How Phantom Insecticide & Termiticide Works

Phantom Termiticide/Insecticide is a non-repellent liquid concentrate that is diluted with water and usually applied with a pump sprayer. Phantom contains the active ingredient Chlorfenapyr, which belongs to a relatively new class of insecticides called pyrroles that are produced from microbes. Pyrroles do not metabolize into active insecticides until after they enter the host target pest. Chlorfenapyr disrupts the production of ATP in the part of the cell that turns food into energy, causing cellular death and ultimate mortality. Because this process is slower than other modes of action, Phantom can have a transfer effect similar to that of baits on social insects like ants, cockroaches, and termites.

Insects do not smell, taste, or avoid applications of Phantom. This means that Phantom can be used in conjunction with baits (do not spray on top of baits). Phantom also eliminates pest build up in one area, preventing pest avoidance of treated areas. The residual of Phantom will last for 30 days or longer. Phantom also has a high potency, so fewer applications are needed for effective treatments.

Phantom Target Insects

Ants, termites, bed bugs, centipedes, beetles

INSECTS CONTROLLED: termites (Reticulitermes spp. (R. flavipes, R. virginicus, R. hageni, R. tibialis, R. Hesperus), Coptotermes spp. (C. formosanus), and Heterotermes spp. (H. aureus); ants (acrobat, Argentine, carpenter, odorous house, pavement, pharaoh’s, pyramid); beetles (Asian lady, confused flour, darkling larva (yellow mealworm), saw-toothed grain); bed bugs; boxelder bugs; centipedes, cockroaches (American, Asian, brown-banded, German, Oriental, and smokybrown); European earwigs; house crickets; house flies; paper wasps (not a knockdown agent); pillbugs; spiders (black widow, cellar); silverfish

Target Uses

Phantom is a Termiticide and insecticide labeled for indoor (follow the label carefully) as well as outdoor use. It combines nonrepellency, superior control, long-lasting effects, and the ability to control populations faster than baiting systems—all in a low-dose, virtually odorless formulation. Phantom can be used as a soil drench, wall foam or as a general use spray as desired.

Phantom is a popular choice for ants and cockroaches because it can be used in conjunction with baiting. Phantom is also ideal for bed bug control because it is non-repellent and effective for pyrethroid resistant strains of bed bugs. Because of its long residual and efficacy with these and other common household pests, Phantom is an excellent choice for apartments, hotels, or similar commercial properties.

• Phantom also comes in a convenient aerosol formulation for smaller jobs or crack and crevice treatments.

Though Phantom is labeled for use as a soil drench for subterranean termites, products such as Termidor SC are more cost effective and last longer in the ground.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Chlorfenapyr 21.45%

Application Instructions

For termite treatments, use 4 gallons of 0.125% solution per 10 lineal feet of a 6 in. by 6 in. trench, establishing a continuous treated zone between the wood and other cellulose material in the structure and the termite population(s) in the soil. For pre-construction treatment to be covered by concrete slab, use 1 gallon of 0.25% finished solution per 10 square feet. Apply using a coarse spray nozzle and low-pressure spray (less than 25 psi). See our article How to Do a Termite Treatment for more details on liquid termite treatments.

Phantom may be converted to a foam for treatments in structural voids. Foam applications to voids above soil should be done with a wet foam (10:1 expansion ratio or less). See mixing table on the product label for dilution rates.

For general pest control indoors, applications should be made to breeding areas, nesting sites, hiding places, runways, and other places where pests are found or likely to infest. For use with only low-pressure directed spray application equipment. Use a 0.5% solution for crack and crevice or spot applications. Do not apply more than once every four weeks.

• One 21 oz. bottle makes 28 gallons of 0.125% solution for termites or 7 gallons of general use spray for cockroaches and ants.
• A 75 oz. bottle makes 100 gallons of finished solution for termites or 25 gallons of general use spray.

Standard Application Dilution rates / Mixing Ratios:

• 0.75 fl. oz. (22 mL)/gal. of water – 0.125% - most termite applications
• 1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL)/gal. of water – 0.25% - small volume termite applications
• 3.0 fl. oz. (88 mL)/gal. of water – 0.5% - general pest applications
• Use 4 gallons of 0.125% solution per 10 lineal feet for perimeter termite treatments
• One gallon of 0.5% solution for general pest applications covers approximately 1,000 square feet

Phantom is for use in the following areas:

Pre-construction and post-construction termite treatments in and around residential, commercial, and industrial buildings; inside houses, apartments or other residential structures, meat, poultry and egg processing and packaging plants, the food/feed and non-food/feed areas of food-handling establishments and commercial, institutional and warehousing establishments; food service, manufacturing and processing establishments such as restaurants, cafeterias, supermarkets, mills, processing plants, bakeries, breweries, dairies, meat slaughtering and packing plants and canneries; schools, groceries and supermarkets, restaurants and cafeterias, hotels and motels, hospitals and nursing homes, warehouses and industrial buildings, laboratories, zoos, pet shops, computer facilities, sewers

Indoors

Cockroaches: Phantom is effective against American, Asian, brownbanded, German, Oriental, smokybrown, and other cockroach species. Use a 0.5% dilution. Apply dilution as a coarse, low pressure spot or crack and crevice spray to areas where these pests normally inhabit or are likely to infest.

Limited spot treatment of Phantom dilution can be made to surfaces beneath cabinets, spaces between equipment or expansion joints, surfaces behind sinks, lockers, water pipes, cabinets, or other areas where cockroaches may hide. Reapply, if needed, every 4 weeks or more.

Ants: Phantom is highly effective against household and structure-invading ants, including the following species: acrobat ants, Argentine Ants, Carpenter Ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, Pharaoh's ants, pyramid ants, and other species.

Apply crack and crevice or spot treatments of a 0.5% dilution to areas of known or suspected ant activity. Where possible, apply Phantom directly to ant nest(s) or nesting site(s) or ant-infested wood or structural voids. Reapply, if needed, every 4 weeks or more.

Bed bugs: Do not make surface applications to mattresses. Mattress treatments must be confined to the seams, folds and edges only. Remove linens and wash before reuse. Allow to dry before remaking bed. Use an approved product for other treatment areas. Not recommended as the sole protection against bed bugs.

Outdoors

Exterior application of Phantom is limited to spot and crack and crevice treatments where pests enter around doors, windows, eaves, attic vents, and holes in exterior walls where utilities enter. Apply a maximum of 1.2 fl. oz. of dilution per 2 square feet.

Phantom Features

• Convenient tip-and-pour bottle makes measuring and mixing easy.
• Pests do not detect Phantom applications so they unknowingly contact and ingest Phantom during routine activities.
• Precision targeted application method means less product goes farther.
• Effective against a wide variety of household ants and cockroaches.
• Labeled for use in food-handling environments.
• Effective for pyrethroid resistant strains of bed bugs.
• Excellent choice to accompany baiting programs.

Extra Tips for Using Phantom

• Store out of extreme temperatures and direct sunlight.
• Do not treat within a distance of one foot out from the dripline of edible plants.
• Do not make general surface or space applications such as for pantry pests in cupboards, cabinets, or containers.
• Do not reapply more than once every four weeks.
• Diluting more than recommended rates may cause product to become repellent and ineffective.
• Do not apply as a broadcast spray indoors or full perimeter application outdoors.