Most common household pests fall within the phylum Arthropoda and these include the Classes Insecta (e.g. ants, crickets etc), Myriapoda (or Chilopodia & Diplopodia e.g. centipedes and millipedes) and Arachnida (e.g. mites, spiders and scorpions). One of the most widely geographically spread and most difficult to control is the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), and for this reason it is a good standard and indicative test organism for carrying out laboratory arthropod and insect tests.

The German cockroach is one of the most common insects in the world, and according to fossil record has been around for hundreds of millions of years. They prefer to live in a humid atmosphere with an average temperature of 70°C, which explains why one of their preferred habitats is the modern home. Traditional methods of controlling cockroach infestations include temperature extremes, baits and pesticidal sprays. The development of resistance mechanisms to organic pesticides is a big problem with cockroaches and other general pests, and so slower acting inorganic salts such as borate dusts have been successfully used for many decades.

Borates have also been used as broad-spectrum wood preservatives for over 50 years. Their benefits include efficacy against all wood destroying organisms (fungi, boring beetles & termites), low acute mammalian toxicity and low environmental impact.

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