Bifen IT - Questions & Answers

Bifen IT would be a great choice for mosquitoes.  The most important thing to remember when treating for mosquitoes is that they hang out on the underside of leaves and shrubs.  You should treat all shrubs, bushes and trees around the outside patio or wherever you hang out at around the house.  You should also treat the tree line in your yard near the forest if one exists.  Remember to not only treat the main bush or shrub but also the underside of the leaves.

Bifen IT is labeled for springtails. Depending on how healthy the springtail is and how long it spends on a surface treated by the Bifen IT, will depend on how long it actually takes for each individual one to die. It could be hours or even a day. Also, if you are not treating the main nest, and only the satellite colony, you are only be temporarily fixing your problem. More will appear as they continue to migrate and you will need to fix the moisture issue in your home that is attracting the springtails as well. Until the moisture is gone or the main nest is found and eliminated, you will have an ongoing battle with the pest.

Bifen IT is specifically labeled for a number of medically significant spiders including Black Widow, Brown Recluse and Hobo Spiders. It is important to remember that Bifen IT does not give an immediate knockdown but instead works over a period of several hours to kill spiders that have come into contact with the product. Bifen IT will also help to get rid of the insects that spiders feed on and that will help to stop new spiders from moving in. Indoors, spray around all baseboards, door frames, window frames, under appliances, in closets and storage rooms and in areas where utilities enter into the structure. Outdoors you should spray around the bottom of the foundation, on the ground adjacent to the foundation, door frames, window frames and places where the utilities enter into the structure. Brown recluse spiders are a bit trickier to eliminate because they often stay hidden in areas where people do not or cannot spray. We recommend that in addition to the Bifen IT, you also use glueboards in areas where spraying would not be appropriate and to help monitor the infestation (cabinets, closets, under furniture, storage areas)

Bifen IT is a very popular product to apply outdoors to a yard for noseeums.  We also have a great article for them here.

It normally takes many years for insects to build a resistancy to insecticides. If you are still experiencing good results from Bifen I/T then I would recommend continuing with Bifen I/T. The price and effectiveness cannot be matched.

Edible vegetation treated with Bifen IT should be discarded and not consumed. You should not consume anything in the area treated for one full growing season.

Bifen IT would be safe depending on how close the house is to the actual lake as it is toxic to aquatic invertabretes so you would not want to happy where drift or runoff could go into the lake. If you are closer to the lake and runoff could be an issue, Essentria IC3 would be a better product. Essentria is safe to use around aquatic life and it will work great for mosquitoes and many other insects. 

Bifen IT will kill kudzu bugs that land on treated surfaces. We recommend using the 1 fl oz of Talstar per gallon of water usage rate for the best results.

We would recommend contacting a veterinarian if your pet ingests Bifen IT and exhibits signs that they have been poisoned. We do recommend making sure that pets are out of the area until the product has completely dried.

Bifen IT is labeled to kill chiggers, fleas and bed bugs (not in residential areas) along with 75 other different insects commonly found around the house hold. 

Yes, you will mix one ounce of Bifen IT and one ounce of Tekko Pro IGR per gallon of water.

No, once Bifen IT has been mixed with water it either needs to be used or discarded within 24 hours of mixing with water. Do not let Bifen IT sit in the sprayer for longer than 24 hours as the dilution starts to separate and will clog the lines of your sprayer.

Yes, Bifen IT can be tank mixed with Pivot IGR in the same hand pump sprayer. Follow the mix rate instructions on both product labels for the target pest you are treating. 

We do not recommend that you spray Bifen IT or any product on foliage during the hottest, sunniest part of the day. You can use the product during hot temperatures but it should be applied early in the morning or late in the evening before the sun is beating down on the foliage.

Bifen IT is designed to be applied in window frames and other cracks, crevices and entry points of the home. Also, around the outside perimeter of your home. For ticks, you may also need to mix in an IGR like Nyguard to break down the reproductive cycle. 

The Bifen would definitely be a great option for most of the pest you are having a problem with. You can use the Bifen in a hand pump sprayer or with a hose end, although you will get more uniform and accurate coverage with a hand pump than you will a hose. You would typically mix 1 ounce to a gallon of water for all the insects in your yard and you can spray the bushes, yard, ornamentals and trees for mosquitoes, spider mites, wasps and regular ants. For fire ants you need to treat a little differently as they are more unique than other ants. The BEST way to control fire ants is with a professional grade bait like the Extinguish Plus Fire Ant Bait. It not only is a food source that they will forage for and bring back into the nest, but it also contains an IGR-birth control-to keep the queen from reproducing. This has been proven to have the most thorough results. If you don't want to use a bait you can use the bifen on the fire ants but you must follow the instructions on the label for drenching each mound with at least 3 gallons of water to get all the way to the bottom of the nest. You can see the specific instructions for this method on the Product Label.

Bifen IT is labeled for Orchid Weevils and should do a great job for you. It is always recommended that you spray only one plant to test for any sensitivity/damage before you do a complete treatment on all of the orchids. We also recommend that you speak to an expert that deals with orchids to learn more about treating weevils on orchids as orchids can be very sensitive.

Insecticide granules such as Bifen granules would be a good choice to help control the population of big headed ants as it will last for 3-4 months. Bifen Granules will kill ants that venture on to treated areas.  Another great choice would be to use Extinguish Plus Fire Ant Bait. This bait is also labeled for big headed ants specifically and would be a great choice for your use. Extinguish Plus combines the power of hydramethylnon with an insect growth regulator (like birth control for ants) to kill big headed ant workers and prevent queens from laying fertile eggs. This product would kill the ants that picked up the bait and also kill the ants back at the colony.

Bifen IT is not labeled to be used in ULV applications at all. we would not recommend using it for any ULV applications.

Yes, Bifen IT is labeled for roaches and will kill them. This product is not recommended if you have an active infestation of roaches. If you see an occasional roach, this can be used indoors and outdoors for control. The mixing ratio is 1 fl oz per gallon of water.

Also, please check out our Roach Guide for tips on how to treat and prevent roaches.