Phantom Termiticide Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Yes, Phantom is safe while kids/babies and pets are in the house. Phantom is only strong enough to kill small insects. It is a good idea to keep pets and children outside or in another room while treating and then allow about 30 minutes for the products to dry. Once dry, it is perfectly safe for children and pets to re-enter the living space. Of course you should always store the products just like any other cleaning chemicals, out of reach of children and pets.

Phantom is quickly becoming the new preferred treatment for bed bugs.  It leaves a long term residual that has shown to kill bed bugs long after you initially treat.  However, it is not an immediate kill.  When a bed bug crosses over an area that has been treated with Phantom, it picks up the product on its body, but it can take days to kill the bed bug.  This is why you will still see bed bugs and still may get bitten, but the bed bug will die.  Phantom is very popular now because bed bugs build up resistance easily to certain products and Phantom is a product that they have not shown resistance to yet.  Any good company should treat every two weeks for at least two cycles.  It could take more than two treatments depending on the severity of the situation.  I cannot comment on the companies interpretation of the instructions, but treating cracks and crevices, baseboards, and other areas will ensure that when the bed bugs come out of hiding that they will cross a treated barrier.  You should consider our Bed Bug Treatment Kits.  They have a very high success rate and will save you lots of money over hiring another exterminator if they are not successful.

The amount of 1.5 oz per gallons of water more pertains if you are using Phantom for a termite treatment.  You should use 3 oz per gallon of water when applying for roaches or other general pest control insects.

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Phantom is an odorless and very safe liquid insecticide.  There is no requirement to wear anything special upon re-entry.  You should always wear gloves when applying any pesticide, but unless you are in a completely closed room with no ventilation, you do not need a respirator.  You should allow enough time for the product to dry and then it is perfectly fine to enter back into the space with children and pets.  Usually it takes 30 - 45 minutes for the product to dry thoroughly.  Always read the product label for full treatment instructions.

Termidor is definitely the most popular termite treatment product available.  Phantom was made more for indoor pest control and perimeter pest control treatments.  Since Termidor is not labeled to treat around the indoors for pest control, Phantom was made to serve that purpose.  Although Phantom is labeled for termites treating, it does not last nearly as long as Termidor does in the ground and it is also much more costly per finished gallon than Termidor is.

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Phantom Termiticide is not labeled to be used as a broadcast on open carpeted areas.  You should try to keep applications of Phantom Termiticide to small spots and cracks and crevices around the room, do not spray over entire surfaces where people come in frequent contact. It can be applied to the seams and folds of mattresses and upholstered furniture underneath the cushions

Yes, Phantom can be used indoors along baseboards, cracks, crevices, and entry points. This product dries clear and is odorless.

Phantom will last for up to 3 years in the bottle as long as it has been stored out of direct sunlight and out of extreme temperatures. Do not apply Phantom more than every 4 weeks. Application and dilution ratios will vary according to the pest you are treating, please take a look over the product label for more information.

Phantom can take up to two weeks to actually kill the bedbugs after they come into contact with treated surfaces. Bedbug treatments should be done every 7-10 days until you do not receive a bite for 30 days. Most people do end up doing between 3-5 treatments. The key to successful bedbug elimination is thoroughness. We strongly recommend purchasing mattress and boxspring encasements.

Phantom can take up to two weeks to actually kill bugs after they come into contact with treated surfaces. 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. Roach treatments should be done every 4 weeks until you do not see any more roach activity. Most people do end up doing between 3-5 treatments. We would also recommend incorporating an IGR (insect growth regulator) such as Gentrol IGR to stop the reproductive cycle of the roaches. Roaches exposed to the Gentrol IGR will become adults incapable of reproducing, thus ending the cycle of an infestation. You may mix Phantom with the Gentrol IGR with a gallon of water to perform the application of both products at the same time.

Adding Gentrol IGR to Phantom will not change the non-repellency of Phantom. You should not apply the Advion and the Phantom/Gentrol in the same exact places. Keep the Advion up high around counter tops, in cabinets and drawers and in other cracks or crevices where it would not be appropriate to spray. Keep sprays around baseboards, moldings, door frames, window frames and under appliances. The Advion Bait will not be contaminated as long as you do not spray it directly with the Phantom/Gentrol dilution.

All of the products listed will kill ants that come in contact with the treated area, but will not stop the issue. You want to use a product like a bait or something the ants will bring back to the nest. Phantom is a great product for insects that colonize. Pests can't even detect Phantom, so they walk right over it and then spread it to other insects hidden behind walls or in their home colony, killing every other pest they come in contact with

Termidor and Phantom are not the same in many ways. Phantom is an indoor and outdoor use product which is highly used for roach and ant infestations but does cover a small range of other pests. Phantom has the active ingredient Chlorfenapyr 21.45%, which is different from the Termidor which has Fipronil 9.1%. Termidor is labeled for OUTDOOR use only.  It can only be used indoors to spot treat termite or insect activity inside wall voids (for example when treating a live termite infestation in a wall void) .  It cannot be used indoors for ant or pest control other than inside wall voids. Termidor can only be used twice a year around the foundation of the home and only sprayed 18" up and 18" out when treating. Termidor is primarily used for Termite and ant infestations and has a better transfer than Phantom. Both products are similar in that they are non-repellant transfer insecticides. 

You do not want to use 3 oz per gallon for termites, because that will kill them too quickly.  Phantom is a non-repellent and if applied too strongly, the termites will not be able to carry the product back to the colony.  Termites should always be treated at 1.5 oz. per gallon of water.

Phantom is safe to use around children of any age as long as you follow the Phantom product label. Make sure all children are out of the area that is being treated and they can return as soon as the area is completely dry.

When used as directed Phantom 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. We recommend that you read through the product label and the MSDS to learn all safety precautions and instructions.

Phantom is a great choice for "social" insects 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. 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.

Cy-Kick CS is micro-encapsulated and offers a faster knockdown of insects and can be used in more places than the Phantom. Cy-Kick is a great choice for outdoor perimeter control of roaches and many other insects. You can use the Cy-Kick-CS to treat around your fence deck and lawn. You may also want to consider what is bringing the roaches to your home. Take a few minutes to read through our article on Integrated Pest Management. This article can help you make a few changes to your yard and home that could stop the roaches from being attracted to the area in the first place. 

The Phantom label states that you can spray the product in or onto nesting sites, breeding areas, hiding places, runways and other places where the pests are known to infest. The label also states that you can use Phantom on the tufts, seams and folds of mattresses, making it very useful for bedbug treatments. You should try to keep applications to small spots and cracks and crevices around the room, do not spray over entire surfaces where people come in frequent contact. This information can be found on pages 9-11 of the Phantom product label.

Mixing a non repellant like Phantom with a synergist like Exciter will cause the Phantom to become somewhat of a repellant and also speed up the knockdown which is counter productive because it doesn't encourage the domino effect as well as good as non repllants. Non repellants have a slower kill which allows it to spread much more thoroughly throughout insect populations through the transfer and delay effect. When you add a synergist to a non repellant you loose that added benefit.

You can mix  .75 ounce - 3 ounces of Phantom per gallon of water depending on what pest you are treating and where you are treating. Please carefully read the Phantom product label to find out what concentration is proper for your needs.