Which treatment methods and products are most effective?
A. There are two general categories of termite treatment, liquids and baits. In pre-construction treatment, liquid synthetic termiticides are applied to the ground and these synthetic termiticides have been around for decades. Their purpose is to provide long lasting chemical barrier that excludes termites from the ground from entering the buildings. The other treatment category is baiting. Termite baits consist of wood or other palatable food, combined with slow-acting substance lethal to termites. The baits are installed below ground out in the yard. Foraging termites consume the bait and share it with their nest mates, resulting in a gradual decline in termite numbers and ultimately in colony elimination.
There are two general categories of termite treatment, liquids and baits. Soil-applied liquid termiticides have been around for decades. Their purpose is to provide a long-lasting chemical barrier that excludes termites in the ground from entering buildings. In most cases, termites in the structure die off as well, since they cannot return to the soil. Most former products were repellent rather than lethal to termites foraging in the soil. Newer materials, such as Premise® (imidacloprid), Termidor® (fipronil), and Phantom® (chlorfenapyr), are non-repellent and termites tunneling into the treatment zone are killed. Overall the non-repellent products are proving to be more reliable in their ability to resolve termite problems in the first attempt. All registered termiticides (both repellent and non-repellent) can be effective, however, and homeowners should not base their purchasing decision on product alone. The other broad treatment category is baiting.
