My Shopping Cart
| Bulk Discounts Prices | |
| Quantity | Price |
| 1 | $367.50 |
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
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.| 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 |
| File | Title | File Description | Type | Section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| distance_plus_ant_bait_sds_202105.pdf | Distance Plus Ant Bait | SAFETY DATA SHEET | Diagrams | Document |
| distance_plus_label.pdf | Distance Plus | Distance Plus Label | Catalogue | Document |
| Distance-Plus-Brochure_1.pdf | Distance Plus | Distance Plus Brochure | Brochures | Document |
Effective ant management plays an important role in Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) programs in olives and other agricultural crops. While ants do not directly damage olive trees, they significantly disrupt biological control systems - particularly in groves affected by black scale (Saissetia oleae).
Distance® PLUS Ant Bait contains pyriproxyfen, an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) that acts as a juvenile hormone mimic. Rather than killing ants immediately, it interferes with their life cycle by:
Unlike conventional contact insecticides, pyriproxyfen does not rely solely on acute toxicity. It suppresses the next generation, preventing colonies from recovering and reducing long-term reinfestation pressure.
In Australian olive groves, ants play a critical role in the population dynamics of black scale (Saissetia oleae) — one of the most widespread insect pests of olives
Black scale produces honeydew, which attracts ants. In return for this food source, ants:
In western Victorian trials and other production regions, Distance® PLUS has demonstrated strong suppression of scale-tending ants, including:
The ant–honeydew pest relationship is not unique to olives. Across many crops, ants protect sap-sucking insects such as:
Baiting provides a practical and scalable alternative to physical exclusion in commercial olive groves.
Modern olive IPDM systems emphasise:
Distance® PLUS Ant Bait has been used effectively against:
For optimal results in olives:
Product: Ant Bait Distance Plus 4kg
Effective ant management plays an important role in Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) programs in olives and other agricultural crops. While ants do not directly damage olive trees, they significantly disrupt biological control systems - particularly in groves affected by black scale (Saissetia oleae).
Distance® PLUS Ant Bait contains pyriproxyfen, an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) that acts as a juvenile hormone mimic. Rather than killing ants immediately, it interferes with their life cycle by:
Unlike conventional contact insecticides, pyriproxyfen does not rely solely on acute toxicity. It suppresses the next generation, preventing colonies from recovering and reducing long-term reinfestation pressure.
In Australian olive groves, ants play a critical role in the population dynamics of black scale (Saissetia oleae) — one of the most widespread insect pests of olives
Black scale produces honeydew, which attracts ants. In return for this food source, ants:
In western Victorian trials and other production regions, Distance® PLUS has demonstrated strong suppression of scale-tending ants, including:
The ant–honeydew pest relationship is not unique to olives. Across many crops, ants protect sap-sucking insects such as:
Baiting provides a practical and scalable alternative to physical exclusion in commercial olive groves.
Modern olive IPDM systems emphasise:
Distance® PLUS Ant Bait has been used effectively against:
For optimal results in olives:
Product: Ant Bait Distance Plus 4kg
