New hydrophobic bait formulation extends the utility of pest ant toxic baits

Fire ant toxic baits were developed in the 1960s and are the most environmentally safe method of controlling fire ants and other pest ant species. Generally the toxicant is dissolved in a vegetable oil and that is then absorbed onto defatted corn grits.  This formulation can be distributed via many types of standard spreader equipment. The foraging ants find the bait particles and are able efficiently suck the oil and toxicant out of the grit and distribute it to the rest of the colony, including the queen. The use of these baits is limited because they disintegrate under moist conditions. Heavy dew or rain will make the baits ineffective. A new hydrophobic bait formulation is becoming available that can extend the usefulness of bait formulations. The report presents efficacy data for the Hydrophobic bait and a commercial fire ant bait using the same active ingredient, Pyriproxifen, under heavy dew conditions.