Sterling International

What Sterling International does

Sterling International, Inc., operating under the RESCUE! brand, is a Spokane, Washington-based manufacturer of non-toxic, pesticide-free pest control traps founded in 1982. The company's product portfolio spans roughly 20+ core SKUs across flies (Fly Trap Max, Big Bag, Disposable, Reusable, POP! Fly, Fruit Fly, FlyPad, Deck & Patio Fly TrapStik, Indoor Fly TrapStik), ants (child-resistant Ant Baits with a dual-bait protein/carbohydrate formula using Borax), wasps/hornets/yellowjackets (W·H·Y Trap, Disposable and Reusable Yellowjacket Traps, Wasp TrapStik), and secondary targets including Japanese and Oriental beetles, carpenter bees, spiders, and pantry/birdseed moths. The technology rests on two proprietary mechanisms: (1) water-activated or pre-loaded food-grade and pheromone lure systems that attract insects into traps where they drown or adhere, and (2) VisiLure, a visual attractant using color and pattern rather than chemical scent to lure insects onto sticky surfaces. Secondary innovations include a TouchSafe Ridges safety architecture on FlyPad and child-resistant bait station enclosures. All products are designed, manufactured, and assembled at the company's Spokane headquarters at 3808 N. Sullivan Road, Building 16.

Sterling operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and retail distribution model. The company sells through its own e-commerce site (rescue.com/buy-online) supported by a 'Where to Buy' store locator, and through anchor retail partnerships including Tractor Supply, Home Depot, and independent garden centers and hardware stores. Revenue is generated through one-time trap purchases plus a refill and accessory line (lure pouches, 10-week cartridges, and the Fly Bucket Top 5-gallon bucket conversion accessory) that introduces a consumable repeat-purchase layer on top of the reusable trap hardware. The target customer base is led by residential homeowners and pet owners seeking non-toxic pest control around homes, yards, gardens, patios, and food-prep areas, with a secondary agricultural segment addressing fly control around barns, stables, poultry, hog, dairy, and beef cattle operations. The company does not disclose financials, has no known parent, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

Sterling International

Legal name

Sterling International, Inc.

Website

https://rescue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling International is a Spokane-based manufacturer of non-toxic, pesticide-free pest control traps and baits sold under the RESCUE! brand. It designs, produces, and distributes traps for flies, ants, wasps, beetles, spiders, moths, and bees to residential homeowners, pet owners, and agricultural operations via retail and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Pest Control Products

akta.pro primary industry

Insect & Pest Control (Indoor/Outdoor Insecticides, Repellents, Traps) (CRADAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insect Traps & Lures (Sticky, Light, Pheromone) (CRAJAHAC), Insect Baits & Gel Baits (Ant, Roach, etc.) (CRAJAHAB), Natural/Green Pest Control Products (CRAJAHAK)

Keywords

• Non-toxic pest traps
• Insect pest control
• Fly trap products
• Ant bait stations
• Sticky insect traps

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Pest Control Products: Sale of non-toxic pest control traps and attractants to residential consumers and agricultural operations. Products include fly traps, ant baits, spider traps, wasp traps, beetle traps, and moth traps. Revenue is generated through both one-time product sales and recurring refill/attractant purchases. Products sold through direct e-commerce and retail distribution.
2. Refills and Accessories: Recurring revenue from replacement lures, attractant refills, and accessories for reusable traps. Includes Fly Trap Max Refill, Fruit Fly Trap Refill, Japanese Beetle Trap Refill, RESCUE! Fly Trap Refill, POP! Fly Trap Refill, W·H·Y Trap Refill Kit, Yellowjacket cartridges and refills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sterling International designs, manufactures, and sells the RESCUE! line of non-toxic, poison-free insect traps and bait stations for residential and small-scale agricultural use. The product portfolio spans fly traps (multiple variants), ant bait stations, sticky visual traps, wasp and yellowjacket traps, spider traps, beetle traps, and moth traps, sold through direct e-commerce and national retail distribution. Revenue is generated through initial trap purchases plus a recurring refill/attractant revenue stream tied to reusable trap designs.

