Insect control with carbon dioxide foam

The purpose of this study was to investigate a safer pest control method for both urban and agricultural applications. In this method, carbon dioxide gas and air were applied within a non-toxic aqueous foam. The CO₂ foam was designed to spread over crops or substrate and to persist until insects suffocate in the anoxic foam after a sufficient length of exposure. The surfactants that were mixed with water to create the foam are harmless to the environment, as well aS inexpensive. The foam would be removed by a spray of water or would simply disintegrate. Laboratory toxicity studies on common urban and agricultural pests were conducted. For German cockroaches in particular, mortality for CO₂ foam was significantly higher than mortality for air foam. The results indicated that CO₂ foam could effectively control some urban and agricultural pests without the coincident use of pesticides.