New research conducted at Penn State University tested the compatibility of ActiveGuard® liners and passive, encasement type mattress and box spring protectors with Aprehend®. The results demonstrated that the permethrin-impregnated ActiveGuard® liners had a minor effect on the viability of the Aprehend® spray residue when measured by % germination of the spores. The overall effectiveness of Aprehend® as measured by bed bug mortality after exposure to the treated surfaces 1 and 5 weeks after application was not negatively impacted.
What does this mean to you? The bottom line is that passive and impregnated mattress liners are compatible with Aprehend® and the application of Aprehend® to either type of liner enhances bed bug mortality. However, since there is no added advantage of applying Aprehend® to ActiveGuard® encasements, best practice implementation of these products would be to use ActiveGuard® on the mattresses, where Aprehend® cannot be applied, and Aprehend® on box springs with passive encasements or directly to the box spring itself.
The full research article from the Journal of Entomology can be found HERE: Persistence and Lethality of a Fungal Biopesticide (Aprehend®) Applied to Insecticide-impregnated and Encasement-type Box Spring Covers for Bed Bug Management.