Product overview

RESCUE! is a comprehensive pest control product line manufactured by Sterling International, a U.S.-based company founded in 1982. The portfolio consists of non-toxic, pesticide-free traps and attractant-based products targeting flying and crawling insects. Core products include: Ant Baits (indoor bait stations), multiple Fly Trap variants (Fly Trap Max, Big Bag, Disposable, Fruit Fly, POP! Fly, Reusable), FlyPad (sticky visual trap), Spider Trap, Japanese Beetle Trap, various TrapStik products (Carpenter Bee, Deck & Patio Fly, Indoor Fly, Wasp), W·H·Y Trap (wasps/hornets/yellowjackets), and Yellowjacket Traps (Disposable and Reusable). The product line follows two main trap mechanisms: water-based traps with scent lures (food-grade attractants, pheromones) that drown insects, and sticky VisiLure traps using visual color/pattern attractants. Supporting the core products are refills and accessories including lure packets, cartridges, and the Fly Bucket Top conversion accessory. All products are designed, manufactured, and assembled in the USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RESCUE! Ant Baits: Child-resistant ant bait stations with dual-bait formula featuring separate protein and carbohydrate compartments
• RESCUE! Pantry & Birdseed Moth Trap
• RESCUE! Fly Trap Max
• RESCUE! Big Bag Fly Trap
• RESCUE! Disposable Fly Trap
• RESCUE! Fruit Fly Trap
• RESCUE! POP! Fly Trap
• RESCUE! Reusable Fly Trap
• RESCUE! FlyPad
• RESCUE! Japanese Beetle Trap
• RESCUE! Spider Trap
• RESCUE! Carpenter Bee TrapStik
• RESCUE! Deck & Patio Fly TrapStik
• RESCUE! Indoor Fly TrapStik
• RESCUE! Wasp TrapStik
• RESCUE! W.H.Y Trap
• RESCUE! Disposable Yellowjacket Trap
• RESCUE! Reusable Yellowjacket Trap

Products and services

• Ant Baits Child-resistant indoor ant bait stations with dual-bait gel formula containing separate protein and carbohydrate compartments. Borax-based (5.4%) to eliminate entire ant colonies including queen and larvae. Targeted at residential homeowners needing safe, mess-free kitchen ant control.
• Fly Trap Max

Quantifiable outcome

• Big Bag Fly Trap catches up to 40,000 flies per trap
• +7 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Terro (Senoret Chemical Company): Terro is the dominant consumer ant bait brand (liquid borax stations) sold through the same mass, hardware, and farm-store retail channels as RESCUE! Ant Baits. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor in the ant control category where Sterling has positioned its dual-bait formulation.
• Victor (Woodstream Corporation): Victor is a long-standing manufacturer of consumer pest control traps (mouse, rat, insect, fly, wasp) sold through home improvement and farm-store retail. Overlapping SKU architecture (snap traps, glue boards, fly traps) makes it a direct comparable on the trap side of Sterling's portfolio.
• Safer Brand (Woodstream Corporation): Safer Brand is positioned specifically on organic and non-toxic consumer pest and garden solutions, mirroring Sterling's RESCUE! 'green/pet-safe' positioning. The two compete for the same eco-conscious shelf set at Home Depot, independent garden centers, and online retailers.
• Bonide Products: Bonide manufactures a broad line of consumer insecticides, repellents, and traps sold through the same home improvement and garden retail channels as RESCUE!. It is a comparable mid-sized CPG pest control manufacturer with overlapping SKU breadth across insect categories.
• Catchmaster: Catchmaster specializes in adhesive-based glue traps for insects and rodents, directly overlapping with Sterling's Spider Trap, FlyPad, and TrapStik sticky-trap line. Comparable technology architecture (glue surfaces + attractants) and similar retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• SC Johnson (Raid, Off!): SC Johnson's Raid and Off! brands dominate the consumer insecticide and repellent categories and compete with RESCUE! on every retail shelf. As a global CPG giant, it does not specialize in Sterling's non-toxic trap niche but defines the competitive ceiling Sterling must outperform.
• Spectrum Brands (Hot Shot, Spectracide): Spectrum Brands owns Hot Shot and Spectracide, both major consumer pest control brands across insecticides, traps, and repellents. Comparable product breadth and retail footprint to RESCUE!, but at substantially larger scale and with chemical-based formulations.
• Zep (Enforcer): Zep's Enforcer brand covers consumer and professional-grade insecticides, baits, and traps sold through hardware and farm channels. Enforcer competes in the same retail set as RESCUE!, particularly in ant and flying-insect control.

Emerging players

• EcoClear Products: EcoClear Products focuses on botanical and non-toxic pest control solutions for consumers, competing for the same green-positioned shelf space as RESCUE!. Smaller scale and narrower SKU breadth, but similar product philosophy and channel placement.
• Dr. Killigan's: Dr. Killigan's is an emerging direct-to-consumer brand selling non-toxic insect traps (flies, spiders, pantry moths) with strong design and packaging. It competes for the same design-conscious, non-toxic consumer and overlaps with RESCUE!'s indoor FlyPad and Spider Trap categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rescue
• Facebookfacebook.com/rescuepestcontrol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sterling International