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There is a variety of products on the market that control pest ants, however, not all of these products are effective in controlling Argentine ants.
There are three main types of Argentine ant control products:
- Baits
- Residual Surface Sprays
- Granular Ground Treatments
When baiting, it is desirable to have slow acting bait, as products that kill too rapidly will not allow enough time for foraging ants to take the bait back home to share with the queen, brood and nest mates. The primary objective of baiting is to kill the entire colony, including the queen, rather than just the foragers. Baits are distributed at high densities across the treatment area making them within feeding range of all the sub-colonies. The bait is very quickly dispersed throughout the super-colony and all of the nests within the treated area receive a lethal dose within a matter of hours. Below are some options for controlling Argentine ants with ant baits.
Xstinguish Argentine Ant Bait (Active ingredient: 0.01% fipronil)
Xstinguish Argentine Ant Bait was specifically developed for the control of Argentine ants in New Zealand. It has been extensively used here with an excellent record of reducing populations of Argentine ants where a large proportion of the super-colony can be treated in a coordinated baiting campaign. Xstinguish is a protein based bait which targets Argentine ant queens and larvae so as to cause the death of the whole nest. This product has a relatively short field life so is designed to be laid in a grid pattern over the whole infestation or property within the same application. Timing of the application is critical to ensure good uptake of the bait as quickly as possible. This bait is available in 100 g syringes and 325 g caulking gun cartridges. Xstinguish should not harm humans or animals through accidental contact or ingestion.
How to lay Xstinguish ant bait:
- Earlier advice had stated that the best time to bait was mid-summer when ant activity was highest. However, recent research has shown that effective and prolonged control can be achieved by baiting in spring when Argentine ants are moving out of there over-wintering sites.
- Check with your neighbours. If they have Argentine ants on their properties too, properties should be baited on the same day for maximum effect.
- Lay bait in small 'blobs' similar to the amount of toothpaste you would put on your toothbrush. A 325 gram tube of Xstinguish should cover 1100m2 of flat land.
- Squeeze bait out onto the ground in a 2m x 2m grid pattern. In bark gardens, the spacing should reduce to 1m x 1m.
- Generally, you will need to bait your whole property for Argentine ants to get effective control.
- Do not lay Xstinguish ant bait inside as this will attract the Argentine ants inside.
Further tips for baiting with Xstinguish ant bait:
- Xstinguish ant bait is toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms, so do not lay bait within 3 meters of ponds, streams and storm water channels such as gutters.
- Ensure temperatures are above 15°C and below 26°C.
- Don't mow your lawn the week prior to your control. The longer grass will help shade the bait when you put the bait nozzle in the grass and will save a lot of covering.
- When baiting along grass/concrete edges (unless neatly trimmed) scuff the edge of the grass up, lay the bait underneath and gently let the grass back down onto the bait.
- Put bait in shady places or place a leaf on top of the bait to help prevent it from drying out.
- Do not lay bait inside buildings as this will draw the ants inside.
- Placing the bait in hose pipe or irrigation tube will help prevent the bait from drying out and stop other animals from consuming the bait.
- Don't water the baited area for at least 24 hours (longer if possible).
- There is no need to bait the surface of large concrete or gravel areas - just along any cracks and grooves and around the outside edge and weedy areas.
- If purchasing a caulking gun, we recommend a pressure-release, non-dripping variety.
- Re-baiting will be required 6-8 weeks after the initial baiting to kill any survivors or subsequently hatched ants.
Purchasing of Xstinguish Ant Bait
Xstinguish ant bait can be purchased from Farmlands (in Napier, Hastings and Waipukurau) or directly from the manufacturer Flybusters Antiants (0800 837 070). Identify yourself as a Hawke's Bay resident when calling Flybusters Antiants 0800 number and you will receive a 15% discount off the bait purchased.
Advion Ant Bait Arenas (Active ingredient: 0.1% indoxacarb)
Each Advion Arena contains 1.9 g of protein based bait which is packaged in a ready to go bait station. This bait is not as attractive to Argentine ants as the Xstinguish ant bait and preliminary trials in Hawke's Bay have shown extremely low numbers of Argentine ants are attracted to and feed off this bait. The arenas have a very long field life (2-3 months), however, this bait seems to be very attractive to slugs and small snails, so risks premature consumption by these non-target species.
