As I said, it is recommended by HVAC folks to spray around your contactor. Available at many HVAC electric supply houses, though really just one brand. I believe they suggest you spray twice a year. Some refer to fire ants.

Why would you think I sell this product? As I said, it's quite expensive and I'm looking for a substitute.

And oh yes, Rid is pyrethrin and piperonyl butoxide, which is what the MSDS says that JS-685 is.

https://www.whatsinproducts.com/app/webroot/files/brands_pdf/9518_02033003%20MSDS%20Bayer%20Rid%20Shampoo.pdf

You seem to know otherwise. Got a reference?

(The original response, which this is addressed to, has been removed. Guess they didn't have a reference.)

The ideal method is to treat the source from whence the bugs came.

Outside of that... probably snake oil. Someone is creating a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Sounds like home warranty provider telling you something if I had to guess. Am I warm?

If not who is telling you this?

Much easier to keep ants out, if there are no ants houses nearby? They come from the ground. Kill them where they come from. That is the best approach.

Yes, that makes some sense. Seeding the area around the compressor regularly with Amdro is a lot cheaper than that JS-685.

The problem certainly exists, though. It is well known that ants like electricity, and they are attracted to fuse boxes and contactors. Who is telling me this? Try these ...

https://ipestpros.com/why-are-fire-ants-attracted-to-electronics/

https://ant-pests.extension.org/are-fire-ants-attracted-to-electricity/

https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/insects/managing-red-imported-fire-ants-in-electrical-equipment-and-utility-housings/

JS-685 is referred to explicitly in the latter. A few years ago I spent a few hundred dollars getting a contactor replaced that had been invaded by ants.

I know the problem exists of ants... but the problem of being able to rid your yard from them?

no.

Killing ants one at a time as they enter AC condenser? Much more effective to take out the mound where they live.

Well sure. If I see a fire ant mound, I destroy it with Amdro. The issue is about the fire ant mounds that I don't see. My compressor is in a part of my yard that is not covered with lawn, so mounds are not conspicuous there. So it would be nice to just treat the area around the compressor occasionally to repel them. In fact, whole yard treatments for fire ants are common. Amdro, Spectracide, and Ortho all have products specifically for doing that. So yes, one does rid a yard of them. But I don't need to treat a whole yard, just the area around the HVAC compressor.

OK, I have feedback from others that sprinkling Amdro bait around the compressor does the trick of deterring fire ants. Need to do it every few months, or else when there is obvious fire ant activity. That works for me. So much for JS-685.