Is fumigation the only option for drywood termite control?
I asked Dr. Vernard Lewis from U.C Berkeley once about his opinion concerning the best drywood termite control product available. His answer was, “There are a lot of products that will kill drywood termites. The trick is finding them.” This brings out the main issue in dealing with drywood termites. We don’t have diagnostic tools available that will allow us to look inside the walls to find the termites that might be there. Often this concern about “what might be there” prompts termite companies to recommend structural fumigation any time they find evidence of drywood termites. The problem with this is that the infestation you found might have been the only one in the building. While a fumigation gives everyone involved some peace of mind, in some cases it may be massive overkill. Localized treatments can provide excellent control but they, too, have their disadvantages. A localized treatment of one colony will not kill any hidden colonies.
I asked Dr. Vernard Lewis from U.C Berkeley once about his opinion concerning the best drywood termite control product available. His answer was, “There are a lot of products that will kill drywood termites. The trick is finding them.” This brings out the main issue in dealing with drywood termites. We don’t have diagnostic tools available that will allow us to look inside the walls to find the termites that might be there. Often this concern about “what might be there” prompts termite companies to recommend structural fumigation any time they find evidence of drywood termites. The problem with this is that the infestation you found might have been the only one in the building. While a fumigation gives everyone involved some peace of mind, in some cases it may be massive overkill. Localized treatments can provide excellent control but they, too, have their disadvantages. A localized treatment of one colony will not kill any hidden colonies. If they are discovered later they will need t
