Your home is one of your most valued possessions; ensuring its safety and value are one of your main concerns. This is the reason why you have to set up an alarm system and are good about keeping up with your cooling and heating system maintenance. You take care of your house and are teaching your children to do the same. Unfortunately, sometimes the enemy can be inside, not outside. I am referring to termite and pest control. If you do happen to become its victim, you will want to look into termite bait treatments to get rid of them. This system is relatively new and is less toxic than the traditional ones.

The traditional treatments create a chemical barrier in the soil that either kills or repels the termites that come in contact with it, and force the remainder of the population to find food elsewhere. Baits work from inside. They are products meant to be eaten by the insects in a solid feeding cycle between the monitoring stations and the colony. This is accomplished by placing a wood monitor or inspection cartridge in the soil, either below ground in the yard or near the home where the insects might have mud tubes. The cartridge is meant to be a food source, and only after the wood starts to be eaten is the toxicant introduced in order to have it propagated to the entire colony. The toxicant or bait is made up of typical termite food, such as paper or wood, combined with a lethal substance.

Evidence of insect feeding cannot be pre-determined, so it is very important to constantly inspect the stations. Even after the pest control agent is placed in the station, continual inspection must be a part of your routine. In this sense, these systems act as a long-term monitoring tool. It is important to know that termites cannot be attracted to the stations; they find them by chance. For you to improve the odds of success you must place cartridges at regular intervals around your home or in areas you suspect might be infested. Many variables determine how quickly or slowly the stations are discovered: food availability, moisture, season, etc. You must arm yourself with patience and perseverance if you wish to achieve your eradication goal.

After you have set up your “traps”, waited for evidence of infestation, introduced the toxicant, monitored for signs of eradication, and found them, you might think the whole thing is over. That, I am afraid, might not be the case. Termites can have more than one feeding source and it is possible that your efforts will result in colony reduction instead of colony eradication. If that thought frustrates you, then you could combine extermination methods to increase your chances of doing away with your problem once and for all.

Nobody said home ownership did not come with its hardships. You worked really hard to have a house of your own; it stands to reason that you will put in the time to protect your investment. Educate yourself on pest control before it actually happens.

Author Bio: Chuck R. Stewart is a writer who frequently writes on the topic of termite and pest control issues. He often writes about termite bait and the value of using it.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: Termite and pest control,Termite bait