Bifen IT - Questions & Answers

Bifen IT would be a good choice and it does leave an active residual. You may need to reapply every month through the season. Springtails can be tough to get rid of because of their large populations in infested areas and the often covered areas where they harbor. Springtails are usually a sign that there is a moisture issue close by. Check all around the outside of your home for built up leaf debris or yard clippings, leaking faucets, mulch that is too damp or other moisture problems. Springtails need a very high level of moisture to survive, so correcting that issue may hel. Here are some helpful articles with lots of hints and tips for springtail elimination: How To Get Rid of Springtails and Springtime and springtails

Bifen IT is to give off a residual to last up to 30 days outdoors for the insects that come into contact with the residual left behind. With mosquitoes this will take some time to see any results because they are flying insects. It can take time to see any result after application. 

Bifen IT is not labeled for beneficial insects, but it has the potential to kill them if they come in contact with the treated area.

Bifen IT cannot be used on areas that will be used for grazing by animals.

When treating for Japanese Beetles, you will use 0.25 - 0.5 oz of Bifen IT per gallon of water on ornamental shrubs and trees. If you're treating your lawn, you will use 0.5 - 1.0 oz per gallon of water.

There really are no temperature restrictions for applying Bifen IT.  It can be applied at any time of day as long as you are not expecting any rain for at least 24 hours. 

 Typically, you do not need to water in Bifen IT. As long as your treated area has had time to dry, watering the area will not decrease the effectiveness.

Bifen I/T is safe to birds of all kinds if used according to the instructions on the product label.  Try to spray during hours when hummingbirds are not active to reduce their exposure to any wet surfaces you may have sprayed it on. Once dry it is completely safe for the hummingbirds to land on surfaces you have treated.  If you have flowers in that area, do not spray open blooms but rather around them on the foliage and underneath areas closer to the ground. 

Yes, Bifen IT is labeled to treat for wasps, but it is not an instant knockdown. You woud apply to nests in late evening when these pests are at rest. Spray nests, entrances to nests and surrounding area thoroughly. Retreat if signs of renewed activity exist. You may want to consider our Wasp and Hornet Kit which contains the residual insecticide Cyzmic CS, plus Wasp-X to kill insects very quickly where you see nests.

Bifen IT is the name of the product but it does contain bifenthrin which is the active ingredient of the product.

Bifen IT can be re-applied every 30 days. It is not recommended to use Bifen IT and Bifen Granules together in the same place. It would only be doubling up the amount of product in the area and that will cause the insects to become immune more quickly. 

Typically one diluted gallon of Bifen will cover 1000 square feet, but it all depends on how you apply it.  The key to mosquito control is to treat all bushes, shrubs, and trees in the area and especially paying close attention to treating the underside of the leaves which is where mosquitoes hang out.

Bifen IT would work very well on those clover mites on the window sill. You would mix 1 oz of Bifen IT per 1 gallon of water and spray along the outside perimeter, spraying 2 feet up the side of the house and out 2 feet on the ground. Make sure to spray windoow frames, door frames, cracks, crevices, and where pipes go into the home. You can also perform an indoor application along baseboards, win dow frames, door frames, and other pest hiding spots.

Bifen alone will not eradicate fleas. You will also need to mix in an IGR to break down the reproductive cycle. Bifen kills the adults that come in contact with it, but then you still have the immature fleas growing and then reproducing. It is a constant battle without the IGR. We recommend Nyguard as it will last up to 7 months. 

Bifen IT is labeled for cracks, crevices and wall voids only when used indoors, meaning that you could not spray it over carpeted areas or on furniture where fleas are most likely to harbor and develop. Ultracide would be a great choice for indoor flea control. Ultracide contains both an insecticide to kill the active biting adult fleas and an IGR to help control developing flea eggs, larva and pupa. For most effective control, vacuum before treating and everyday for the next two weeks, be sure to change the bag or empty the reservoir immediately after vacuuming. A second treatment should be applied after 14 days.

Bifen IT is not a contact kill product, it is a residual product that can take a few days to start killing the insects that you are treating for.  After you apply it to your lawn, it is important to avoid mowing and watering for at least three days. This gives the product time to do what its designed for. They still may move but will eventually die.

There really are no temperature restrictions for applying Bifen IT.  It can be applied at any time of day as long as you are not expecting any rain for at least 24 hours.

Bifen IT would be a great product to continue to use for mosquitoes and noseeums.  The key with application for mosquitoes is to apply to the underside of leaves of tree and bushes. You should apply once a month.

With insecticides you are typically going to only use 1 gallon of water per 1000 sq/ft so you would set the hose end sprayer to 1 ounce to have it distribute at 1 ounce per gallon. You do not dilute the bifen when putting it in the chamber on the hose end sprayer, you put the concentrate directly in the cannister and the tube automatically sucks up however much you have told it to on the dial and disperses it with each gallon that comes through the hose. The down side to using a hose end sprayer is it removes a lot of accuracy with your treatment and wont give you as thorough and even coverage as a hand pump or backpack sprayer would. Either sprayer you use, you will use 1 ounce per gallon of water.

The Bifen It would be a great option for control of mosquitoes, gnats, ticks and hundreds of other insects around the home. We highly recommend if you want the most control out of this pest populated area, mix Pivot IGR with your first spray of Bifen IT. The Pivot is birth control for the bugs in the area and will make a huge dent in knocking back the activity. By stopping the insects reproduction, you get a much better grip on the problem than just killing the ones that land on a surface treated with an insecticide. You will typically mix 1 ounce of Bifen IT and 4-8 ml of Pivot IGR per gallon of water. Focus on the areas that are most dense in foliage and tend to stay the most moist and shaded. Spray the undersides of leaves of bushes and trees as these are prime breeding areas for the mosquitoes, ticks and other pests. The Bifen will last roughly 30 days outdoors and the Pivot should last up to 5 months. If you feel the Pivot is needed again before the 5 month period you are welcome to spray it again with the Bifen. Both products are completely safe for pets and humans when used according to the label and when kept out of the area until the products have dried.