Professional ant management for sensitive sites, horticulture, and agriculture.
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Distance Plus Ant Bait | The Olive Centre – Intelligent Colony Control
Professional ant management for sensitive sites, horticulture, and agriculture.
Ant Bait Control in Olives and Crop applications with Distance PLUS by Sumitomo Chemical
Distance Plus Ant Bait is an advanced insect growth regulator (IGR) formulated to deliver long-lasting control of invasive and nuisance ants, including fire ants, big-headed ants, and black ants.
Unlike traditional contact insecticides, it works through intelligent colony control — targeting the queen to stop egg production. Foraging ants carry the bait back to the nest, ensuring complete colony elimination.
Containing 5 g/kg Pyriproxyfen (Group 7C Insecticide), this product combines outstanding performance with one of the safest profiles available, making it ideal for use in sensitive areas such as schools, parks, sports fields, horticultural zones, and around livestock.
Distance plus does not need to be eaten to be effective and unlike other baits, prevents a new generation of ants replacing the old.
Olives is a crop where ants feature greatly in the population dynamics of a key pest the blackscale (Saissetia oleae). Natural control agents include coccinellid lady beetles, lacewings and parasitic wasps. Ants interfere with their ability to control populations of black scale but tending and protecting the scale in return for honeydew reward.In trials in western Victoria, Distance® PLUS Ant Bait has been very effective in reducing the populations of scale tending ants, mostly meatants (Iridomyrmex purpureus) and black ants (Iridomyrmex rufoniger andothers). These ants aggressively tend and protect black scale and reduce the effectiveness of natural predators such as coccinellid and lacewing larvae and parasitoid wasps. The use of Distance® PLUS Ant Bait as part of the program to reduce sap-sucking insects such as black scale in olives,fits very nicely with the IPM approach increasingly being adopted by Australian farmers.
Has been used effectively in the control of Fire ants and African bigheaded ant (aka coastal brown ant). It has also been tested on a wide range of others species including those normally less attracted to typical corn and oil-based baits.
Distance plus is the only product available in an IGR that can be used in Olives and Agricultural applications (as at August 2013).
Ant-homopteran Mutualism
Another important but often overlooked consequence of ants in crops is their protection of sap-sucking insects in return for honeydew reward, otherwise known as mutualism.
A wide variety of ants seek the honeydew produced by aphids, scale, mealybugs and leafhoppers, and in exchange, protect these pests from their natural enemies.
Proliferation of these pests also promotes sooty mould on the crop. There have been a large number of studies worldwide showing the benefits of excluding ants from crops and the resulting reduction in pest populations resulting from increased numbers of beneficial insects and easier access to their sap-sucking prey. For instance, Australian researchers have shown that by physically excluding ants from citrus canopies they can dramatically reduce the number of live soft scale (Coccus hesperidum).
Baiting is an effective option to reduce ant abundance in canopies. Olives is another crop where ants feature greatly in the population dynamics of a key pest, the black scale (Saissetia oleae). Natural control agents include coccinellid lady beetles, lacewings and parasitic wasps. Ants interfere with their ability to control populations of black scale but tending and protecting the scale in return for honeydew reward.
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Effective for broad-spectrum ant control in domestic, agricultural, and environmental settings
Designed for use in sensitive areas where traditional baits are unsuitable
Ideal for horticultural and cropping systems, including olives, citrus, tropical fruit, and nuts
Suitable for parks, golf courses, walkways, lawns, national parks, and reserves
Safe for application around livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses)
Technical Specifications
Specification
Details
Product Name
Distance Plus Ant Bait
Active Constituent
5 g/kg Pyriproxyfen (Group 7C Insecticide)
Formulation
Granular bait (ready-to-use)
Mode of Action
Insect growth regulator – prevents queen from laying eggs
Target Pests
Red imported fire ant, tropical fire ant, big-headed/coastal brown ant, yellow crazy ant, black ants, Singapore ants, green-headed (pony) ants, meat ants, tyrant ants, sugar ants, long-legged ants, and pennant ants
Application Rate
2–4 kg per hectare or 2–4 g per 10 m²
Application Timing
Early Spring or Summer, at the first sign of ant activity
Coverage
Effective control over large areas; repeat applications as needed
Suitable For
Domestic, public service, commercial, industrial, cropping, and environmental areas
Safety Classification
Unscheduled poison – low toxicity to vertebrates
Manufacturer
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Limited, Japan
Situations & Application Areas
Domestic, Commercial, and Public Service Areas
Parks, sports grounds, golf courses, lawns, gardens, paths, and walkways.
