DO THESE NEW TERMITE BAITS REALLY WORK...?

This is a question I get asked frequently and many times confuses people in choosing the best way to protect their property against termites and the damage they cause. Now I understand that spending money on termite protection doesn’t excite many people. The house doesn’t look any different, you don’t enjoy it like a new coat of paint or that old carpet you just replaced, but the piece of mind, as they say, is “priceless.”

So, which is going to do the best job for the money spent and as you read along, start thinking about which treatment procedure you would choose. Termite baits are in the order of going fishing. You can sit in a boat with your line in the water, or relax off the end of a dock, but you won’t catch fish if they don’t take the bait, even when we see those darn fish down there!

Termite bait stations, depending on the manufacturer, look like a big golf tee and are inserted in the ground around the perimeter of your home-usually 8-10 feet apart. The part of the bait station which is below the surface contains a wood-type product and need to be monitored by a termite technician 4 or more times per year and sometimes monthly in the initial process. Does it sound like service calls will start to get expensive? At the time the stations are monitored and live termites are discovered, the untreated wood-product is replaced with active or treated bait for the termites to take back and feed the colony. The technology sounds good and looks good on paper, but you will never know for sure how long it will take before the “fish” (termites) take the bait. Also, you will never know how many termite colonies exist around your home-the bait stations may need to be moved to a different location because the technician is not finding any “hits” at the original placement of the station. Most people want termites gone NOW and with baits, it won’t happen.

Next option is liquid treatment and the technology here has improved. Liquid products that are applied properly will quickly eliminate existing termites in the structure and take the guess work and expense from constant bait monitoring. The best part about liquid treatment is that you normally need only one inspection each year following initial treatment. There is money to be saved for sure.

I don’t want my opinion leaving you thinking that termite baiting programs are totally useless, they are not. They can be helpful as an additional tool to control termites if the circumstances call for it. Do they really work as a single choice?..there is not enough proof to make it my first choice. In my 30 years of experience, I have inspected and treated thousands of homes for termites, and if you were to ask me if I have bait stations at my house...well the answerer is no.