Phantom Termiticide Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Phantom is not labeled to treat carpet beetles.  For indoor carpet beetle control you may want to consider a product such as Nyguard Plus. This product contains an insecticide to kill the roaming adults and an insect growth regulator to stop the harder to kill immature beetles from reaching a reproductive state which in turn will break the cycle of infestation. As an added bonus this product also contains a deodorizer for carpet applications.  You should apply every 2 weeks.

It does take quite some time to fully eradicate carpet beetles, how long depends on how bad of an infestation you have and making sure you have found the source.  Please take a few minutes to read our Carpet Beetle article to learn more about eliminating a carpet beetle infestation.

Yes, Phantom is labeled for spiders and can be used for them.  On the inside, Phantom is only labeled as a crack and crevice treatment, so you should only apply it in corners of rooms, underneath appliances, and other areas that spiders may harbor.  If you do not have small children or pets, glueboards are a good tool to monitor spider activity in the home.

You do not need to leave your home after an application of Phantom when used as directed on the product label.  It is only advised that people and pets be out of the treatment area until the product dries.

Phantom Termiticide/Insecticide is pet safe if used as directed.  Pets and people need to be kept out of the area while the product is being applied and until everything is dry. 

When used as directed Phantom Termiticide/Insecticide is a very safe product, only containing enough of the active ingredient to kill insects, not enough to harm mammals. As with any chemical, it important to follow all label instructions and precautions and keep the product out of reach of children and pets. Be sure to keep pets out of the area until dried. We recommend that you read through the product label and the MSDS to learn all safety precautions and instructions. 

Phantom is only labeled to be applied once every 4 weeks.  The guide was written with the products like Bedlam and Temprid in mind that are in some of the kits and is only a guideline.  You should always follow the instructions on each individual product.  It is recommend to apply some products every 2 weeks, this is due to the life cycle of the bedbugs and how long it takes the eggs to hatch out.

As Phantom (and most other insecticides) sit in the diluted solution they will start to breakdown causing them to be less effective or not effective at all. We recommend using the solution within 24 hours of mixing. Leftover solution can be poured out directly next to your foundation. The sprayer should be thoroughly rinsed after each use to prevent the seals and gaskets from breaking down.

Yes, it is safe for the bird to walk around after the Phantom has dried.  We did call the manufacturer to confirm this and they said there should be no issues as long as the surfaces are in fact dry.  Typically, it should only take about 30 minutes to dry but you may want to wait one hour just to make sure.

Phantom will last for about 90 days indoors and for about 30 days outdoors. You can apply Phantom in problem areas outdoors to avoid having the ants move back into the wall void. You may also want to consider using a dust such as Mother Earth D that can keep killing insects indefinitely when placed in the wall void.

Yes, Phantom is safe around animals. Phantom is only strong enough to kill small insects. It is a good idea to keep animals outside or in another area while treating and then allow about 30-60 minutes for the products to dry. Once dry it is perfectly safe for animals to re-enter the space. Of course you should always store the products just like any other chemicals, out of reach of animals.

You cannot mix Talstar P and Phantom together. By mixing Talstar P with Phantom you would be essentially removing the non-repellent factor of Phantom as well as the delayed reaction kill time which makes the product so effective.

Phantom is a great choice for "social" insects such as ants or those insects that congregate together for nesting and feeding. Phantom offers a delayed kill that gives insects time to get back to the nest and infect other insects with the insecticide. Phantom is also a non-repellent insecticide which means that sensitive insects like roaches can not tell that it is there and they readily cross over the treatment area. Phantom is usually used indoors for current infestations as a crack and crevice spray only. Exterior applications are limited to spot and crack and crevice treatments around door frames, window frames, eaves, attic vents, and holes where utilities enter into the structure

After Phantom Termiticide/Insecticide has dried, it will not harm people or pets. This make take up to 2 hours.

We would recommend to use Phantom. Phantom is a non repellent that will be picked up by the foraging ants and transferred back to the colony.

When using any insecticide, you will want to leave the premises and stay out after spraying until all the treated surfaces have dried completely. This could take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on how many rooms were sprayed and how heavy the product was applied. 

Yes, it is safe for the bird to walk around after the Phantom has dried. We did call the manufacturer to confirm this and they said there should be no issues as long as the surfaces are in fact dry. Typically, it should only take about 30 minutes to dry, but you may want to wait one hour just to make sure.

Since, Phantom is not label for such an application. We recommend contacting the manufacturer BASF at 800-526-1076, to whom can help troubleshoot this with you.

Phantom is labeled for spiders but it is does not have a fast knockdown so it can take several days for the spiders to be eliminated after they come into contact with treat surfaces. Phantom will also help eliminate other insects which the spiders feed on which in turn will help eliminate the spiders and stop new spiders from moving in.

We would recommend using Phantom for both and and roach control. Phantom is a popular choice for ants and cockroaches because it can be used in conjunction with baiting. 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. Use 3 oz of Phantom per gallon of water for crack and crevice or spot applications. 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. Do not apply more than once every four weeks. For Spider control we would recommend using Trapper LTD Mouse Insect Glueboards to catch spiders along with a spider web deterrent such as Web Out. Web Out kills spiders and prevents spider webs on any surface that may support spider web development. This product can also be used as a contact pesticide to kill ants, crickets, mosquitoes, cockroaches, perimeter pest insects and other general pests.

Phantom is not labeled for ticks. We have put together a Tick Control kit that combines both an insect growth regulator to stop the life cycle as well as a residual adulticide.