By Eric Paysen, Ph.D., technical services manager for Syngenta
With over 16,000 species and millions of members in a single colony, ants are one of the most numerous and successful organisms. They directly compete with people’s homes, businesses and properties as they can efficiently utilize moisture, harborage and food.
Knowledge of ant biology, along with products designed with slower-acting modern active ingredients, enable treatments that can help produce ant-free results. Advion® brand insecticide products from Syngenta, which include the active ingredient indoxacarb, are proven to enhance ant control. As a potent line of insecticides, Advion products have a low mammalian toxicity attributed to the MetaActive™ effect. The key is to let ants do the work themselves, as the delayed kill allows ants and other social insects to carry materials to nest mates before expiring. How does the MetaActive effect work? Indoxacarb is a pro-insecticide, meaning it is a low-toxicity active ingredient that must be metabolized within the target pest to become an active pesticide with killing toxicity. This occurs within an insect when enzymes bio-activate the indoxacarb molecule by breaking it at specific sites that fit the enzyme. This chemical reaction produces smaller pieces, known as metabolites, which have powerful insecticidal properties that can now block the sodium channel of the insect nervous system.
Watch the following video to see the MetaActive effect in action:
This process may sound familiar because other well-known insecticides work at the same site of action, including pyrethroids and DDTs. The result is a powerful, broad-spectrum insecticide, a favorable environmental profile and a delayed kill, making it ideal for ant management. There are two treatment methods – baiting or a liquid residual application – both of which can be used to insert indoxacarb into ant colonies for bioactivation and elimination of queens, larvae and workers. Ants then spread indoxacarb throughout the colony. Get to know the Advion products Resulting from a commitment to providing effective solutions to customers, the Advion line includes a variety of ant control products, each with unique, innovative characteristics for varying ant control needs. With Advion products, ants do the work themselves, helping to make the treatment process easier and limiting customer worry about ant infestations. - Advion Insect granular bait, Advion Ant gel bait and Advion fire ant bait feature highly palatable food matrices that contain indoxacarb. Ants directly ingest indoxacarb before passing it through the colony via trophallaxis. The delayed kill from the MetaActive effect ensures the toxic metabolites penetrate deep within the colony.
- Advion WDG is best used as a high-volume spray application outdoors where ants trail and harbor. As ants move through the residual, the pro-insecticide does not deter trailing behavior. The ants pick up indoxacarb to later be groomed, absorbed topically and spread from one individual to the next through physical contact within the nest or trail. Advion WDG is also compatible with bait applications since the same active ingredient is present.
Provide superior ant control treatment with Advion products. To find the right Advion product for you, visit SyngentaPMP.com/Advion.
© 2021 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties and/or may have state-specific use requirements. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration and proper use. Advion®, For Life Uninterrupted™, MetaActive™ and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Syngenta Customer Center: 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368) |