Termite Baiting and Other Termite Control Methods

Image Gallery Subterranean termites eat wood, but live primarily in soil. ISTOCKPHOTO/MICHAEL PETTIGREW

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If you have a termite problem in your home, don’t panic. There are effective measures, such as termite baiting, to control termites.

Safe Pest Control

Standard pest management methods for eliminating subterranean termites involve applying toxic chemicals to your home, your soil, or both. And “tenting” — basically wrapping and fumigating your entire home — is the most common way to dispatch drywood termites. The good news is many of the termite control methods available today are just as, if not more, effective than the toxic exterminations.

Professionally installed baiting systems are the least invasive and most sought after method for getting rid of subterranean termites. Although the active ingredients in the baits are toxic pesticides, they’re effective in contained, targeted, gram-sized doses as compared to dumping 100 to 150 gallons around your home. Baiting systems work by using the termite’s own process of feeding their hoards to deliver poison to the entire colony.

Small bait stations are inserted into the ground around the perimeter of the home. Non-baited wood is placed in each station and they are monitored quarterly for termite activity. If termites are found feeding in a bait station, wood baited with the chemical is inserted. The termites will take the baited wood back to the colony for wider consumption.

“Our baiting system not only stops the termites from feeding on a home, but offers total colony elimination,” says Dave Maurer, marketing manager for the Sentricon System. “And we only use the active chemical ingredient when termites are feeding. When the colony is destroyed, we take the active ingredient out.”

The Sentricon System is accepted as a LEED-approved termite-control system and is currently in use at the White House and the Statue of Liberty. “We place a high-priority on stewardship,” says Maurer. “Quarterly monitoring means we can keep track of treatment efficacy and help catch new colonies before they do damage.”

It can sometimes take several months for a baiting system to destroy a colony, which seems like a long wait. But, most termite damage takes place over the course of years, not months, Maurer says.

Do-it-yourself baiting systems are also available at home and hardware stores.

Extreme heat is the only nonchemical method for destroying drywood termites, and the most proven method for ensuring you’ve completely eliminated a colony. The process is probably the closest you can get to organic termite control.

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