• Introduction
• The Problem
• Developing a Management Plan
• Bait Basics

• Formulations
• Application Timing
• Broadcast Application Methods
• Speed and Duration of Control
• Cost-Saving Considerations

• Individual Mound Treatments
• More Information
• Disclaimer
• Contributors
• Print this Lesson

Applied research has documented several methods that can help reduce the cost of using broadcast applications of bait products. Some of these methods have been adapted by manufacturers and are now registered uses. Others are made available to producers as management options whereby the user assumes responsibility for results obtained.

Hopper blend treatment. A 50:50 mixture of a fast-acting bait product such as hydramethylnon (0.75 pounds Amdro Pro) with a slow-acting, long-lasting IGR such as methoprene (0.75 pounds Extinguish) applied at 1.5 pounds blended product per acre can provide a performance profile characteristic of both products: 80 to 90 percent control in 3 to 6 weeks sustained for a number of months. This use pattern now appears on product labels or supplement labels. Blends using combinations of other fast-acting and slow-acting IGR products may also provide this effect.

Skip-swath application. IGR products can be applied to every other 20- to 25-foot swath at the use rate directed on the product labels. This leaves every other strip untreated. In this application method, only half the use rate product is applied per acre and half the time is needed to apply the product to the land area. The effects of these stable, slow-acting baits have been shown to produce levels of control similar to those achieved by the conventional application pattern. This use pattern, however, is not supported by the manufacturers and does not constitute a recommendation by Extension. In Oklahoma, regulations do not allow producers to apply pesticides at rates below those on the product label. In most other states, however, the user can choose to apply at reduced rates.

Tandem application. Blending bait products with seed or fertilizer to save a trip across the field is discouraged because this method can quickly dilute or reduce attractiveness of the bait product. However, a bait applicator such as a Herd GT77 seeder can be mounted on a dry fertilizer spreader or seeder and calibrated so that both materials are applied simultaneously. Swath width differences between lighter bait versus heavier fertilizer particles may, however, result in a skip-swath treatment of ant bait.