Advion Ant Gel (Active ingredient: 0.05% indoxacarb)
This product is a carbohydrate based gel and is a new-generation insecticide with a reduced risk to the environment because it's unique mode of action. Short term reductions in Argentine ant foraging activity have been observed following the use of this product, but long term reductions in populations for the destruction of whole colonies has yet to be demonstrated. Additionally, anecdotal evidence has shown that Argentine ant will often cease feeding on this product before the destruction of the whole colony has occurred. Due to the small package sizes, cost and the lack of evidence for colony destruction means we do not recommend this product for large scale operations, but its reduced risk profile suggests Advion Ant Gel could be useful in some situations.
Residual surface sprays usually operate as a residual contact insecticide, meaning that if an Argentine ant comes in contact with the residual spray it will then die. However, residual sprays are not 'taken back' to the nest by workers so only those ants which come in contact with the residual spray will die. Although this product can be used as a control method it is most often used as a barrier. An example of this may be when you have baited your property but your neighbours have not. After the bait has run its course it may then be desirable to apply residual surface sprays to your property boundary to prevent/reduce re-infestation from the neighboring properties. The majority of these products require application by approved handlers. Note that pesticides containing bifenthrin have been withdrawn from use in the European Union.
Arilon (Active ingredient: 20% indoxacarb)
Arilon is a new generation residual surface spray. It has an excellent safety profile and can be used both indoors and outdoors. It has a non-repellent chemistry and claims to be suitable for a wide range of surfaces. Arilon has not yet been properly tested for the control of Argentine ants under New Zealand's conditions but is potentially useful as an alternative for the more toxic surface treatments and for use indoors. This product is only available to approved handlers.
Biff Ant (Active ingredient: 80 g/L bifenthrin)
This is a new spray on treatment specifically designed with the treatment of urban ant infestations in mind. Trial work has shown that his surface spray retains excellent and prolonged activity on treated surfaces. This product has good potential to be applied to paths and roadside kerbing as a containment tool and as a direct treatment around buildings, boundaries and paved or concreted areas.
Granular ground treatments are designed to be sprinkled over lawns, earth and gardens and have a residual insecticide effect. This control tool may be very useful in situations where baiting is difficult or for mop-up operations where the ants are no longer attracted to bait. They may also be applied as a barrier treatment around boundaries to prevent unwanted reinvasion onto a treated property. The granules are generally activated by light watering once distributed. Note that pesticides containing bifenthrin have been withdrawn from use in the European Union.
Ant Stop G (Active ingredient: 50 g/kg chlorpyrifos)
Ant Stop G has been recommended for the treatment of potted plants and around rubbish bins to eliminate ant activity. The active ingredient, chlorpyrifos, is an organophosphate and is highly toxic, so its use maybe considers inappropriate in some areas.
Biforce Granular Insecticide (Active ingredient: 2 g/kg bifenthrin)
The active ingredient in this product is probably a safer option than organophosphate treatments in some situations. Some pest controllers report a good level of control with this product.
Brigade (Active ingredient: 2 g/kg bifenthrin)
This is another bifenthrin product that has been used on ants.
This is desirable but highly unlikely, even with a well planned and executed baiting programme. This is because killing the last 1% of the population can be the most difficult and re-invasion from surrounding, un-baited properties may occur. Have realistic expectations that you will reduce Argentine ant numbers by over 90% but achieving eradication is unlikely. Control of the infestation and keeping ant numbers low for your enjoyment, lifestyle and the environment is the best bet to managing long term impacts of this ant.
It is strongly recommended that neighboring properties are baited for Argentine ants within the same time frame as this achieves the most effective control. Information packs are available from Council for members of the community who want to create a community baiting initiative in their area. Where a community baiting programme is initiated in harmony with Council guidelines in the information pack, Council may provide additional support for that community group.
IPM Pest Control Services Ltd - 0800 438476
Big Johns - Napier 06 834 3466, Hastings 06 876 3384
ACE Eradicators - Napier 06 844 1550, Hastings 06 876 0812