National parks, reserves, and ecological zones where invasive ants threaten biodiversity.
Application Notes
Apply early in the season when ants are actively foraging.
Do not exceed three applications per year and allow at least three months between treatments.
Avoid direct exposure to land crabs or other terrestrial arthropods.
Vegetables: apply only to inter-row areas, not directly to crops.
Poultry: do not use in active grazing areas; apply only where birds cannot access bait (e.g. under raised cages).
Use lower rates for light infestations and higher rates for dense or northern infestations.
Why Choose Distance Plus Ant Bait
Proven colony-level control, targeting the queen for permanent results
Ideal for sensitive areas — schools, parks, or near livestock
Endorsed by Government ant-control programs across Australia
Safe, sustainable, and effective alternative to traditional insecticides
Trusted Sumitomo Chemical innovation, combining science and environmental care
Frequently Asked Questions
Distance PLUS Ant Bait contains pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator (IGR) that mimics the ants’ natural juvenile hormone. Instead of killing workers immediately, it disrupts the colony’s reproductive cycle by preventing the queen from laying viable eggs and stopping larvae from maturing into adults.
This process gradually collapses the colony from within, eliminating both current and future generations. Because it targets the queen rather than individual workers, the results are slower but longer lasting, often providing months of control after a single application. Unlike conventional toxic baits, Distance PLUS does not need to be ingested — contact or trophallactic transfer among ants is enough to spread the active ingredient throughout the nest.
Distance® PLUS is the only IGR-based ant bait registered in Australia for use in cropping systems, including olive groves, citrus, vineyards, pastures, and plantations. It is also approved for use in parks, sports fields, golf courses, schools, and conservation areas, making it suitable for both agricultural and sensitive environments.
Because pyriproxyfen has no activity on vertebrates, it is safe for use around livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses when applied according to label directions. It can be used as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to suppress ant populations that protect sap-sucking pests like black scale, aphids, and mealybugs, thereby restoring natural biological control in olive and horticultural systems.
However, it should not be applied where poultry feed or graze directly, and vegetable crops should only be treated in inter-row areas to avoid contact with edible surfaces.
For most agricultural and environmental situations, Distance® PLUS should be applied at 2–4 kg per hectare (or 2–4 g per 10 m²) during early spring or summer, when ant foraging activity first becomes visible.
Optimal conditions include:
Warm, dry weather (ants are most active in these periods).
Early-season application before pest populations increase.
Low to moderate infestations, where bait can be distributed efficiently.
In regions with heavy infestations — especially northern Australia — or where multiple reproductive queens exist (as in Argentine and Pony ants), more than one application may be required. A minimum of three months should elapse between treatments, with no more than three applications per year.
Avoid applying near waterways or areas with high land crab density, as they can disturb bait placement. Consistent monitoring and reapplication under label guidance ensure sustained colony collapse across target ant species.
Key Features
Targets the queen for full colony elimination – no eggs, no ants, no problem
Unique insect growth regulator (IGR) mode of action using Pyriproxyfen
Long-term control by preventing reproduction rather than killing on contact
Broad-spectrum performance across multiple invasive and nuisance ant species
Granular formulation allows easy and discrete spreader application
Safe for use in sensitive environments – schools, parks, public grounds, and crops
No impact on vertebrates and minimal risk to non-target species
Unscheduled poison classification for greater operator and environmental safety
Trusted by Government programs in Australia for red imported fire ant and yellow crazy ant control
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