Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience LP, has announced it is now offering a new 22-lb package size of its fire ant control product TopChoice®, conveniently sized for lawn care professionals treating quarter-acre lawns. The 22-lb bag, which treats approximately 11,000 square feet (or 0.25 acres), will be offered in addition to the 50-lb option already available.
As of April 1st, there is also a lower price for pallet quantities of TopChoice purchases. This new price structure will benefit end users who buy full pallet quantities in a single invoice transaction. For customers who order more than one pallet of either the 22-lb or the 50-lb bags of TopChoice on one invoice, the new volume pricing of $2.50 per pound will apply to the purchase (standard pricing is $2.75 per pound and 22 lb and 50 lb purchases can not be combined to make a pallet quantity).
“Having both 50-lb and 22-lb bags of TopChoice will provide two package size options to best meet the needs of our customers,” said Cynthia Gigandet, TopChoice product marketing manager at Bayer Environmental Science. “With the addition of the volume pricing structure now available for TopChoice, we are providing both convenience and cost savings to lawn care professionals.”
TopChoice has been proven effective on more than 1.5 million lawns throughout the Southeastern portion of the United States, where fire ant activity is highest. One application of TopChoice controls and prevents fire ants for up to one year and provides as much control as three or more applications of a pyrethroid or a bait. With one application, TopChoice also controls additional pests, including mole crickets for up to four months, nuisance ants for up to three months, and fleas and ticks for one month.
Earlier this year, Bayer also launched its TopChoice Fire Ant Prevention Campaign to support lawn care and pest management professionals in educating homeowners and groundskeepers about the importance of fire ant prevention. Lawn care and pest management professionals can request a FREE TopChoice Fire Ant Kit to help spread the word to customers about fire ant control with TopChoice. The toolkit, available by calling 1.800.577.5163 (press 3), features promotional door hangers and $15 customer rebate cards, as well as more ideas to help increase treatment sales.
The promotional materials will drive homeowners to www.nofireants.com, which provides information on fire ant control, including how TopChoice works; a schools and parks savings program; a parent toolkit and a homeowner rebate program.
“At Bayer, we believe that the best way to treat fire ant bites is to prevent fire ants in the first place,” said Gigandet. “We want consumers to know that there is a better way to combat fire ant infestations. Through our Fire Ant Prevention Campaign, we are giving homeowners, parents and groundskeepers at schools, parks, and recreational areas the tools they need to understand the health risks associated with fire ants, while simultaneously helping them understand how to best control and prevent fire ant populations.”
The Dangers of Fire Ants
Fire ants infest more than 325 million acres across the southern portion of the United States and pose a serious and growing public health threat, injuring more than 20 million people each year with their stings. Colonies of fire ants can grow to comprise up to 500,000 members. Just one colony can have multiple queens capable of laying 1,500 eggs each, per day.
When a colony is disturbed, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of ants will attack an intruder, inflicting painful stings that, in the most severe cases, can be life threatening. Studies show that 10 to 15 percent of those stung by fire ants experience severe localized allergic reactions, with 1 to 2 percent experiencing dangerous systemic reactions that, in rare cases, can result in death.
About TopChoice
TopChoice is a low-dose, non-bait granular insecticide that requires just one annual application by a licensed professional. It provides superb control of fire ants for up to one year, virtually eliminating existing mounds and preventing new mounds from forming.
Using the lowest dose of pesticide required to provide effective, year-long control of fire ants, as well as fleas, ticks and mole crickets, TopChoice provides homeowners and others the peace of mind of knowing they’ve taken the steps necessary to protect their families and communities from the threat of fire ants.