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NIX OF AMERICA
ARINIXTM is a plastic material embedded with traces of a pesticide that repels small insects, such as fire ants, most spiders, ticks, mites and silverfish. It was not designed to kill the insects, but to stop them from crossing barriers. ARINIXTM gradually releases pesticide to the surface of the plastic over time. Hence, it can protect for up to five years (based on lab tests), with actual results depending on the thickness of the plastic. Since it is made of nylon, it can withstand high temperatures, and we can use injection-molding technology to make it in any form the customer desires.
Work began on it in 1997 when Nissan engineers asked NIX to figure out how to stop spiders from getting into the venting systems in Nissan’s cars. Engineers at NIX and a pharmaceutical company figured out how to create a plastic embedded with the pesticide, which was strong enough to deter insects but not cause harmful effects in animals or humans. Plastics embedded with pesticides have been used in flea collars. Bu the key innovation the engineers came up with was a way to figure out how to provide protection that lasted for more than a decade. The plastic debuted in February, 2000, in Nissan’s cars and has been built into more than a million vehicles.
ARINIXTM provides protection against pesky insects such as the red imported fire ant, which has invaded the Southern United States. The fire ants cause more than $1.4 billion in damage and control efforts each year in Texas alone, destroying or damaging crops, parks, school grounds, electrical wires, sprinklers, and anything else in their way. Across the U.S., fire ant control is a $5 billion annual cost, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The ants pose a threat to farm animals as well as humans, particularly young children and the elderly. They’re drawn in particular to the warmth of electrical equipment such as traffic signals and telephone switches. Since the queen fire ants have wings and the queens lay as many as 800 eggs a day, they can escape eradication efforts. The invasion of the fire ants may sound like a bad science fiction movie, but the threat is very real.
The NIX engineering team went through more than 25 different kinds of plastic before they found the right nylon compound. The ARINIXTM plastic is embedded with a pesticide that slowly works its way to the surface over an extended period of time. The amount of pesticide isn’t enough to kill on contact, but it deters pests from crossing over the plastic.
It works against small crawling insects, including red imported fire ants, most spiders and common ants.
Laboratory tests show that ARINIXTM, under accelerated aging conditions, is effective for 3 to 5 years.
Since ARINIXTM lasts so long, it can reduce maintenance costs related to disposing of pests lodged in sensitive electrical equipment. On average, it costs $200 to send a technician to clear out an infested piece of equipment. The cost of lost equipment is even more dramatic, and ARINIXTM can minimize these losses due to pests.
ARINIXTM is designed to be a barrier. It can cover all the paths that bugs can use to get into sensitive electrical equipment such as a telephone switch. It can be used to prevent fire ants from crawling up bedposts or table legs. Because ARINIXTM is in a plastic form, it can be shaped to act as a barrier on any item.
As a plastic material with an extended life, it can be used in a wide array of applications. It can protect traffic lights, air conditioners, telephone switch boxes, utility boxes, sprinkler control boxes, airport runway lights, nursing homes, bedposts, farm animals, wiring and fuel injection systems in cars, high-voltages transformers, outdoor sensors, security cameras, cable TV wires and boxes, picnic tables, water heaters, nursery plant pots, museum storage, and vending machines.
Bastiaan Drees, a famed entomology professor at Texas A&M University, has conducted tests which have shown ARINIX’s effectiveness at deterring fire ants. Other university studies are under way, and various potential customers are testing ARINIXTM.
The amount of pesticide used in ARINIXTM is very small. NIX will include safety information in all of its packaging. The EPA has granted registration for the product.
NIX of America can provide cost estimates upon requests. Once you decide how much material you need, we can provide the estimate. Because it lasts for up to three to five years under lab tests, we believe it is much more cost-effective than traditional pest control measures.
For more information, you can phone NIX of America at 408-971-3115. 181 Metro Drive, Suite 590, San Jose CA 95110. Fax 408-971-3305 or email at nikkonix@ix.netcom.com.
