Termites are “social insects,” i.e., they live in a nest or colony which is typically found underground, often near a tree, stump, wood pile or other source of ‘food.’ Each colony contains a king and queen who are brown in color. They are wingless now but started out having wings and “swarming” from their original home or nesting site where they developed. The queen is able to lay thousands of eggs each year. and continues to do so for about five years. There are also soldier termites which have large heads equipped with large mandibles (“jaws”). The soldiers protect the colony from invaders (such as ants). The bulk of the termite colony consists of thousands of whitish workers who serve various roles. Some workers maintain the nesting site and take care of the queen and the newly hatching immatures (sometimes called “larvae”). Other workers go out and actively forage (search) for food. The foraging workers are the ones that we typically find infesting wood. As the colony grows, the workers expand both the nest and their feeding area. Depending on the species of termite, a mature colony can contain 200,000 to 2,000,000 workers, although many colonies contain as few as 50,000-60,000. Studies have also shown that termites from a single colony may forage across an area of one-third acre and travel over 200 feet from their nest. One acre of land may support several termite colonies (although this doesn’t mean that all of them are invading your home!). A large termite colony does not usually occupy a single underground nest. As the foraging area expands the colony actually splits to form several smaller “nesting sites.”
Without a periodic inspection of your home, termite activity can remain undetected for years. Some signs of their activity show up unexpectedly, while others are discovered by accident or during renovations. Here are some key signs of a termite infestation:
- Dirt tunnels or “shelter tubes,” typically about 1/4 inch wide but sometimes wider, on the foundation, along exposed wood, or dangling down from the ceiling; these are transit tubes built by termites.
- Soil packed in cracks and crevices.
- Piles of silvery, membranous insect wings, all about 1/4 inch long, on floors, window sills, or in spider webs.
- Evidence of structural weakness, such as settling cracks or sagging floors.
- Dark or blistered areas on wood paneling; blistered or peeling paint on wood (because of moisture under the paint from termite activity).
What should you do if you think or discover that your home is infested with termites?
Mud Tube Removal
State regulations require pest control operators to remove termite tubes as part of a complete liquid termite treatment. Removing the tubes provides a way to determine if a termite infestation remains active after treatment or if the termites reappear in the same area later. Scraping away mud tubes as the sole means of control can be impractical and is probably unwise in many cases (such as with slab construction where much of the termite activity may be inaccessible). The tubes are an indication that termites are active around the house. What you can’t easily determine, even with a careful inspection, is whether termites may be active in a foundation or wall void or some other visually inaccessible area of your home.
Debris Removal
Although it’s convenient, it is not a good idea to turn your crawlspace into a general storage area, particularly for items made of wood, cardboard or paper which can serve as food for termites. The same problem arises when tree stumps are left under houses during construction. State regulations require that liquid termite treatments (but not bait treatments) include the removal cellulose debris of a size that can be removed with an ordinary garden rake. Removing the debris helps reduce food resources that could be used by termites. This topic is discussed under preventive measures.
Termite Bait Station
Pestman Termite Bait Station consists of a bait station, a lid, bait blocks and bait. We fix the bait blocks, which termites like to eat and which are highly attractive to them, in the bait station and install the bait station in a building, tree or dam. When the termites arrive at the soil near the bait station, they quickly make their way to the bait station due to the strong attraction of the bait material released in the soil by the wood blocks of the bait station and then enter the bait station to feed. The bait stations contain toxic baits containing flubenuron, an insect growth regulator that prevents termites from growing new skin after moulting and makes the surface thin and brittle, killing the termites by inhibiting their growth without them being able to detect it. The termite colony relies heavily on worker ants to find and carry their food. Flubenuron bait is based on cellulose, which is the favourite food of termites, as a supplement, so termites can easily feed on it. Once the workers have found the bait, they will carry the ‘food’ back to the nest for their companions to eat. All the termites in the nest will feed on the bait and the eggs laid by the breeding ants will not be able to be hatched, thus killing the whole nest.
Alternatively, the wood blocks in the bait station can be used to spray a special termite poisoning powder on the termites feeding on the wood blocks. Upon return to the nest, the powder is spread to other termites, eventually leading to the poisoning and death of the whole nest.
As the baited wood blocks are processed from wood that termites prefer to eat and are targeted at different species of termites, e.g. termites, reticulated termites, toothed termites, greater termites, etc., all baited wood is treated with special attractants and feed stimulants that are extremely attractive to termites. When the bait station is placed in the soil, the lure molecules in the bait evaporate into the surrounding soil air and spread around the bait station through the soil voids. When found by termites out in search of food, they are quickly lured into the bait station to feed. And the bait blocks are so palatable that we have filled the bait station with 8 bait blocks which can feed thousands of termites at the same time, greatly reducing the time required to eliminate the entire nest.
The design takes into account the behaviour and habits of different termites and the bait blocks are placed very close to the plastic shell of the bait station. Once the lured termites are close to the bait station, they can feed quickly, thus increasing the effectiveness of the bait.
All the bait wood in the bait station is specially treated against mould so that the blocks are resistant to mould and have a long life span. The housing of the bait station is made of ABS material, antioxidants and UV resistant compounds for high strength and ageing resistance and durability for a long life.
