FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
courtesy from NOFIREANTS.COM
Q: What are the different ways to control fire ants?
A: The traditional method of treatment consists of treating each mound individually. Mound drench, mound injection, dusts, baits or fumigants kill on contact and only last days, allowing ants under the surface to survive. TopChoice, a non-bait, professionally-applied granular insecticide, doesn’t lose its effectiveness in water and does not need to be reapplied.
Q: Why are fire ants so difficult to control?
A: Fire ants are extremely resilient, and their ability to return and thrive after the application of most insecticides makes them difficult to control. In addition, colonies have multiple queens that can produce reproductives at any time – as many as 1,500 eggs per day for as long as seven years. Colonies are also mobile, and their lateral tunnels penetrate deep into the soil and spread several feet in numerous directions. Even if you manage to control fire ants on your property, fire ants from adjacent properties can easily invade, which is why a communal approach is key.
Q: How does TopChoice work for as long as you say it does?
A: The unique mode of action of TopChoice’s active ingredient allows the insecticide to kill the colony over a long period of time using what’s known as the “Domino Effect®.” Within four to six weeks of application, ants unknowingly come in contact with the product and bring it back to contaminate and eliminate the rest of the mound. The Domino Effect means the entire ant colony is destroyed, not just surface ants. Then, TopChoice remains in the soil to prevent new colonies from forming.
Q: Fire ants sting people all the time, but are fire ants really such a health threat?
A: It is estimated that 20 million people are stung each year by fire ants, and most of the time, the reaction includes burning and itching and the formation of a blister that can be treated fairly easily. However, fire ant venom is a serious allergen, and about one to two percent of the population can have a severe, even fatal, systemic allergic reaction. Studies also show that 10-15 percent of all people can have severe localized allergic reactions to fire ants. Children, the elderly and pets are especially at risk.
Q: When is the best time to treat for fire ants?
A: Any time is a good time to treat for fire ants with TopChoice.
Q: What’s the difference between TopChoice and similar over-the-counter products I can buy at retail stores? Why can’t a homeowner handle the problem on his or her own?
A: TopChoice provides control and prevention of fire ants for one full year at a level never before possible. As it controls fire ants, it also controls additional pests such as mole crickets, fleas, ticks, and other nuisance ants. Many other products do not control these pests.
Q: Is there any real way to prevent a fire ant problem in the first place?
A: Fire ants are entrenched in the South, and their resiliency and rate of reproduction
make them virtually impossible to completely eradicate. Only TopChoice, professionally-applied once a year, creates a fire ant “exclusion zone” on your property, which is essentially a treated area where no fire ant can survive.
