Florida jury awards $1.2 million to elderly woman attacked by fire ants in her bed at nursing home; another suit pending against nursing home in Melbourne, Fla.

MONTVALE, NJ (July 23, 2004) –  As if elder care facilities didn't have enough liability concerns, fire ants are proving that big problems can come from the littlest creatures. Last month, a Florida jury awarded $1.2 million to a 93-year-old woman who was stung by fire ants in her nursing home bed. And in January, the family of 73-year-old retired postal worker filed suit against a Melbourne, Fla. nursing home because fire ants swarmed the man's bed and, ultimately, caused his death the following day.

Recent studies indicate that fire ants, which infest more than 325 million acres across the southern United States, sting more than 20 million adults and children each year. The elderly are part of the most vulnerable group due to their inability to move quickly or move at all when bedridden. A 2004 study by the Medical University of South Carolina shows that 10 to 15 percent of those stung by fire ants will experience severe localized allergic reactions, with one to two percent experiencing dangerous systemic reactions that, in rare cases, result in death.

"Each year, fire ants sting millions of people, inflicting pain, causing itching and burning, and leaving behind scars," says Tim Davis, Clemson University researcher and areawide fire ant specialist. "When disturbed, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of ants will attack an intruder, inflicting painful stings that, in the most severe cases, can be life threatening."

"Unfortunately, long-term care facilities are inviting targets for many pests, including fire ants," commented Frank Meek, Technical Director for Orkin, Inc. "Heavy traffic in and out of multiple entries, combined with busy food service, laundry and storage areas, make effective pest prevention daunting."

Meek offers a few tips on practices to keep fire ants out of nursing homes and long-term care facilities:

• Make sure that all exterior doors fit tightly and caulk any crevices, especially those on the exterior of the buildings

• Keep floors free of litter, food and other debris

• Cover and seal bulk-food storage containers and garbage containers

• Do not place storage racks flush against the wall. As a general rule, keep an 18" gap between the wall and the rack.

"Although fire ants traditionally live outside, they will enter buildings when foraging for food," says Bryan Gooch, business manager, insecticides, Bayer Environmental Science. A full-blown colony of fire ants can number up to 500,000 members or more. "The number of mounds in an acre of turf can vary. In parts of Texas, there have been reports of close to 500 mounds within one acre."

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, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Virginia.

"With the continued spread of fire ants west and even north, and the health threat they pose to the public, there is an immediate need for a product that offers effective, year-long fire ant control," said Gooch. "While medical science will continue to treat the after-effects of fire ant stings, TopChoice provides 'an ounce of prevention'."

TopChoice™, a revolutionary technology available only through lawn care and pest control professionals, provides the answer to the growing fire ant public health threat – fire ant prevention. "TopChoice is a low-dose, granular insecticide that is spread over lawns and plant beds like fertilizer, creating an exclusion zone where no fire ant can survive," explains Gooch. A single professional application of TopChoice both cures existing mounds and prevents new mounds from forming for one year.

TopChoice takes advantage of the natural behavior of ants. Within the first four to six weeks of a TopChoice application, ants unknowingly come in contact with the product and bring it back to contaminate and eliminate the rest of the mound in what is known as the "Domino Effect™." The product binds to the soil to prevent new colonies from forming.

"TopChoice is non-harmful to humans, pets and the environment," adds Gooch. "In fact, it contains the same active ingredient used to control fleas and ticks on millions of pets."

TopChoice can be applied at any time during the year. For more information, homeowners can contact their local lawn care or pest control professional, or visit www.nofireants.com.