Baiting for termite control has been increasing in demand as of late but it did seem to drop off significantly for a few years with the emergence of such liquid products like Termidor and Premise.

Termite baiting still remains a mystery to many consumers even though it’s been on the market for over 10 years. Most people are of the opinion that ‘baiting’ for termites will in effect bring them to your front door. Or that baiting one time is all that’s needed and consider it a full and complete job.

Baiting termites can be very effective and is considered a safer use of insecticides and more environmentally friendly. To do a standard liquid termite job you may need a couple hundred gallons of mix while with baits you would use very small amount. 1/25,000 of actual active ingredient is used in baits as compared to liquid mixes. This is usually very appealing to people concerned for their health and surroundings.

How baiting works

The basic idea of baits is to get the termites to eat a sufficient amount of poison to kill the entire colony. To do this most bait systems place stations in the ground around your home. These stations have wood or other cellulose material in it that the termites quickly begin eating. When the termites ‘strike’ a station it either has the bait in it already or it is placed in the station by the technician. The matrix (which is the carrier for the active ingredient) is usually made up of a material that termites actually prefer over wood such as shredded paper, cardboard or other like compound.

Once termites establish the station as a feeding zone more termites come to join the feast, they fill their bellies and take the food and poison bait back down to the colony. Termites are social and all have their own jobs to do. The termites that do not leave the nest still need to eat and they do this via trophallaxis. In other words the workers who gathered it now regurgitate the cellulose material and they eat it. Gross. They repeat this process more than once usually and also pass a much needed protozoa back and forth the same way. You see, termites cannot digest cellulose (wood) by themselves; they need a tiny one cell organism in their gut to process the wood they’ve eaten and turn it into sugar. If a termite finds himself without this it will stroke another worker to entice it to trophalactically give his up. In so doing, any active ingredient from the bait consumed gets passed as well.

The ways in which baits kill can vary. Some are stomach poisoning and others are chitin inhibitors. Stomach poisoning baits may not be as effective simply because they act to quickly. If thousands of termites are suddenly dying they may abandon all food sources and look for new as a way to protect themselves. Chitin inhibitors work by blocking a termite’s ability to molt. If the termite is not able to shed its skin it will die a slow and painful death. Not all termites molt at the same time because they are different ages and are at different stages of life so association of death with the bait is less likely. They continue to feed as normal and more and more die until all are gone.

Problems with baiting

Baiting termite’s number one detractor is the time it may take to kill the colony once feeding is established. I’ve seen baiting work as quickly as 3 months and watched helplessly when it’s taken over a year.

Although baiting is not as disruptive as a full drill termite liquid job it is labor intensive. Most systems call for bait checks every 3 months so instead of seeing your termite man once per year, you’ll have him a minimum of 4.

Sadly one other problem also involves labor. Some companies jumped with both feet on the bait systems only to find out how much work it really is. Some sites out there get neglected or forgotten altogether except around renewal time. Abandoned stations don’t kill termites so make sure you have a company that is committed to the bait program they are trying to sell you.

Most bait contracts either exclude damage guarantees or have provisions in them that only allow that to kick in after a certain amount of time. This could be 1 to 2 years on most contracts. Liquid agreements generally start from day one.

Benefits with baiting

Obviously the far less use of a chemical to get the same result is most desirable. It’s very low in toxicity to mammals as well which can make most homeowners rest easier.

Conclusion

Baiting comes down to a preference for most people, either they want the benefits of termite work without the mess and chemicals of a liquid job or they’d prefer not to have a constant service visiting their home every couple of months meandering across their property. When considering a bait system for your home make sure to address the negatives with your salesman to see his response for the system he’s selling. There are many different systems with added features and benefits but my list addresses the main problems and benefits all of them share.

If you can think of any others or have more specific concerns, let me know. I’ll be happy to help.

Years ago citrus products were beginning to be ‘all the rage’ in the pest control industry. Manufacturing companies sent out mailers to all the certified operators and license holders of every bug company they could find. Company rep’s offered ceu’s (continued education unit) which are a highly sought after requirement mandated by state agencies and especially if they’re FREE.

Of course I went and got 1 hour of my required 8 but walked away knowing I was just in a batters cage swinging at a salesman’s pitch. The product was called “Web Away”. An all natural citrus based spray that guarantees the control of spiders like no other product on earth. What sold me on it was the added benefit of its ability to ‘dissolve’ the cobwebs away. Safe, non toxic and get rid of the webs, what’s not to like.

I, like almost everybody else in the room bought a gallon and happily drove away in my bug truck ready to try this new spray. It didn’t take very long to find out 2 things. #1 this new spray did smell very nice as advertised. #2 this concoction not only ate the webs,

but also my skin

The burn was so bad on my arms and any other exposed surface that I had to rinse my arms in cold water for 1/2 hour. To make matters worse I checked back after a week on my client ( who had a bad spider problem all along ) and the spiders were none the worse for the wear. I later tried the product with longer range applicators and wore full protective gear. The results were the same and I never used it again.

Now there seems to be a big push again for the use of ‘Orange oil’ against termites in California. It seems they are looking for chemical and pesticide free products in the name of ‘green pest control.’ Please note; I’m all for mother earth but sometimes being green just for the sake of it is worse than using standard proven methods.

Orange oil isn’t for all termites, just for Drywoods and has proven to kill those who contact it. It also absorbs in all directions improving the chances of the needed connection. The problem is that the residual is at most 21 days and that it emits VOCs (volitile organic compounds) which are bad to breathe and harmful to the environment. It also is quite a pollutant to marine life. Not to mention it can be highly flammible in areas over 120 degrees. Can you say attic? Tenting a home with gases is also a problem for the environment so I can see the rationale but these days there are so many choices of borates, heat, freezing, foams, liquids and more that to claim an all natural solution that is harmless when in fact it is not is irresponsible to say the least.

In pecking around for articles on this subject I came across this interesting character, Mike Allen the author of TOP SECRETS OF THE TERMITE INDUSTRY. He never comes out and tells you his secrets of course because he wants you to buy his book. He does however allude to Orange oil several times and one has to wonder how with all that experience why he does. Maybe he sells more than just his book. I’ve been in the industry over 25 years and can assure you we have no top 10 secrets we never want you to find out. Nothing in a locked vault as he says and I have never taken a blood oath of secrecy.

If you are facing a Drywood termite infestation and considering Orange oil perhaps you should look at alternatives before you make your decision. You could end up with more damage than before you started and that is I think, the opposite of what you want to achieve.