Captain TopChoice^™ Vows to Protect Humans and Educate About the Danger of Fire Ants

MONTVALE, NJ (April 2, 2005) – Wearing his fire ant-proof body armor, Captain TopChoice™ made his first public appearance at the March 24 Yankees spring training baseball game in Tampa, Fla. Although initially surprised by the superhero's presence, fans at the game warmed to the masked crusader's effort to protect humans from fire ants and educate them about the danger of these evil insects.

Captain TopChoice revealed to curious fans and onlookers that he once worked in the fight against fire ants as a scientist at Bayer Environmental Science. "We knew him as Dutch Davis, a mild-mannered entomologist on our research staff," commented Bryan Gooch, business manager, insecticides, Bayer Environmental Science. "He approached us several months ago and revealed his secret identity as Captain TopChoice. Of course, we were very skeptical about his claim. But he demonstrated his superpowers for us, and now we're thrilled to have him on our team."

An official from Bayer's human resources department said that Davis worked independently at a location in Mobile, Alabama. Mobile is widely known as the point of entry into the United States for the red imported fire ant.

According to a source in Bayer's development office, the research by Davis played an integral role in developing the Domino Effect™ delivery method present in the company's revolutionary fire ant technology – TopChoice. "The idea dawned on me while monitoring the behavioral interaction of fire ant colonies from my glass-enclosed observatory," acknowledged the superhero. Captain TopChoice operates from an impenetrable underground lair.

A freak accident involving fire ants altered the atomic structure of Davis' DNA as a young boy. Davis found himself equipped with superhuman abilities in the mold of Spiderman and The Green Lantern. His x-ray vision allows him to see how far and deep fire ant mounds reach. Channeling his powers through a special laser on his wrist, he creates a force field around areas treated with TopChoice to kill existing fire ant mounds and prevent new colonies from forming. His power laser also protects treated areas from reinfestation after drastic weather conditions like hurricanes and heavy rains. Although powerful and long lasting, his laser must be recharged after one full year.

Captain TopChoice stated that it was time for him to take a more visible role in the fight against fire ants. The superhero will serve as spokesperson for TopChoice™, the company's preventative fire ant product. "After helping Bayer bring TopChoice to market a few years ago, I knew that my time was nearing. As the product spokesperson for TopChoice, I now have a means of educating humans about the danger of fire ants. And I'll be representing a product that will let families finally take back their lawns from the army of evil red fire ants that have spread their venom of terror across the southern states of this great country."

Captain TopChoice will also be attending Bayer-sponsored minor league baseball games on the following dates:

• May 20-21 @ New Orleans Zephyrs
• June 10-11 @ Savannah Sand Gnats
• July 1 @ Jacksonville Suns
• July 8-9 @ West Palm Beach Cardinals
• July 16 @ Charleston Riverdogs
  

Fire ants are a year-round threat to more than 40 million people living in the southern United States. Fire ants currently infest what is known as the "Fire Ant 13": Arkansas, Alabama, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas (and Puerto Rico). They are also moving northward and westward into Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Virginia.