High noon for the outdoor use of Ficam D

25 July 2019 is the deadline date for the use of any stocks of Ficam D sporting the old labels. This therefore means the end of the road for outdoor uses of Ficam D.

Readers will recall that in early January 2019 Bayer announced that Ficam D (1.25% bendiocarb) had been re-approved and that all new stock leaving Bayer would, naturally, be carrying the new and revised label which sported the amended usage instructions.

As is customary with product withdrawals and label changes, users were given a phase-out timescale – which in this case was until 25 July. Although maybe not widely appreciated, this meant professional pest controllers could still follow the ‘old uses’ as these were as printed on the label, provided they had stock with old labels.

All change on 25 July 2019
The recommendations printed on product carrying ‘old’ labels (displaying HSE 4829) are no longer legal after this date. However, professional pest controllers do not need to panic and worry what they do with ‘old’ labelled stock – should they have any.

New labels (UK-2018-1136) carrying the revised approved usage instructions are available from distributors which can then simply be over-stuck onto the product.

News Image Use Up Old Stocks Of Ficam D 1 Web

Hopefully users head’s aren’t hurting at this point…

What is most significant about these label changes is the fact that Ficam D can only be applied indoors, which includes indoor nests that can be treated from outdoors.

Range of insects restricted too…
Also worthy of note is the range of insects on these new labels has changed from ‘crawling insects’ to only ants. No longer listed are cockroaches, fleas, moths, bed bugs, carpet pests, bees, silverfish and other bristle tails, beetles, earwigs, crickets, booklice, spiders, woodlice, centipedes, millipedes, ticks and thrips.

Click here for the text of the OLD label

Click here for the text of the NEW label

Within Pest magazine we examined these label changes in an article which appeared in Issue 61: February & March 2019. Catch-up up on it here.

Finally, don’t panic! Plenty of alternatives
Whilst Ficam D has been the product of choice for wasps’ nests for years, there is a whole range of other dusts and types of formulations available – some of which are shown below. If pest controllers haven’t done so already, they just need to get their thinking caps on as to what to use, in what looks to be shaping up to a bumper wasps’ nest year.