Due to their relatively small diameter, optical fibers are more susceptible to rodent
attack than traditional telecommunication cables. Rodents cause lots of
maintenance problems by cutting and destroying wires of telecommunication
and transmission equipments.
Rodents chew because they must (their teeth continue to grow during their lifetimes
and must be constantly worn down) while deer and other animals chew in search of
food or out of boredom.Whatever the reason, the very act of chewing damages the
wires or pipes rendering them useless –or worse, creating situations like the
New Zealand Stock Exchange which was forced to close down for several hours after
rodents chewed hrough a fiber‐optic communication cable, leading to the collapse of
the country's telecom network for 6 hours.
Subterranean termites and other insects are also known to feed on wires and cables
which may be laid underground for transmissin of information and communication
purposes. This can expose wires and lead to short circuits. The Termite Prevention
and Control Research Institute has studies reporting that insects also damage wires
and cables made fro copper, iron and aluminum. Hence the damage done to wires
and cables needs to be addressed.
Conventional insecticides/rodenticides cannot be processed be with these wires and
cables as they aren't meant for polymer processing temperatures often eading to
toxic fumes which are a hazard to workers handling the processing of wires and
cables. Combirepel®™combines the need to deal with these pests combined with
the need of having a non toxic and non hazardous additive for the
teleommunication industry.
Gas pipelines especially the ones which are used in the city gas distribution systems
since they are made of polymeric materialare vulnerable to attacks by aggressive
subterranean termites as also other insects.
These applications are especially sensitive since they are used for hauling natural gas
over long distances and thus can lead t a potential disaster in case of a gas leak.
Hence insect/termite proofing of the gas pipeline needs to be done effectively.
They are also disturbed by chewing of rubber gas tubings and pipelines. This has now
compelled the pipeline and rubber tubing manufacturers to fabricate products, with
anti‐ rodent properties, complying with government specifications. Times online,
UK News, had reported the death of an old lady due to gas explosion. Gnawing
rodents were to blame for the death of an 80‐year‐old woman in a massive
explosion that flattened her home. They had gnawed through her kitchen rubber
pipes, causing a build‐up of gas in the room.
Rodents significantly damage crop before and after with an estimated 20% of the
world's food supply consumed or contaminated each year. Rodents have two major
impacts. The first is the substantial pre‐ and postharvest losses they cause to
agriculture.
The second is as carriers of debilitating human diseases, insects are most often
responsible for damaging crops as it eats leaves or burrows in stems, fruit, or roots.
Losses to the tune of 10,000 hectares of paddy crops getting destroyed due to insects
and worms have been reported in areas lie Bhubhaneshwar, Orissa. This requires that
the problem of insects be addressed in an effective manner.
Drip Irrigation & Pipelines (pre‐ harvest losses):
Drip irrigation, also known micro‐ irrigation, is an irrigation method which saves
water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, through a
network of valves, pipes, tubings, and emitters. However, the whole purpose of
conservation of water using such systems turns futile if these tubes get vulnerable to
rodent/insect attacks. Some farmers despondently state that "for every eight rows of
rice they sow for their families, they sow two rows for the rats." Thus it is essential
that the drip irrigation pipelines/tubings are made anti‐rodent and anti‐termite/insect.
Storage containers and bags (post‐ harvest losses):
Rodents have an enormous economic impact on stored grain in developing countries.
Under traditional rice farming systems, rodents generally cause chronic losses to
production in the order of 5–10% per annum. In Asia, a loss of 5% of rice
production amounts to approximately 30 million tonnes; enough rice to feed 180
million people for 12 months. Moreover, rodents are carriers of more than 40
diseases like Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis, Plague (Epidemic disease),
Trichinosis etc.
According to a 1990 survey of extension specialists throughout the United States,
stored grain losses exceeded $500 million for the year. Most of these losses
resulted from infestation by several species of insects and damage by numerous
molds and mycotoxins. Similar losses have been reported over the years in various
countries. These losses need to be minimized/nullified. Plastic bags which are
incorporated with Combirepel®™ can be used to tackle this menace thereby reducing
losses of the stored grain.
A termite barrier is a physical object that keeps termites from penetrating the foundation
of a house or accessing other parts f the property. Termites are wood‐destroying pests most
commonly found all over the planet.
New developments and centrally heated homes all over the United States, Europe and
Australia have made them the breeding centers of termites. According to Bjostad,
termites cause $22 billion in structural damage annually around the world. This
includes $11 billion in annual damage in the United States, including damage in
Colorado, where many residents are unaware of termite infestation. The estimated
cost of termite treatment is 200 million Euros per year. If added the cost of
repairs, replacement or destruction of structures, furniture, walls and other
woodwork, the annual cost in France would be around 500 million Euros a year.
More and more countries are now heading towards a termite barrier system installed
during the construction phase of the house. Combirepel®™ can be incorporated in
these termite barriers and thus used for protection of the houses from termites.
Combirepel®™ can also be used as a wood preservative to protect household furniture
from infestation from aggressive Formosan termites whic are known to inhabit wooden
constructions. The wood prior to use in the application can be dipped into a
solution of Combirepel®™ thus rendering it termite proof.
Passenger coaches often are infested with roaches, rodents and bed bugs and several
other insects. This can cause great discomfort for passengers especially in long
distance trains. Pantry cars are also vulnerable to cockroach and other insect
infestation which can contaminate the food via droppings, wings etc. besides
creating an unhygienic atmosphere.
Rodents often disturb underground train services and metro rail services.
They are a menace for the passengers travelling in train especially in A.C.
coaches. Thousands of complaints have been registered by people travelling
in trains regarding rodents.
These problems can be addressed by the use of Combirepel®™ by blending with
paint and coating the same to the coaches.
World over heritage structures which are the symbol of pride for any country suffer the
ignominy of being vandalized by birds wo sit on these heritage structures and make a
mess with their pecking, food habits and droppings.
Combirepel®™ provides a solution by which these structures can be restored to their
former glory! A customized application of Combirepel®™ is possible by which it can
act on certain receptors in the feet of these birds and thus effectively repel them
and prevent thm from approaching these structures paves the way for heritage
structures to once again serve as a symbol of pride and glory.
The rodents have been a nuisance for the defense system. They move the underground
laid mines from their original location creating a trouble for them to locate it
again. They chew the cables and pipes also creating a problem for the defense to
transmit information from one place to another.
According to study by the Defense Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior,
India; the aircraft arrester system remains in open ground all the time, since it
is used on runways.
It is damaged by rodents who by nature chew and cut materials and hence nylon tapes
in open fields are susceptible to these rodnt attacks. The rodents consume more than
50% of the nylon belt without any rodent repellent additive.
Many of us have had trouble starting our cars in the morning as a rat or a vole had
eaten through the cable. Complaints of car shut‐downs and engine damage are
extensive and prevalent globally. And to add to the dilemma, rodent damage is not
covered under most auto insurance schemes.
Another problem that has often been encountered for under‐the‐hood parts is
that of overcrowding by spiders. This gained attention when Mazda recalled
52,000 U.S. Mazda 6 sedans because of spiders weaving webs in a vent line.
Many electronics companies has been trying to come up with new methods to prevent
the cable and wiring of refrigerators from roent attacks. They have developed
anti‐ rodent sleeves using ROHS compliant polymer additives for such measures.