For over fifteen years, imidacloprid has been a strong performing soil termiticide. Under the trade name Premise, this product was one of the first non-repellent termiticides to be registered by the USEPA. The previous generation of termiticide was considered repellent. This means that the termites would prefer not to be in a treated area and if they encounter a sublethal dose of termiticide, they would avoid the area. One advantage of repellent termiticides was that the home was protected by the treated area; however, if the termites would find a penetration in the treated area, they would be able to go past the treated areas to gain access. With a nonrepellent termiticide, the termites are not repelled; however, they also do not sense when there is a treated area. The general thought today is that nonrepellents are the industry norm.
Premise Foam takes the nonrepellent technology and adds it to foam for treating localized areas. Foam allows the product to be injected into voids and the foam counters gravity and expands into all surfaces of the void so that termites in those areas may be controlled. Premise Foam is packaged in an aerosol can with a flexible tube so that the foam can enter the proper areas.
The can dispenses about 0.9 fluid ounces of foam in four seconds. The product is not only labeled to treat voids in structures but may be used to treat trees, such as in the case of Formosan termite infestations, decks and utility poles.
Note that Premise Foam is a supplementary treatment for localized areas and is not a replacement for thorough inspection followed by other treatment types for wide areas of infestation or protection.