Formulations
Many formulations for ant control products are available and each may have advantages or disadvantages depending on the situation at hand. Generally speaking, pesticide formulations for ant control can be divided into four main groups: Liquid, Dry, Aerosol and Bait formulations.
Liquid formulations are generally mixed (diluted) with water before being applied as a spray to areas where ant activity occurs or may occur. In some cases, liquid formulations may be used as a drench where, once diluted with water, the mixture is poured over an ant mound, such as for imported fire ant control. Certain liquid products may be ready to use (RTU) - which means these products require no mixing. Liquid formulations can be further divided into various types, including Emulsifiable Concentrates (EC, E), Wettable Powders (WP), Suspension Concentrates (SC), Flowables (F), and Microencapsulated (M). Examples of liquid products are Demand® CS, Suspend® SC, Talstar One®, Tempo® SC Ultra, Phantom® termiticide-insecticide and Termidor®
SC termiticide/insecticide.
Dry Formulations are generally ready to use formulations requiring a spreading device such as a hand-held or push type spreader or a duster. Dry formulations include both granules
and dusts.
Granules (G) are ready to use formulations where the AI is coated onto or absorbed by an inert granular carrier that is applied with a spreader device or incorporated in soil. Granules are generally limited to outdoor soil surface applications, usually to turf and other landscape areas. They may require water (rain, irrigation) to activate, and there is some concern for non-target organism safety (i.e. birds picking up particles). Examples of granule products include DeltaGard® G, Talstar® PL and TopChoice™.
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Dusts (D) are similar to granule formulations but contain a much finer particle size capable of being applied with a duster device and moving with airflow. Dusts are effective for crack & crevice treatment and for penetrating and coating surfaces of voids. Dusts are also prone to drift to non-target areas and pose a greater risk of inhalation than liquid, low-pressure spray or granular formulations. Dusts work best in dry environments. Examples of dust products include DeltaDust® and Drione®.
Aerosol Formulations(A) are ready-to-use (RTU) formulations in pressurized cans that release the active ingredient(s) along with propellants and other components when nozzles are triggered. For ant control they are primarily used as crack and crevice and void treatments. As with dusts, they are prone to drift to non-target areas and pose a greater risk for inhalation than with liquid low-pressure spray or granular formulations. Certain components of aerosols may damage certain surfaces and may have an odor. Examples of aerosol products include PT® Cy-Kick and
CB D-Foam™.
Most Bait Formulations (B) are composed of a slow-acting active ingredient mixed with a food source and a carrier so that ants feeding on the food source also acquire the active ingredient. Before they die, ants that have fed on the bait, share their food with other ants in the colony. Consequently these ants will die, resulting in a greater effect on the colony. Ants can only utilize liquid food. So solid bait formulations include a liquid food component, such as food oil, which contains the AI. The solid portion of the bait simply acts as a carrier. Baits, by their design, are slow acting and generally take longer to show their full effects compared to most other formulations. Bait formulations come in a variety of types including granular, liquid and gel baits. It is important that baits remain attractive to ants and the food source not spoil, so timing of the application is important to avoid exposing baits to certain detrimental environmental conditions such as rain, dew, irrigation, etc. Certain baits may need protective containers (bait stations) for optimal performance and safe use around non-target animals such as pets. Very high populations of ants may deplete certain baits quickly and require frequent replenishing for optimal performance. Examples of bait products include Amdro® Pro Fire Ant Bait, Dupont™ Advion® Fire Ant Bait, Nisus Niban-FG® Fine Granular Bait, PT® Advance® Granular Ant Bait, Maxforce® FC Ant Killer Bait Gel, PT® brand 381B Advance Liquid Ant Bait, and Nisus® Terro®-PCO Liquid Ant Bait.
Amdro Pro Fire Ant Bait, Phantom, and Termidor SC are registered trademarks of BASF.
Delta Dust, DeltaGard G, Drione, Maxforce FC Ant Killer Bait Gel, Suspend SC, and Tempo SC Ultra are registered trademarks of Bayer Environmental Science. TopChoice is a trademark of Bayer Environmental Science. CB D-Foam is a trademark of CB Professional Products.DuPont Advion Fire Ant Bait is a registered trademark of DuPont Professional Products. Talstar One and Talstar PL are registered trademarks of FMC professional Solutions. Terro-PCO Liquid Ant Bait and Ni-Ban FG are registered trademarks of Nisus Corporation. Demand CS is a registered trademark of Syngenta Professional Products. PT Advance Granular Ant Bait and PT Cy-Kick are registered trademarks of Whitmire Micro-Gen. PT brand 381B Advance Liquid Bait is a trademark of Whitmire Micro-Gen.