Bifen IT - Questions & Answers

Bifen IT  is not labeled to kill stink bug eggs only the active nymphs and the adults. Most insecticides will not kill insect eggs because the outer shells of the insect eggs protect them from the insecticides.

For most applications you can use 1 oz of Bifen It per gallon of water. For more specific usage instructions please refer to the Bifen IT product label.

According to the Bifen IT product label: Fire Ant control is optimized by combining broadcast applications that will control foraging workers and newly mated fly-in queens with mound drenches that will control existing colonies. If the soil is not moist, then it is important to irrigate before application or use a high volume of water for the application. Apply broadcast treatments at 0.5 to 1 fluid oz. per 1,000 square feet. You can dilute the recommended amount of Bifen IT in 1-5 gallons of water. Use enough water to penetrate thatch or sod. Treat mounds by applying 1 oz Bifen IT Professional per mound in 1 to 2 gallons water by sprinkling the mound until it is wet and treat 3 feet out around the mound. Use the higher volume for mounds larger than 12”. It is recommended that you use a broom handle to poke down through the center of the mound to allow the solution to penetrate. For best results, apply in cool weather (65 - 80˚F) or in early morning or late evening hours

Bifen will not stain the logs as it is a waterbased insecticide. You should note that Bifen will not give your logs lasting protection against termites as it will not be able to penetrate in to the wood. At best a Bifen treatment will last for about 6 weeks. If you want lasting protection you need to use Bora-Care for your application. Bora-Care will penetrate several inches in to the wood and it will last for the life of the wood.

Bifen IT would be a good choice for tick control. We would recommend the liquid formulation for tick control because you can spray it on tall grasses and bushes where ticks are known to harbor (it is recommended that you spray the entire areas where ticks are known to harbor including the grass). Once Bifen IT is dry it is safe for the dogs to return to the treated area. Once dried, Bifen IT will not reconstitute so there is no need to worry about rain making it unsafe. The very small amount of diluted product a dog might eat if they ate some of the treated grass would be so minimal that it would simply pass through their system without causing any issues.

Bifen IT can be sprayed onto and into the shakes to provide some relief from the silverfish. Be sure to use the highest usage rate of 1 oz of Bifen IT per gallon of water for the fastest knockdown and the longest lasting residual. You will need to reapply once a month to keep up the barrier.

Bifen IT has not been shown to be very effective at controlling Raspberry Crazy Ants. Termidor SC  used outdoors and Phantom used indoors have been the most effective products to control crazy Raspberry Ants. Ant baits and synthetic pyrethroid insecticides do not seem to do an effective job controlling this ant species. Texas A&M University has done extensive research regarding these ants and you can find detailed articles on their extension website.

You should not spray Bifen IT into standing water. You should use BTI Mosquito Briquette Dunks to treat standing water. BTI Mosquito Briquettes are a sustained-release larvicide that conveniently floats right on the water surface. These briquettes can be used in virtually any standing water site where mosquito larvae grow. As the briquettes float, BTI (or bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, a natural mosquito-killing biocontrol agent) is slowly released at the water’s surface and gradually settles in the water where it is consumed by mosquito larvae. Bti kills mosquito larvae before they are able to grow into mature, biting adults, eventually controlling the mosquito population. Additionally, the toxin will continue to be released into the water for a period of 30 days or more, providing continuous kill. Each briquette will effectively treat up to 100 square feet of surface water regardless of depth. Bifen can be used to help control adult mosquitoes on your property. Be sure to spray the undersides of leaves on trees as bushes as this is where mosquitoes like to hang out during the heat of the day.

When using Bifen IT you can use the same dilution rate for both mosquitoes and whiteflies. Use 1 oz of Bifen IT  per gallon of water. For both mosquitoes and whiteflies you want to make sure you are spraying the undersides of the leaves on trees and bushes as that is where these pests like to harbor.

You will use 1 fl oz of Bifen IT per gallon of water for mosquito control.

