Plus – Rare Footage of Underground Queen Termite and Colony
Why do pest controllers talk so much about termite eradication techniques? Killing a termite is easy! Just squeeze it between your fingers! Why can’t you spray them and not worry about professional treatments? The answer: subterranean termites (white ants) are social insects. Unless you kill the royal family in the nest, they will continue producing. The cost of eradication of underground termites is usually far less than damage repairs. The queen termite can lay thousands of eggs each day. While you may spray hundreds of termites in one hit, she will replenish the colony within hours.
3 Subterranean Termite (White Ants) Eradication Treatments
1) Baiting.
2) Dusting.
3) Chemical treatments.
Most Successful and Affordable: Baiting and Dusting Termites
Baiting and dusting are two of the most common eradication techniques(*1). Baiting can be a difficult task for someone inexperienced. Termites have been around for millions of years. As such, they have evolved an acute sense of smell(*2). Once they smell something repulsive, they will avoid it. Everyday insecticides or overloaded baiting stations only force termites into establishing new pathways to and from the property.
Slow Acting Baits Are Ideal
Generally, baits consist of 99% cellulose and 1% poison. If there is more poison, termites will avoid eating the bait. Baits are slow-acting to ensure there is enough time to feed the poison to each other – and the queen. Once the worker termites die, they can no longer feed the soldier termites, so they also die.
Multiple Baiting Boxes to Ensure Success
In our experience, we are happy if 50% of the baits are successful. Therefore, we install multiple baiting boxes around where we find termite activity.
Baiting kills one colony at a time so every colony needs its own baiting stations. This is especially important for multi-nesting termite species like Schedorhinotermes spp. As the colony expands, it divides and often breaks the contact between the two divisions. In that case, you need to bait both colonies to eradicate all the termites.
How Long Does It Take for Baiting to be Successful?
Baiting takes, on average, three to four months(*3), depending on:
• The colony size.
• Season.
• Termite species.
Dusting White Ants
Dusting takes around six weeks to work depending on the colony size and the season. It involves dusting termites with fine poisonous dust. The more termites dusted, the more likely the entire colony will become infected. Termites infect other colony members by rubbing their bodies against each other and during grooming. Like baiting, dusting is a delayed acting poison that gives termites time to infect each other.
Chemical Treatments for Termite Nest Eradication
Carrying out a termite chemical treatment is an option. Liquid or foam termiticide is applied around the nest or where they are entering the property. Subfloor or perimeter chemical barriers would then be installed. The eradication principle is the same as baiting or dusting. Termites crawl through the chemicals and then spread it by rubbing against and grooming each other. Residue from chemical treatments can remain in the soil for years. We always recommend installing a chemical barrier to prevent future termite attacks.
Multiple Application Types for Eradication and Future Prevention of Termite Nests
The biggest disadvantage of chemical treatments is that termites may be able to bridge the chemical zone. For example, we came across termite nests in a bathroom wall where waterproofing was not done well. When the homeowners showered; the termites had their water supplies re-filled. The termites did not need to crawl inside or outside the property in search of water. They were happily eating the timber in between the walls and had a regular water supply.
Perimeter or subfloor chemical treatments would not affect them because they had everything they needed right where they were. In these sorts of cases, the nest in the wall would have to be treated and then a chemical barrier could be installed.
Eradicate termites with help from professionals and get your house set up to prevent future termite attacks!
Phone: 0488 991 126 or (02) 9454 7774
Email: info@hometermitecontrolsydney.com.au
References *1. Potter, MF. Termite Baits: A Guide for Homeowners. University of Kentucky: College of Agriculture. 2018. *2. Ask Nature. Antennae Detect Odors. Nd. *3. PCT International. Nemesis: FAQ. 2014.