TERMITE CONTROL PRODUCTS

WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS ?

There are two types of termites that plague our homes and annually cause more than $5 Billion dollars in damage in the US alone. They are Subterranean and Drywood Termites. The scope of this article is to inform you about Subterranean Termites and how to choose the best preventive measure for your home.

There are many products on the market that all claim to kill termites. I will break them down into 2 categories with there advantages and disadvantages. Bait stations and barrier treatment termiticides using Repellants and Non-Repellants.

Bait Stations are my least favorite choice for controlling termites. They have been around for quit awhile and where introduced to augment a barrier treatment. The concept of bait stations is to provide two functions. The ability to monitor termite activity and to provide a toxic bait that the termites would take back to the colony and eradicate the colony over time. Well I am not a big fan of putting something in the ground that will attract termites to begin with secondly we have to rely on the termite do something…they have to like the bait and share it with the colony for the concept to work. It can take over a year for a bait station system to eliminate the whole colony. In the mean time they could be doing a lot of damage to your home while you wait for the system to work. This is why most of the bait station manufactures only recommend that a bait system be used in conjunction with a barrier treatment and not as a stand alone solution. Also keep in mind that you must constantly monitor the stations which should be placed about every 10 feet around your home. My recommended solution is if you want to attract termites and monitor there activity get your self some wooden paint stirring sticks “the ones they give you when you buy a gallon of paint” soak them in a bucket of water for a week and then stick them in the ground every 10 feet leaving the top 2 inches above the surface so you can find them…Walla …you now have a redneck termite bait station without the added expense of the commercial units.

Barrier treatment termiticides fall into to categories Repellant and Non-Repellant. All barrier treatments are applied the same way by pouring or injecting the diluted/finished solution into the soil at the rate of 4 gallons per 10 linear feet of trench around the structure you are treating, where as the soil treated with the termiticides acts as a barrier to the termites.

The difference between the two is just as the name implies one only repels the termites just like mosquito replants (it keeps the mosquitoes away but does not kill them) it will keep the termites away but will not kill the colony. These repellents have bee around along time and there are dozens of manufactures of these products all claiming to be the best. Some of them are Demon Max, Talstar One, Dragnet, Bifen I/T and Cyper TC to name a few. Most of these products will last from 3 to 7 years when applied per the manufactures instructions. One of the disadvantages of using a repellent treatment is that it’s virtually impossible to get 100% coverage and a termite may find a tiny entry gap and breach the structure you are treating.

Now for the NON-Repellents…these products do not repel the termites because they can not smell or detect the termiticides presence. When the soil treat with a non-repellent the termite will move through the soil and become a carrier of the termiticide therefore transferring the termiticide to every termite they contact, which eventually destroys the whole colony in a few months. To my knowledge there are only 2 non-repellent products on the market Premise and Termidor. Of these two products I highly recommend Termidor, as it is readily available and will last for over ten years.

Bait Stations:
Attracts them
High ongoing maintenance
Slow kill
Termites need to cooperate with the program.

Repellents:
Last 3 to 7 years
Won’t kill them
Detectable
Termites can sometimes breach soil

Non-Repellents:
Last over 10 Years
Kills whole colony
Non detectable