Novel ant bait offers reliable whole colony control
Bringing the proven insect-killing power of fipronil best known in leading cockroach bait, Goliath to the professional ant control market for the first time, Formidor is primarily recommended for controlling black garden ants ( Lasius niger), yellow ants (Lasius flavus), red lasius ants (Lasius emarginatus) and pavement ants (Tetramorium caepsitum).
| Building on research showing the clear superiority of liquid baits over gels in worker ant uptake, distribution throughout the colony and overall control, Formidor is formulated as a sugary honeydew liquid. Extensive product development studies show it to be irresistible to foraging ants, which cannot detect the insecticide active, while maintaining both its attractiveness and activity over an extended period. Workers have time to share the bait Replicated ant trials have shown more individuals at a time feed on a gel than a liquid and remain there more than eight times longer. Despite this, however, those feeding on the liquid were found to consume around five times more than the gel-feeders per visit. A natural consequence of their adaptation to feeding on honeydew, these findings underline the fallacy of judging ant baits by the number of individuals they appear to attract. |
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Parallel trials with 30 workers allowed to feed for just five minutes on liquid and gel baits incorporating the same concentration of fipronil showed around double the mortality amongst colonies of 500 workers from the liquid formulation (Figure 1). This clearly demonstrates the importance of the physical form of the bait as much as its attractiveness and palatability in maximising both uptake and trophallaxis. Figure 1
Ready-to-use Formidor comes in convenient 25 ml dropper bottles for the greatest speed and ease of application, he adds. We recommend placing one 3-4 mm diameter drop every 30 cm along visible ant trails, starting as close to the nest as possible. We suggest all external applications are protected from rainfall, either in ant bait stations or with suitable coverings. In normal use BASF calculates each 25 ml bottle of Formidor should be sufficient to treat around 250 metres of ant runs, making treatment particularly cost-effective. Approved for use both in and around domestic and commercial buildings, the bait is virtually odourless to humans and has a very low toxicity to warm-blooded animals. For further information on Formidor click here or contact BASF on email by clicking here. |
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