Bruce Griggs - Termite Bait Stations | Baiting Systems & Traps | South Africa

Comparison between Termite Bait Stations and Liquid Treatment

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:21:28 +0000

Termite Bait Stations and Liquid Treatment and their Comparisons. Property owners spend billions of dollars in repair costs because of these wood-destroying insects. For One possible way to avoid this damage is by investing in a termite management system to stop termites from making their way into a property. This can be done best using termite baits or liquid barriers. In order to make an informed selection between these two techniques, it is important to be aware of the differences between termite bait stations and liquid treatments. Termite Bait Stations and Liquid Treatment vary in methods with different results.

In liquid termite treatments, a chemical barrier is created in the soil surrounding a building’s foundation. A continuous barrier is created around your home using large volumes of pesticide. This requires digging a trench around the building’s foundation and drilling into and rod injecting under concrete paths and pavers. Before the application of the pesticide, it requires several hours of preparation and labour. Most importantly, liquid termite treatments are not designed to eliminate termite colonies, and degrade over time.

Termite bait stations, on the other hand, are a relatively new concept of managing termites in a less intrusive manner. In this process, professional technicians assess a property, install bait stations around the affected area, and monitor the system thoroughly. This methodology makes use of bait stations with very low toxicity that causes no harm to the environment whatsoever. Moreover, baiting is less invasive compared to other methods of termite control and management because it involves no odour, drilling, etc.

Bait Stations Vs Liquid Barriers:

Liquid treatment were used extensively before the advent of termite baiting technology. Though this method is effective, it also has many limitations such as incomplete barriers allowing termite entry, degradation over time, and re-application costs. Also, once the chemical treatment is in place, removing it is almost impossible.

A Termite Bait treatments have made a revolutionary impact on how termite infestations are dealt with. In general, these systems are effective, safe, discreet, non-intrusive, and easy to maintain. One of the most interesting facts about baiting systems is that they utilise the natural feeding behaviour of termites. Termite colonies mostly live on wood and other cellulose containing materials. Once these colonies are fully grown, they tend to expand their food search.

Bait systems are ideally suited for subterranean termites because termites are relentless in their search for food. All workers in a termite colony are killed when they feed on the bait. This leads to the elimination of the entire colony. Baits should monitored regularly, and replaced as required, to ensure a continuous supply of food for hungry termites. This is undoubtedly the most preferred treatment alternative for property owners looking for long-term protection against termites.

For Termite Bait Stations and Liquid Treatment, if you want termites to stay away from your building, our environment friendly termite baits can be a lifesaver. Please contact Extrerra’s termite treatment experts today to find out more.

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A Brief Guide to Termite Baiting

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:21:15 +0000

Though termites are a well-known pest, many people don’t understand them and the most current techniques for managing them. In the recent years, there has been a significant evolution in termite control. Many pest control companies now use the termite baiting technique instead of the traditional methods. In this article, we will discuss the most commonly used termite treatment techniques to help you make a more informed decision.

Termite Basics

Subterranean termites, the most commonly found type of termite, as their name suggests, are live below the ground in large colonies. These colonies are connected by underground tunnels to their feeding sites. Some termite colonies may have hundreds of thousands to millions of occupants. Subterranean termites excavate meandering, narrow channels until they encounter wood, their primary food source. The most common food sources for termites include decaying tree roots, woodpiles, stumps, logs, and plant debris. Once a suitable feeding site is found, an invisible odour trail is created by the workers to attract their mates to the site. Due to their cryptic behaviour, in many instances, termite infestation remains unnoticed for extended periods.

Barrier Treatment

Applying a liquid pesticide referred to as termiticide was the traditional approach to controlling termites under and around buildings. The purpose of this termite baiting treatment is to prevent termites from infesting a structure by creating a long-lasting chemical barrier in the soil. While attempting to penetrate this treated soil, foraging individuals are either killed or repelled. While liquid barrier treatments are quite effective, they require the application of a large volume of termiticide around a building’s perimeter. the treatment may also involve drilling through porches and patios adjacent to the building. Compared to the past, nowadays, liquid barrier applications have become much less intrusive.

Termite Baiting as an Alternative

A very different approach is employed by termite baiting systems. It uses small amounts of edible baits (generally cellulose combined with a slow acting insecticide) to knock out termite populations. Termites not only consume the bait, but also share it with their nest mates. This results in a gradual decease in the number of termites. Comprehensive baiting systems are designed to create a termite-free condition via inspection, monitoring, and re-baiting on a regular basis.

Choosing between Baits and Barriers

Many property owners find it difficult to choose between liquid barriers and bait stations. Honestly speaking, this decision depends largely on certain factors discussed below.

