Degradation of fipronil (Termidor) in aqueous solution stored in polyethylene tanks exposed to sunlight or shade.

Pest Management Professionals commonly use polyethylene or fiberglass tanks for mixing and applying termiticides. We investigated the stability of fipronil (Termidor SC) (0.06%, 0.09% and 0.125% active ingredient) in aqueous solutions stored in polyethylene tanks under sun and shade for 2 week. Chemical analysis of tank-mixed solutions sampled at 0, 24, 48, 72, 168 and 336 h indicated that fipronil remained stable. Our data indicated that polyethylene tanks prevent fipronil from photodegradation and these tanks can be safely used for short term storage (up to 2 week) of liquid termiticides.

Stability of imidacloprid (Premise 75) in a tank-mixed aqueous solution when stored in shade or sunlight.

Polyethylene tanks are commonly used by pest management professionals to mix and apply termiticides. These termiticides are susceptible to rapid photolysis and the ability of application tanks to filter sunlight has been questioned. We investigated the stability of imidacloprid (Premise 75) in aqueous solutions stored in polyethylene tanks under shade or sunlight. Chemical analysis of aqueous solutions sampled at 0, 24, 48, 72, 168 and 336 h revealed that imidacloprid was relatively stable. Our results indicate that polyethylene tanks are adequate to protect imidacloprid from photo degradation.