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Valerie Rosas is a strong advocate for Integrated Pest Management because she realized that pesticides and herbicides have been and are being overused due to lack of training and education. she is in charge of their free training program that certifies pest control companies to use XT-2000, attending tradeshows and creating content to help educate the public about our product.
Intro – company & product bio/history
We recently expanded to Florida, while maintaining our success in California, Hawaii, and Texas. We have 15 certified companies so far in Florida (we launched last year), and +50 in the US western region. Over 500k homes have been successfully treated with XT-2000 Orange Oil for the past 19 years, and we expect to reach a half a million end of this year. I’m here to share with everyone about XT-2000 Orange Oil Plus, how unique our product is to the pest industry, and why you should consider us for your termite issues. The high demand from eco-friendly homeowners has contributed to our success and it stems from the positive impact XT-2000 will have on the people, environment and future generations.
In 1998, Michael Folkins (or as we like to call him, the Godfather of Orange OIl) was working for a company called Tallon Pest Control in San Diego, CA. Someone from Georgia came out with a product, d-limonene and offered it to Jay Tallon (the owner) and he said no, people weren’t ready for eco-friendly solutions yet. Michael requested to have it and Jay said yes. In the year 2000, as part of the EPA registration process, we hired Dr. Rudolph Shaffron from the University of Florida for our efficacy study and he gave us a 98% mortality rate.
What is XT-2000 Orange Oil Plus?
Our product is 95% pure d-limonene, made from orange rinds, is an effective primary treatment for drywood termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles and kills their eggs/larvae on contact thanks to its capillary effect. XT-2000 is a biodegradable, GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by US FDA, one day treatment that does not require you/your family or pets to leave your home. Twenty years ago homeowners didn’t have many treatment alternatives, and tent fumigation was the standard extermination method for termites, but with XT-2000 you get a least toxic option that gets the kill if treated properly. No need to worry about exposure to harsh chemicals, which is why XT-2000 is great for sensitive use areas (particularly elderly homes, clinics, schools, hospitals) and for commercial jobs (complexes, apartments, restaurants). An array of articles have been published highlighting the health benefits of d-limonene. It has been found that d-Limonene has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties, lowers cholesterol and helps with weight management. Companies love to use us for condominium complexes, apartments, and restaurants due to the financial convenience, businesses can remain open during treatment, and customers/tenants do not need to be evicted.
How is XT-2000 Orange Oil Plus Made?
XT-2000 is 95% pure d-limonene with 5% terpenes (terpenes being the organic compounds that remain, think of that slight misty ring that forms at the bottom of a glass of orange juice). Orange rinds go through a mechanical process that includes steam distillation, extracting 95% pure technical grade d-limonene. It is a capillary transparent byproduct that will not stain natural wood because it evaporates and leaves an orange citrus fragrance in your home for 4-5 days.
You may be more familiar with Food Grade d-Limonene, which is obtained by extracting the juice, cold pressing it into orange oil and then putting it through vacuum distillation for orange flavorings and additives (ie orange flavored gum). You’ll also find it in some common household cleaning items.
How XT-2000 Orange Oil Plus Works
Its 95% purity is what gives XT-2000 its unique capillary effect. XT-2000 has the ability to wick through wood against gravity in a matter of minutes, traveling 1-3 feet in all directions killing the termites via contact and soaking into surrounding areas to treat more than 1 gallery. When people witness this orange oil wicking ability, they become amazed because they can visually see what is happening behind their walls when orange oil is injected.
We’ve broken it down to 6 modes of kill (Liquid, Vapor, Wicking, Protozoa, Melts Chitin, Dehydration). It kills eggs, larvae and pest on contact via the liquid’s capillary effect, kills the protozoa which provides the enzymes to digest wood, melts the chitin (found in the exoskeleton), and dehydration occurs during all 6 modes, which drywood termites cannot build a resistance to.
OUR Orange Oil PROCESS:
We prefer to train companies who are familiar with an escrow-level inspections. One part of the training requires clearing wall voids with the use of a high-tech optical imported German borescope to determine the extent of the infestation. It is critical for companies to master our treatment method because we have unique “w” drill patterns, and procedures in order to effectively inject orange oil.
Fortunately, we are an affordable and effective 1 day option for environmental and pesticide conscious homeowners that won’t displace you from your home. XT-2000 is a popular choice because we save homeowners the hidden costs of 3 days of hotel lodging, dining out, pet boarding, rooftop insurance, and other expenses which is estimated to be around an additional $750 – $2,000. We generally are more affordable than other traditional methods but it depends on man hours, amount of product and level of infestation.
Emphasis on XT-2000 Training
Thanks to the demand by eco-friendly homeowners, we re-analyzed our business model to better accommodate our customers and improved our free training programs to recruit IPM companies in HI, CA and FL.
Our main focus now is to provide homeowners with a list of pro-IPM pest control companies to help reduce the amount of pesticides that are prevalent today. We’ve realized that some companies have never gone through any training and our process requires certain equipment and techniques that we’ve developed for the past 19 years. We will only refer companies that are certified, actively using XT-2000, and are in good standing. We receive questions about “do it yourself” treatments but unfortunately it is a professionally used product and requires a pest control license. However, homeowners can visit xt2000.com and enter their zip code/city to find a local XT-2000 certified company to treat their home.
Conclusion – Why should homeowners/pest control owners use us
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE
Informed homeowners don’t want to deal with harsh or lethal chemicals. Consumers have become aware of the potentially harmful effects of sulfuryl fluoride (fumigation gas) due to recent studies and more people are looking for a least toxic option. Fumigation chemicals have been identified by the California Air Resources Board as Toxic Air Contaminants that may cause serious health effects. We must take action by reducing toxic substances to eradicate pests in order to protect children and our environment.
– People spend a lot of time in their homes, how safe would you feel returning to your home after its been pumped with tons of toxic gases? With XT-2000, it is a one day treatment where you can remain present in your home with your family, and pets, no tenting, no move outs, and it’s as effective as other widely used treatments.
After listening to a few of your podcast interviews (Daniel Dye, Mark Weiser, Andrej Branc) it really all comes down to the importance of proper training, staying informed in your industry, and preserving IPM practices. All these are core aspects of our training program to help Pest Control companies better serve and educate homeowners who are dealing with drywood termites and want an effective natural treatment.
When looking for a pest control professional, be sure they are XT-2000 certified and that their certification status is current and accredited on xt2000.com or call us at (888) 870-8485