Baiting is undoubtedly a better choice for people that don’t want to have their furnishings moved or floors drilled. Many property owners prefer baiting over barriers because it involves no dust, drilling, or any other disturbance.
If you believe in leading an environment-friendly lifestyle, termite baiting systems are certainly the better option for you. Health and environmental effects resulting from modern-day termiticides used in liquid barriers are negligible. However, some people are still apprehensive using them. The amount of pesticide used in baiting systems is miniscule, and baits are placed in tamper-resistant stations in the ground.
Buildings with construction features such as sub-slab heating ducts, plenums, inaccessible crawl spaces, drainage systems, or wells may be too complicated to treat with a liquid system. Such conditions aren’t a problem with baits.
The only downside of termite baiting, compared to barriers, is that they are relatively slow-acting. Therefore, if you have severe infestation that needs to be addressed immediately, you may have to opt for barriers.

If you are looking for the most advanced range of termite baiting stations or liquid controls, please contact our experts at Exterra. Our baiting stations are non-toxic, and provide long-term protection against termites.

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Types of Bait Materials Used for Termite Control

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:21:04 +0000

Termite Bait Materials used are important for Termite Control. Termites have always been a major concern for the mankind simply because of the damage they cause to us. Over the years, many different methods have been implemented for termite treatment. In the last century, most of the termite control methods were preventative in nature. Even today, the main goal of termite control programs is prevention. However, the advanced baiting systems for termite control are also capable of exterminating subterranean termite colonies that can’t be seen.

Traditionally, professional subterranean termite control techniques treated the soil around a building using a termiticide, and they were effective in protecting structural wood in buildings by restricting the access for worker termites. Termite Bait Materials were introduced in the late 1990s, and have steadily grown in popularity since then. Baits are highly preferred nowadays because they offer both early warning and remedial control of termites. In terms of the type of bait materials used, there are three different types of termite baiting systems. These bait materials are insect growth regulators, stomach poisons or ingested toxins, and biotermiticides.

Termite bait stations generally contain timber or some other type of cellulose-rich bait material capable of attracting foraging workers. After reaching these baiting stations, toxic bait is added to the stations. It is extremely important to use a low risk, slow-acting toxin because bait stations are effective only when workers live long enough to return to their colony and spread the toxin to other colony members.

The most commonly used toxins are chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSI). Once the worker termites acquire baits containing the CSI, the CSI is transported to the nest by them. This is how it spreads through the colony. The primary function of CSIs is to prevent the production of new colony members, leading to eradication of the colony. The elimination of a colony using a CSI, may take several weeks to months.

In the present scenario, wildlife extinctions and global warming has reached an alarming level. As a result, the focus has shifted towards environment friendly termite protection techniques that will protect not just our properties, but the entire world. This is exactly what we follow and deliver at Exterra, and why we are a proud sponsor of Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Our environmentally responsible termite bait makes use of closed and locked monitoring stations. The toxicity of our termite baits is less than table salt, and these systems can effectively eliminate an entire termite colony. Our termite baits are safe to use, and are highly recommended for families with children and pets.

Please contact us today to find out more about Exterra termite baits.

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Understanding the Importance of Termite Bait System Renewal

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:20:49 +0000

Termite Bait System Renewal is incredibly important. Out of all termite extermination methodologies, baiting systems are highly preferred these days because of their efficiency and environment friendly nature. Since they are a system, termite baits operate seamlessly only when they are properly checked and serviced in a timely manner. Unfortunately, some people feel that bating systems continue to work forever without any maintenance. However, it is important to remember that monitoring and replenishment of the bait is essential to ensure long-term effectiveness of bating systems, and this is where termite bait system renewal comes in.

Why is Bait System Renewal Essential?

A typical termite bait system comprises of a series of bait stations outfitted around the perimeter of the property. The number of stations required is directly proportional to the property’s size and the extent of the termite risk. Each of these stations contains a termite favoured food source.

The stations must be monitored from time to time because they are nothing but hollow plastic containers once the food source is depleted or decayed. When this happens, termites start looking for other sources of food and your property is may likely be that source. Timely renewal ensures that there are enough food sources within the baiting system, and it is less likely for the termites to venture out in search of food.

It is also essential to maintain the baiting systems in proper condition because otherwise, termites may not get attracted to them and start looking for something more appealing.

How does it Work?

Bait Station Renewal is slightly different compared to chemical treatment renewal. During the renewal process, a full house inspection is carried out by trained technicians to find out if there is any infestation or conditions conducive to termite activity. Each of the bait stations is also inspected to see if there is any termite activity inside them and to replenish the food source and, in the case of the Exterra system, to replenish the Focus Termite Attractant that uniquely ensures termites do not pass between the Station when you use Exterra.

