Talstar® Insecticide

Talstar is a professional insecticide line for controlling a broad range of structural, lawn and landscape pests. Depending on the formulation, Talstar products can be used against ants, fire ants, fleas, ticks, chinch bugs, mole crickets, earwigs, spiders and dozens of other listed pests. Talstar XTRA and Talstar PL are outdoor granular insecticides designed primarily for lawns, landscaped areas and building perimeters. Talstar One is a concentrated liquid with a broader label that includes both indoor and outdoor applications. Always match the product to the pest and treatment site listed on its current label.

Talstar XTRA contains two active ingredients: bifenthrin and zeta-cypermethrin. The second active ingredient gives XTRA especially fast knockdown, including a labeled claim to eliminate fire ant colonies within 15 minutes. Its Verge granule carrier is uniform in size and produces very little dust during application. Talstar PL contains bifenthrin as its active ingredient and uses a dense sand-core granule. The granules penetrate turf and mulch instead of remaining on the surface, making PL particularly well suited to routine lawn and perimeter programs. It provides two to four months of protection against a range of labeled pests.

Talstar XTRA and Talstar PL arrive ready to spread as dry granules. They are intended for outdoor treatment of areas such as lawns, landscaped beds and structural perimeters. Talstar One is a 7.9% bifenthrin liquid concentrate that must be diluted according to its label before application. It can be sprayed on many labeled indoor and outdoor sites, including structural surfaces, lawns and landscapes. The liquid formulation is usually the better choice when the treatment needs to reach a vertical surface, crack, vegetation or another area that cannot be treated effectively with a broadcast granule.

Talstar XTRA is proven to eliminate fire ant colonies within 15 minutes when used according to its label. The formula combines bifenthrin with zeta-cypermethrin, which was added specifically to provide accelerated knockdown. For established mounds, follow the labeled mound-treatment directions rather than simply scattering extra granules over visible activity. Broadcast treatment can also be used where permitted to control ants moving through a larger lawn or perimeter area.

Talstar XTRA can provide up to four months of control for many labeled lawn pests. Talstar PL is designed to provide approximately two to four months of protection against a range of labeled pests, and a broadcast application delivering 0.25 lb of bifenthrin per acre holds six months of residual activity against foraging imported fire ants and newly mated fly-in queens. Actual performance depends on the target insect, application rate, treatment site and environmental conditions. Do not interpret the longest residual claim as a fixed reapplication schedule for every pest. Fleas, for example, can require a different treatment interval from ants.

Yes. Talstar XTRA is labeled against more than 75 lawn pests, including fleas, ticks, chinch bugs, mole crickets and several other insects in addition to ants. Talstar One also controls more than 75 pests across its labeled use sites. The exact pest list differs by formulation. A pest appearing on one Talstar label does not automatically mean every Talstar product can be used against it.

Talstar XTRA and Talstar PL are designed for outdoor perimeter applications around residential and other labeled structures, in a band of ground up to 7 feet wide. Granules can be distributed across permitted soil, turf, mulch and landscaped areas where insects approach a building. They should not simply be scattered across sidewalks, driveways or other hard surfaces. Keep the treatment within the areas permitted by the product label and sweep misplaced granules back onto the appropriate treatment surface rather than washing them into storm drains.

Talstar XTRA and Talstar PL are outdoor granular products. Do not use either as an indoor broadcast insecticide. Talstar One has a much broader label and can be used for specified indoor pest-control applications when mixed and applied according to its directions. It is a water-based bifenthrin concentrate with no odorous solvents, and treated surfaces are essentially invisible once the application has dried.

It depends on the product, pest and application. Talstar PL’s heavy sand-core granule can penetrate mulch without routine watering for many perimeter applications. That does not mean irrigation is never required. Chinch bugs call for up to 0.25 inch of water immediately after spreading, flea larvae and mole crickets up to 0.5 inch, and a fire ant mound takes a 1 to 2 gallon drench. The same principle applies to Talstar XTRA. Read the directions for the pest being treated rather than applying one watering rule to every use.

Do not treat during rain or in conditions likely to carry pesticide away from the intended application area. Wind above 15 mph is also out. A granular treatment should not be irrigated to the point that water begins running off the property. Some Talstar treatments intentionally require a measured amount of irrigation after application. That is different from uncontrolled rainfall or excessive watering. When the label calls for irrigation, use only the amount needed for that treatment.

Coverage depends on the labeled application rate. At 1.15 lb per 1,000 sq ft, a 25 lb bag covers approximately 21,740 sq ft. At 2.3 lb per 1,000 sq ft, the same bag covers approximately 10,870 sq ft. Higher or lower rates may apply to particular pests and use sites. Calculate the treatment area first, then use the rate required by the current product label. Do not reduce the labeled rate simply to make one bag cover a larger lawn.

A broadcast or other suitable granular spreader is the practical choice for treating larger lawn areas. The objective is an even application at the labeled pounds per 1,000 sq ft, not a particular number on the spreader’s adjustment dial. Settings vary with equipment condition, granule flow, walking speed and the individual machine. Calibrating the spreader over a measured area is more reliable than assuming that the same numbered setting produces the same application rate on every spreader.

Talstar is a pesticide, so "pet safe" or "child safe" is not an adequate use instruction. Safety depends on using the correct formulation exactly as its EPA-approved label directs. Talstar One, for example, requires people and pets to remain off treated surfaces until the spray has dried. Granular products have their own application and site restrictions, and tick treatments close the treated area to public use during application. Keep children and animals away during application and follow the current package label before allowing normal use of the treated area.

Talstar was part of FMC’s Global Specialty Solutions business for many years. Envu acquired that business in North America in November 2024, bringing Talstar and other established FMC specialty brands into the Envu portfolio. Genuine Talstar products may therefore appear with different corporate branding depending on when the inventory was manufactured. Older packaging can prominently display FMC, while current Talstar products are supported by Envu. The Talstar product name and EPA registration information are more useful identifiers than expecting every legitimate package to have identical corporate artwork.

Choose Talstar XTRA when the job calls for a fast-acting outdoor granule, especially where fire ants are a major target. Its bifenthrin plus zeta-cypermethrin formula is proven to eliminate fire ant colonies within 15 minutes and provides broad lawn-pest control. Choose Talstar PL for a bifenthrin-only granular treatment with a dense sand carrier that penetrates turf and mulch. Choose Talstar One when a liquid application makes more sense, because its 7.9% bifenthrin concentrate can be used across a broad range of labeled indoor, outdoor, structural, lawn and landscape sites. The target pest and treatment site should make the final decision.