How we treat subterranean termites
There are various methods for subterranean termites. The top two are creating a barrier around the outside with chemicals or by using limited chemicals and installing bait around the outside. Both options have pros and cons and we use both options depending on the situation.
Full Chemical Treatments
This option is where we essentially create a moat around your home with the chemical we use which is Termidor HE and we also treat locally where the termites are entering your home using the same chemical. We like to think of this option as the nuclear approach when comparing to the baiting option. It requires much more chemical than the baiting option but the upshot is that your house will have a much higher likely hood of being termite free for a longer period of time. You can view some promo material from the company here. The takeaway from the company’s promo materials is that Termidor HE in contrast to what most companies use Termidor SC requires less chemical usage meaning your home and our environment will be better off in the long run. The other huge advantage is that Termidor HE lasts approximately 7 years in the soil, which is about 2 years more than it’s predecessor.
Most homes have some amount of concrete around the outside and in those cases we will usually drill holes, treat the soil under the concrete through those holes and then plug up the holes after. On rare occasion we will treat your home from the inside of the crawlspace instead which allows us to avoid drilling holes.
In our experience, this treatment tends to be the best in regards to reducing termite activity and eliminating them from your home for a long period of time. This treatment will not completely eliminate all termites for 7 years (no treatments will). The simple reason for that is because termites swarm every year and the chances of a colony popping up somewhere in your yard away from the treatment zone is quite high. Once they forage and reach the chemical, they will bring that chemical back to the colony and in most cases the colony will die.
Bait Plus Chemical Treatments
This option is where we locally treat where the termites are entering using Termidor HE and then we install Trelona ATSB Annual Bait Stations around your home for further protection going forward. There are some key advantages of this option vs the chemical treatment. The largest benefit is the fact that we’re putting far less chemical in the ground, almost no chemical in fact. We’re really only using chemicals in a few spots where the termites are entering. The bait stations really do the heavy lifting going forward. Another benefit of the bait system is that it generally requires much less digging around your house. On rare occasions we may need to core a hole in concrete but we can often eliminate any concrete drilling and install all the baits in soil. We can space the baits up to 20 feet away from each other allowing for lots of flexibility. The baits work in much the same way that the chemical does in that both options use the termites to bring the chemical to the colony and our goal is colony elimination.
Baits are a great option if chemical usage is a concern of yours and you like the idea of active bait being in your soil day in, day out. We come once per year to check and rebait as needed and provide the same warranty as the chemical treatment. Even though the bait is marketed as providing just as good if not better protection than the chemical, it seems from experience to be a little less effective in reducing termite activity when compared to a full chemical treatment.
What’s Best For You?
If you have a termite issue, we’ll come and do an assessment for you and lay out the options. The main reasons we may not recommend bait are when customers have a really bad infestation and we really should apply lots of chemical to address it or when customers have nice stamped concrete all around the home and don’t want to drill that concrete. Apart from that we’ll almost always provide both options.
Bonus Option
For the customer who wants a super eco friendly alternatively we also offer Altriset which is a really cool, cutting edge chemical. It’s very effective (although not as good as Termidor HE), lasts for up to 5 years and actually has no signal word on the label! What that means is the toxicity level is so low the EPA doesn’t classify it the same way it does most other chemical we use. If you want THE MOST eco friendly option, we can locally treat with Altriset and bait with Trelona. Then you can really have the best of both worlds.