Please be mindful of the fact that some termite baiting systems fail simply because of inconsistent inspection and untimely bait system renewal and because, unlike with Exterra which uses Focus Termite Attractant, the termites can pass between the stations and into your property. It is also important to remember that it is never a good idea to rely on DIY baits because of the intricacies involved in the process.

Also, there are some additional factors that may have an adverse impact on the coverage of termite treatments and lead to their premature lapse. If a property undergoes any landscaping changes, utility work, or additional construction along the perimeter of the property, the effectiveness of termite treatment can reduce significantly. Therefore, if there have been any of these activities in your property, please inform your service provider so that additional measures can be taken.

At Exterra, we offer termite baits equipped with closed and locked monitoring stations and the baits we use are non-toxic to handle. Also, we offer the only baiting system is the market capable of creating a complete interception zone for termites around a property. Also, Exterra baiting systems have a service life covering all four seasons.

If you have any questions related to termite control, please contact your expert exterminators today.

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Simple Tips to Enhance the Efficiency of Termite Baiting Systems

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:20:36 +0000

Use Termite Baiting Systems. Termites are probably one of the most feared pests around the world because of their destructive impact. Many different termite control techniques are used to get rid of termites. Out of all these extermination methodologies, termite baiting systems have emerged as a popular choice. However, as this is a relatively new termite management technique, we are still evolving how to make these systems more efficient.

Termite baiting typically involves using strips of wood favoured by termites as the initial bait. The bait stations are placed in the ground about 500 mm away from the foundations. The materials used to kill the termites in baiting systems are slow acting “insect growth regulators” that spread throughout a termite colony via the foraging worker termites. The efficiency of these systems depends on the ease with which worker termites can find and consume the bait.

It is important to remember that baiting systems offer long-term protection against termites, but their impact is not immediate. Discussed below are some simple hacks that can enhance the efficiency of in-ground termite baiting systems.

To find in-ground bait stations, termites forage randomly in each area. Though their systemic searches are not random, termite movement in any specific zone is random in nature. However, there can be exceptions when termites follow markers such as below-grade plumbing and electrical lines or underground tree roots. This should be kept in mind during the installation of termite baiting systems.
To increase the probability of termites finding your bait stations, remove all fibre and wood debris from the area. In absence of competing food supply, termites will have no alternative other than looking for new food sources.
It has been observed that ants and earwigs often eat the termites as they approach a bait station. It is important to control these termite predators because your ultimate objective is to ensure that the termites can transport the bait back home so that the entire colony is eradicated.
To draw termites effectively, baiting stations need their top to be flush to the ground. This, however, doesn’t happen when the ground is rocky or made of coral. Therefore, the stations should be inserted using proper equipment.
It is never a good idea to place termite bait stations near downspouts. When the downspouts get flooded, the system may be taken over by mould species and termites may be repelled.
Mark foundations so that you can find out where the bait station has been installed. However, avoid placing mulch over the bait stations because it may lead to tunnelling of termites over the top of the stations.

If you have any other questions about termite baiting, please feel free to contact our experts at Exterra.

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Interesting Facts about Termite Control and Management

Bruce Griggs — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:20:25 +0000

Facts about Termite Control and Management. If you have a termite infestation problem to deal with, baiting is certainly one of the better options available to you. The baits are placed precisely in areas away from human contact and use moderate amounts of an active ingredient (AI) to eliminate termites. Most importantly, this termite control and management methodology causes little or no damage to the environment and consumers.

Once baited, termite control and management of bait stations contain an active ingredient within a food matrix favoured by termites. For a baiting system to be effective, it is important that the bait is highly palatable to the termites to ensure it is ingested in a sufficient amount by the termites. Adequate termite control and management requires that there is proper transfer of the active ingredient between the foraging termites and other members of the termite colony.

Several different active ingredients are used in termite bait formulations. These active ingredients are all chitin synthesis inhibitors, that prevent the termites from moulting. These are slow acting and depend on transferring the consumed bait material throughout the termite colony.

The success of a baiting program relies heavily on creating a palatable bait matrix. In the natural environment, there are many potential food sources for termites that can compete with the baits. In order to make the baits more palatable, cellulose materials are formulated with the active ingredient.

Regular inspections of baiting systems are required. During these inspections, the amount of bait consumed, and the number of termites present are recorded.

If you have more questions about termite bait stations, please contact our experts at Exterra. Our environment-friendly bait stations are the best in the market.

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