NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION: Termites: No Menace For Phantom

As most people in the pest management industry are aware, BASF Corp. is in the process of introducing the newest nonrepellent termiti-cide, Phantom Termiticide-Insecticide, to the structural pest control market. Phantom features the active ingredient chlorfenapyr, which is unique among termiticides and belongs to a class of chemistry called “pyrroles.” The product is labeled for use both as a termiticide for control of all subterranean termite species and as an indoor spot or crack and crevice insecticide for residual control of ants and roaches.

BASF has conducted 491 Experimental Use Permits (EUPs) with Phantom, according to David Davies, senior marketing manager for the BASF Professional Pest Control group. EUPs involve field trials used to develop the data needed for product registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We were very excited and went out and did many more EUPs than anybody else,” he said. “I think it’s almost 2½ times or three times the volume anybody else did.”

In testing the product with more than 80 pest control firms in 25 states throughout three-plus years, BASF says Phantom was tested in many situations. “When we look at all 491 EUPs, they were spread across the country and many of the treatments were done across a variety of soil types,” Davies says. “We had everything from sandy all the way through to heavy clay. We had pH levels from low to high. We had every house structure you could think of. It wasn’t just a floating slab or monolithic. Under those circumstances, in real-world situations, we did extremely well.”

And of those almost 500 EUPs, many were “worst-case” scenarios in regards to termite control. “These essentially were real-world trials. We didn’t hold hands and we didn’t say, ‘Oh, you can only give us this,’” Davies said. “Typically, since we were giving the product away and paying for the treatment, it ended up going towards what I’d call ‘pro-bono’ cases. Those are typically the cases where the customer has known for years that he has termites but he can’t afford to do anything about it.

“If you ask the PCO if this something they typically would have been happy treating, they were saying, ‘This would have been a tough one,’” Davies says.
The following is one of those “worst-case” scenarios that was treated with Phantom.

CASE STUDY. Jack Root looked for the worst termite infestations he could find to test Phantom under an EUP three years ago. Root’s firm, North & Root Consulting, Aztec, N.M., does contract research on new products and consults with pest control companies in Arizona, New Mexico and the western U.S.

In Arizona, the primary termite pest is Heterotermes aureus, also known as the desert termite. “It’s similar to the eastern subterranean termite in terms of control,” says Root. “The desert termite is not quite as difficult to control as the Formosans down in Louisiana, but it is a major problem in Arizona and other desert areas, such as Palm Springs.”

One of the worst cases an EUP was performed on was a Spanish-style house in Phoenix built in the 1920s. “The house had three or four different types of foundations, including a slab, a basement, crawlspace (which was very narrow to get underneath) and one section with a slab on top of a slab,” Root said. “The place was very difficult to treat.”

“We drilled and injected Phantom into all the vulnerable areas of the house,” said Root, former executive director of the Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission. “We noticed a stop in termite activity in all but one area where we failed to establish a continuous treatment. This house was so difficult to treat that we missed a spot. Once we got that sealed up, our control was complete. In 2½ years, we have had no more termites.”

Some of the other houses used as test sites had ongoing termite problems for many years. Pest control operators had been unable to get termites under control with any other termiticides on the market, the company reports. One such place, an adobe house in Tucson, was a natural place to test Phantom.

“Adobe structures are made of straw and dirt – two of the things a termite likes best,” Root said. “In fact, this adobe house had continuous problems with termites. But we trenched and treated with Phantom and got excellent control.”
Phantom displayed good soil stability under a wide variety of soil types during Root’s test cases. “Many of the older termiticides available do not have soil stability, or they might have longevity in one soil type and not another,” Root said. “Many insecticides are susceptible to degradation in high alkaline soil, too. But Phantom remained stable in all soil types, which is a major benefit.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION. Phantom and Subterfuge are available nationally from Speckoz and Vopak. For more information, call 800/545-9525 or visit www.pestcontrolfacts.com for further information regarding Phantom certification.