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Silvandersson celebrates 32 years! The Swedish company Silvandersson, a leading environmentally friendly pest control manufacturer, was born in 1982. An interview with its director, Kenneth Silvandersson...
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T ALL BEGAN as an idea in 1982. My father, Mr Silvandersson, who had many contacts with dairies, found that they lacked a practical and non-toxic means to get rid of the flies that invaded their buildings. So he then contacted the largest dairy co-operative and developed, together with its members and in co-operation with the Swedish Defence Research Agency, a new type of glue trap, incorporating a special adhesive that, unlike the old fly-papers, does not stick to fingers. In 1984, he filed a patent for the world's leading window glue trap. The inventiveness of the company has never wavered since.
Ceaseless creativity In 1997, the company developed the Silvalure system for non-toxic insect and pest control. All products are designed to provide the best possible effect while only having a minimal impact on the environment. In 1998, a patent was filed for glue traps in fluorescent colours and patterns. In 2000, the company launched a UV resistant adhesive. In 2001, its first patent for the Cryonite system was approved. Cryonite eliminates pests with the help of dry ice (-78°C). This method is perfect for the food and other industries and has been tried and tested in many parts of the world. In 2005, he launched CoreDot, a precision technology for applying the glue on the boards exactly the way you want it. There are many advantages: ● High degree of precision – it provides a sharp gluing margin with both glue-free and glue-covered surfaces exactly the way you want it. ● High degree of flexibility – the glue board is custom-made and is formed and adjusted to match your wishes. ● High degree of freedom of choice – with CoreDot you can select exactly the model and form that you want on the glue surfaces, based on the design, construction and function of your insect trap. In 2008, a new brand was created aimed at the general public. Finally, in 2010 , it was extended to professional pest control and crop protection.
Diverse opportunities Silvandersson targets both consumer and professional and agricultural markets (farming, greenhouse crops), with specific ranges. The distribution is done either by shops accessible to individuals or through professional distributors. The very positive image of Sweden in terms of environmental protection is an asset to this company. If the early years were devoted to conquering the domestic market, now 90 per cent of the production is exported to some 35 countries worldwide.
The ecological challenge "30 years ago, we did not talk much about the environment. We were ahead of our time and it was difficult at first to convince the market. We have however been helped in this by the dairy co-operative, which was our first client. Ecological ideas spread and our products have attracted an increasingly wide clientele. "We must remain reasonable. I do not say that our products are 100 per cent safe for the environment. But if they are not used according to our recommendations, their impact will be minimal," said Kenneth Silvandersson. And the first of these rules is to focus on prevention. "In the case of flies, for example, preventive measures at the right time can avert pest www.africanfarming.net
Catch it with flies.
problems completely, at the height of the season. If you wait for them to multiply before you act, it is already too late. And we must have recourse to chemicals. We must constantly educate our clients whether agricultural or private, on the benefits of prevention. This is a real job."
A future market This market is growing. " We develop mechanical traps, glue and systems using pheromones. And the demand is growing. We also work a lot with food manufacturers, hotels and restaurants. Their approach is a little different. Our products are used primarily to monitor their insect populations, to detect the presence of parasites. Meanwhile, the Swedish company operates cryogenic processes, for which demand is real. This is the case of Cryonite, for which the firm has filed patents, "a technology that uses carbon dioxide to kill insects by freezing. The nozzle ejects a patented carbon dioxide, having a particle size and an optimal speed. Cryonite is an environmentally friendly product that can be used almost anywhere, including food establishments, hotels, hospitals and schools, where there are insects at different stages of development. The biological pathway, further noted Kenneth Silvandersson, also seems to be a promising future. In the future, he said, whenever possible, environment friendly technologies will replace chemical processes. But they still remain essential and will continue to make progress. h
IPM - Integrated Pest Management IN INTEGRATED GROWTH protection, pheromones and sticky boards are used to supervise fly activity as well as to make diagnoses. By doing this, attacks are supervised early on and measures can be taken. Sticky boards are also used to capture both incoming insects and those already established. Depending on which insect is in question, either yellow or blue sticky boards are used. This year Silvandersson is running special programmes for field trials for free in Africa to show the techniques to the growers and help growth and quality in Africa's agricultural industry.
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