Bifen IT is labeled for millipedes and will kill them when used according to the Bifen IT product label. We recommend using 1 fl oz of Bifen IT per gallon of water for the fastest knockdown and the longest lasting residual. Millipedes are usually going to frequent areas where there are high levels of moisture. There are some non-chemical things you can do to help make your property less favorable to millipedes:

Step 1) Non chemical Methods of Millipede Control

Exclusion:

• Repair cracks, crevices, and gaps around windows, doors, pipes and wires with sealant or caulk
• Makes sure the screens and door sweeps on windows and doors are tight-fitting

Eliminate Favorable Conditions:

• Fix leaky faucets or pipes and dry up wet or damp areas where millipedes thrive
• Remove outdoor harborages near the home that hold moisture (compost, wood, or leaf piles, etc).
• Store firewood off the ground at least 20 feet away from the home
• Water your lawn in the morning so that it will be dry by afternoon
• Do not over mulch flower beds, since soggy mulch is an ideal harborage for millipedes

Bifen IT is an insecticide and does not have anything in its formulation that would keep mammals out of a garden. We do carry several repellents that would better suit your needs. You can checkout our animal repellents here : Animal Repellents

In most cases it is not necessary to use an insecticide for crane fly larvae control. If damage is severe we would recommend using 1 fl oz of Bifen IT per gallon of water to cover each 1,000 sq ft for the initial treatment and then .5 fl oz per gallon of water for follow up treatments.

It depends.  The whole key to getting rid of springtails is their breeding source.  You have to find it.  Usually they breed under the slab and enter the home through small cracks.  Unfortunately when they breed under the slab the product you apply on top of the ground will not make it to them.  The slab has to dry out and you have to do whatever you can to prevent moisture from getting under the slab.  Usually springtails are breeding because of too much mulch around the house, grade against the house is not going away from the house and water puddles up, downspouts are not going away from the house, etc.   Getting rid of springtails is a moisture management issue usually and not something that pesticides can get rid of alone.

Berries that have been sprayed with Bifen IT should not be eaten. Bifen IT is not labeled for use on edible vegetation.

You must keep Bifen IT applications outside of the root zone of the vegetable plant according to the Bifen IT product label. Spraying within a foot of edible vegetation is usually too close.

Bifen IT can be used in a hose end sprayer that can be calibrated for the specific usage rate that fits your needs. be sure to review the Bifen IT product label to find the usage rate you will need to use.

Insecticide granules such as Bifen granules would be a good choice to help control the population of big headed ants as it will last for 3-4 months. Bifen Granules will kill ants that venture on to treated areas.  Another great choice would be to use Extinguish Plus Fire Ant Bait. This bait is also labeled for big headed ants specifically and would be a great choice for your use. Extinguish Plus combines the power of hydramethylnon with an insect growth regulator (like birth control for ants) to kill big headed ant workers and prevent queens from laying fertile eggs. This product would kill the ants that picked up the bait and also kill the ants back at the colony.

You should never store product in your sprayer as it will weaken the gaskets and other pieces within the sprayer shortening the life of the sprayer. Bifen IT should be used up within 24 hours of diluting it with water. The longer an insecticide stands in a diluted state the less effective it becomes.

You can use Bifen IT in all of the cracks and crevices along baseboards, door frames, window frames and places where cables pipes and wires enter through the walls and it will help control fleas in that area. Bifen IT cannot be used as a broadcast spray indoors over floors where fleas are known to develop and because of this is not usually chosen for flea control indoors. We recommend you use Ultracide for indoor flea control. It is our recommendation and industry standard that you vacuum immediately before the application of Ultracide and every day or every other day after the application for the next two weeks. Vacuums can physically remove a decent percentage of flea eggs that are in the carpet, along with much of the organic crud that the flea larvae feed on. A critical part of the diet of the larva is dried blood, present there as fecal material from the fleas that are on the pets. Wherever the pets spend time, they will shed the fecal matter and the eggs, so it is extremely important that you focus on these potential hot spots where the pets sleep. A vacuum also will remove a small percentage of larvae, but the larva is pretty tenacious, and will wrap around the carpet fibers down there at the base of the pile, and hold on for dear life as the vacuum passes by. The pupa is even tougher to physically remove, for it uses fibers as part of its "cocoon". The vacuum will stimulate the flea adults still in their pupa form to quickly emerge as the adult, and at this point perhaps be sucked up in the vacuum. Even if they are not removed by the vacuum, at least they now are exposed and susceptible to your treatment.   After two weeks most infestations require that you do a second application of the Ultracide and continue with the vacuuming.