailed already, Bell introduced:

• Fastrac Soft Bait — Featuring bromethalin and a highly palatable mix of saturated and unsaturated fats, this bait kills rodents with a single feeding. The weather-resistant formulation won’t freeze or mold, and comes in 8-gram sachets, 4 pounds per pail (purple lid).
• Contrac California Bromethalin Blox — Also featuring bromethalin, this bait is registered for use in California, which with a few exceptions has banned second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. The single-feed, 28-gram, all-weather blocks come in 18-pound pails (blue lids).
• Contrac California Soft Bait — This single-feed soft bait with bromethalin also is registered for use in California. Eight-gram sachets come in 16-pound pails (blue lids).
• Protecta EVO Tunnel — Designed to provide tamper-resistant coverage for rat traps and more, this product features a low profile, and secures to fences and pipes.

The company is dedicated to investing in people and production too. While continuing to operate plants in Madison, Wis., Bell has built a 587,000-square-foot manufacturing and shipping facility as well as its 40,000-square-foot headquarters on the 68-acre campus in Windsor. This has tripled the space for raw materials and finished goods, and added lines for iQ products, Trapper T-Rex, plus extrusion lines, injection molding machines, and glue tray and glue board lines.

“Thanks to our strong partnerships with our distributors and PMPs across the U.S. and Canada, Bell remains committed to providing new and innovative rodent control solutions in the future.” Lynch concludes, “Stay tuned: iQ is going global in 2022.”