BioGents assess insecticide- or repellent-treated textiles according to established protocols, standards and guidelines, or develops new or modified procedures according to the specific questions our customers may have. Naturally, all test results are treated in strict confidence.

Cage tests of repellent-treated textiles: swift and cost-effective

Cage tests are the quick and cost-effective way determine the mosquito-repelling qualities of treated textiles. They are ideal for product development. The tests follow the acknowledged protocol for cage tests of repellents. For such a test, volunteers cover a defined area of their forearms with the textiles and then present it to hungry mosquitoes in cage.

Tests of insecticide-treated textiles and surfaces

The effectiveness of insecticide-treated textiles (such as bed nets, canvas, etc.) or surfaces is usually studied in standardized cone bioassays with insecticide-susceptible strains of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. The procedure is promoted by the WHO and other international and national organizations. In the case of the evaluation of insecticides with additional repellent properties, where exposed mosquitoes might spend more time resting on the cone and not on the treated surface, alternatives such as the wire-ball test (wrapping the textile around a wire frame and introducing mosquitoes into this ball), cylinder tests (the inside of a test cylinder is covered with the textile), and other methods are often applied.

Cone test of an insecticide-treated textile. Mosquitoes (usually malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae) are introduced into a standardized cone for a defined time span, then removed and transferred to small cages to determine the knock-down and knock-dead rates.

Testing bite-resistant textiles

A special case are textiles and membranes that inhibit mosquito bites purely through their physical properties. BioGents offers quick and meaningful tests for the evaluation of these fabrics.

Indoor tests: application tests under constant conditions

This procedure complies with a protocol which was developed for the Stiftung Warentest, the German equivalent of the Consumer Reports in the United States. The test rooms are air conditioned, and the number, age, and species of the mosquitoes used in the study can be controlled. This test is a good alternative field tests: More realistic than cage tests, but possible at any time and at less expense.

Field tests: the most meaningful evidence for the efficacy of a treated textile

Field studies are the ultimate verification of the performance of your product. The most realistic conditions deliver the most meaningful results. We perform field tests in Europe, North America, Brazil, and Australia.

Testing repellent-treated textiles in the field near Regensburg. The location in which these tests were performed is especially rich in the floodwater mosquitoes Aedes vexans and Aedes/Ochlerotatus sticticus. Ae. vexans is distributed almost world-wide, Ae./Oc. sticticus in Europe, northern Asia, and North America.

Tick tests

Effective protection from ticks, the carriers of Lyme disease (borreliosis) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), is becoming increasingly important. This is why, in collaboration with tick specialists, we also offer efficacy tests with ticks. We cater for all requirements – from basic in vitro lab tests (moving object assays) to lab tests with human subjects and field studies.