Bifen I/T Insecticide

Treatment of this species should be timed as they travel into grass areas and away from their overwintering sites. Travel usually begins when Forsythia is in full bloom and ends when Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) is in full bloom. For additional detailed  information regarding treatment timing, check with your State Cooperative Extension Service.

Apply Bifen I/T in combination with a labeled rate of a surfactant to achieve optimal control of eriophyid mites. A second application may be needed 5 to 7 days after the first to ensure optimal control. 

Treatment of adult billbugs should be made when they are first noticed in April and May. To optimize treatment timing, degree day models have been developed. For detailed information particular to your region, check with your State Cooperative Extension Service. Spring treatments for billbug adults will also offer control of over-wintered chinch bugs in temperate climates.

Mostly found in the thatch layer, chinch bugs infest the base of grass plants. In order to optimize the penetration of the insecticide to location of the chinch bugs, irrigation of the grass prior to treatment may be necessary. If grass is being kept at a long mowing height or if the thatch layer is excessive, use higher volume treatments. It may be necessary to use higher application rates (up to 1 fluid oz. per 1000 square feet) to control populations made up of both adults and nymphs in mid-summer.

Treatments can be made to control early to mid-season larvae (approximately August-February) as they feed on plant crowns. Treatments made to late season larvae (approximately March, April) may only provide suppression.

For Larvae: Immature fleas mature in shaded areas accessible to pets or other animals. When treating these areas use a higher volume treatment so that the insecticide penetrates into the soil. NOTE: If adult fleas on lawn areas are being controlled by applying Bifen I/T at a rate of 0.25 fl. oz. per 1000 square feet, then the rate of larval application can be accomplished by two- to four-fold increase in spray volume.

Apply Bifen I/T in combination with a labeled rate of a surfactant to achieve optimal control of eriophyid mites. A second application may be needed 5 to 7 days after the first to ensure optimal control. 

Since the preferred grass areas are subject to constant invasion in early spring by the active adult stage, it is can be difficult maintain control of adult mole crickets. It is ideal to treat the areas as late in the day as possible and water immediately after application with up to 0.5 inches of water. To ensure maximum contact when soil is dry, it is necessary to irrigate prior to treatment to bring the adult mole crickets closer to the soil surface. To obtain optimal control of potential nymphal populations, the grass areas preferred by adult mole crickets should be treated at immediately prior to peak hatch stage.

Treat grass areas that are preferred by adult mole crickets in the spring just before peak egg hatch. Young nymphs are more vulnerable to insecticidal treatment at this stage because they are close to the soil surface where the insecticide is most concentrated and thereby providing the most efficient control. For larger more damaging nymphal stages later in the year, it may be necessary to use higher application rates more frequent. It is ideal to treat the areas as late in the day as possible and water immediately after application with up to 0.5 inches of water. To ensure maximum contact when soil is dry, it is necessary to irrigate prior to treatment to bring the adult mole crickets closer to the soil surface.

Including ticks that may transmit Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Make application to the entire area where contact with ticks may occur. Do not make spot treatments. When applying to areas with heavy leaf litter or dense ground cover use higher spray volumes. To attain and/or sustain control in times of high pest pressure, retreatments may be necessary; retreat only if signs of continued or renewed tick activity are present. Repeat treatments must not be made more often than once per 7 days. Deer ticks (ixodes sp.) have a four-stage life cycle spanning 2 years. Treat in late fall and/or early spring to both larval and nymphal stages present in leaf litter and the soil, and adults living in the grass and low-lying vegetation above ground. American dog ticks invade suburban settings in areas where residences and dwellings are constructed on former fields or wooded areas. These pests normally gather by paths or roadways where they are likely to find a host. To control tick larvae, nymphs and adults, treatments should take place, as needed, from mid spring to early fall.