FMC Professional Solutions has launched Talstar XTRA granular insecticide, which combines the proven residual of Talstar with the speed of a new active ingredient, zeta-cypermethrin.
For sports turf professionals, this means quick and long-term control of a wide range of surface feeding pests, including the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), a potentially serious health threat to 40 million Americans living in the southern United States.
“When used as directed, Talstar XTRA eliminates fire ant colonies in four hours or less, often in as little as minutes,” said Adam Manwarren, FMC product manager for turf and ornamental products. “This means dangerous fire ants can be eliminated from athletic fields quickly. You can treat in the morning and play ball that afternoon, which is impressive since other products take days or weeks to work.”
Combining the proven molecule in Talstar with the new fast-acting zeta-cypermethrin, Talstar XTRA features an optimized, patent-pending formulation that quickly disrupts the insect’s nervous system. Though the formulation acts very fast, it doesn’t sacrifice the residual—at least four months—that sports turf professionals have come to expect from Talstar. The unique, dense sand granule enables the product to penetrate thatch to reach many surface feeding pests, yet appear invisible due to its small size.
Talstar XTRA granular insecticide is labeled for use against most ants, (including fire ants), chinch bugs, fleas, ticks, mole crickets, crane flies and many other lawn pests. The new granular product is approved for broadcast or mound applications on athletic fields, making it a versatile and valuable component of an ongoing pest control program. For sports turf professionals who prefer the larger granule for broadcast treatments, they can continue to use Talstar EZ, but switch to Talstar XTRA for their mound treatments.
“The addition of our new active ingredient provides speed of control never before seen in granular insecticides because zeta-cypermethrin moves across the cuticle of the insect very quickly to disrupt its nervous system,” said Dr. Jim Walter, Innovation and Development Manager for FMC. “This product is right in line with our core strategy to focus on customer-driven innovation.” In fact, more than 65 pest management professionals helped FMC test and improve the product prior to launch.
Steven Dupuy from Fischer Environmental in Mandeville, La. was one of those beta-trial participants. “I made an application of Talstar XTRA granular insecticide around a home for spiders and earwigs and then treated four fire ant mounds. Before I left, I checked two of the mounds and found no fire ants,” said Steven.
Talstar XTRA will be available from FMC authorized distributors beginning June 1, 2010. The product will be sold in a 25 lb. bag and the granules can be broadcast across almost 11,000 sq. ft. (1/4 acre) or more than 70 fire ant mounds per bag.
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