Termite Treatments

Termites have been around for millions of years and are a prevalent risk to American homes and structures. Since the mid-1900's, scientists have constantly sought to put faster, better, more effective tools in the hands of pest control professionals. The summary below details the trials, errors, breakthroughs, and “back to the drawing board” moments that paved the way for today’s termite treatments.

The Chlordane Era: 1951-1987
The use of non-repellent liquid treatments, and in particular a product called chlordane, was the industry standard up through the late '80s. Liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds were applied completely around a structure and provided quick kill of termites. But in 1987, when environmental and health hazards led to chlordane's removal from the marketplace, a void was created and pest control professionals found themselves looking for new treatment methods that would protect homes from costly termite damage.

Liquid Barrier Treatments
Liquid barrier treatments gained attention after the chlordane ban. These formulations, including products like Dursban®, Demon®, Prevail®, and Talstar® were again applied around a structure. Some of these functioned as repellents, deterring termites from passing through to the building. Liquid barrier treatments proved problematic, though. Displaced soil and small breaks in the chemical barrier would allow termites through to the structure and some products provided only short term control and did not protect the structures over time, leading to frustrations on the part of pest control professionals and homeowners alike.

Bait Systems
Bait station technology, launched in 1994, works using plastic "stations" inserted into soil surrounding the structure. Each station contains either a non treated wooden monitor or a piece of termiticide treated cellulose (often wood or cardboard) for termites to feed on. Bait systems rely on "recruitment" the assumption that worker termites will discover the wood source, lead others to station, and eventually die by ingesting the termiticide treated wood cellulose. Examples of professionally installed bait systems include Sentricon® and Advance®.

Undetectable Liquid Termite Treatments
While bait systems became the a widely used method of termite treatment across America throughout the mid to late '90s, entomologists and pest management researchers were hard at work in the labs developing newer tools for termite control professionals. Rather than simply repelling, these new "undetectable" liquid treatments allow termites to freely forage in the treated zone. Those termites may then spread termiticide to others that do not come into contact with the treated area. This next generation of termiticides was introduced to homeowners in 1996 with Premise®. In 2000, a new undetectable liquid product called Termidor® termiticide/insecticide was introduced, and immediately raised the bar in terms of performance among all termite defense products. Phantom® termiticide-insecticide, a third "undetectable" liquid, was brought to market in 2002.
The Enviromental Protection Agency requires that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) test new termiticide products prior to product registration at established test sites in four states with high termite pressure. In the USDA’s Concrete Slab Test, fipronil, the active ingredient in Termidor, achieved zero penetrations through 13 years of testing. No other currently registered termiticide has demonstrated such complete effectiveness.

Physical Barriers
Products like Termimesh™ are installed prior to pouring the home's concrete slab. This targets the areas around plumbing, electrical pipes, and conduits, which could present an entry point for termites. Physical barriers can be expensive and time-consuming to install.

Wood Treatments
Borates, such as Bora-Care® or Tim-Bor Professional® are chemicals that are sprayed onto all wood surfaces in a new home, in an attempt to eliminate the wood as a food source for termites.

"Kills-Only" Products

A recent trend in structural treatments includes the use of "kills-only" products. Products labeled as "kills-only" can have a quick impact on the termites that are directly exposed to the treatment. However, effects on the foraging population and most importantly long term structural protection will not be provided by these treatments. These can be valuable options when trying to stop immediate termite activity (such as swarming from inside the structure), but in the majority of cases a more long term approach to provide structural protection for the home, business, etc. will be desired.

Drywood Termite Treatment Options

Drywood termite control methods can be categorized as either whole-structure or localized treatments. A whole-structure treatment simultaneously treats all accessible and inaccessible infestations, generally using a tent placed over the outside of a home and a termiticide fumigant like Vikane® or ProFume® applied to the interior of the home. A localized or spot treatment (with liquid products like Termidor® termiticide/insecticide) is more restrictive, often applied to a single board or small group of boards. Because all drywood treatment methods are not equivalent, homeowners are advised to know the distinction between whole-structure and spot treatments.

Phantom and Termidor are registered trademarks of BASF. Premise is a registered trademark of Bayer Environmental Science. ProFume, Sentricon, and Vikane are registered trademarks of Dow AgroSciences. Prevail and Talstar are registered trademarks of FMC Professional Solutions. Bora-Care and Tim-Bor are registered trademarks of Nisus Corporation. Demon and Impasse are registered trademarks of Syngenta Professional Products. Termimesh is a trademark of TMA Corporation Pty Ltd. Advance is a registered trademark of Whitmire Micro-Gen.