An Education: Termite Treatment Options

Termite Treatment Options can be overwhelming. So, as it turns out there are a few different types of termite treatments available to you as a consumer when it comes to how to get rid of termites. Once you get an idea about what you are up against, you should have a look into what the available termite treatments have to offer. It’s all about your needs and the design of the structure.

First, you need to establish what your end goal is. This is a phone call away. Call a local, reputable pest control Austin provider and have them come out to give you a free termite inspection. The inspection should always be free and come with a written bid or estimate that designates areas of termite treatment, gives you and o overview of the termite treatment process and a price.

With a detailed inspection you can comfortably say if you need termite control. Now you can ask about how to get rid of termites. When it comes to how to get rid of termites, there are actually many different options available. These options can be broken down into three basic categories.

1. A Preconstruction Treatment: A preconstruction termite treatment is fairly self explanatory. This will mean treating the soil under a structure with chemicals before construction. Treating the ground a foundation sits on will create a barrier of protection that will be there for several years. The strength and time of the barrier is determined by the product being used; there are many available to termite and pest control companies.
2. Post-Construction Treatments: Post construction termite treatments are done to an existing structure. These are generally done to get termite control. A termite and pest control company will come out and apply termiticides to the soil inside and outside foundation walls, around piers or other supports and around utility entrances. To effectively apply the termiticides, the termite and pest control company may have to drill holes around the foundation in adjacent patios and sidewalks. These termiticides can either kill or repel termites from the structure giving the customer termite control.
3. Baiting Treatments: There are also bait termite treatments. Since the mid 1990’s, termite control baits have been available as an alternative to traditional liquid treatments. A termite and pest control company will install bait stations around the structure filled with a food source. Once the bait stations have signs of active termites the food source is replaces with active termiticides bait. The bait method takes advantage of termite food sharing behavior and will introduce the insecticide into the colony.
   1. Disadvantages Include:

• This process takes TIME. You must wait for the termites to find and then ingest and spread bait.
• The bait will only affect termites that feed on the bait or receive the termiticides through shared feeding.
• There is no residual protection.
• This is an ongoing service that requires maintenance. There termite and pest control company will need to service these stations at least every 3 month for the lifetime of the structure. Once the maintenance is discontinued, the structure is no longer protected.

1. Advantages include

• No drilling holes into the slabs, sidewalks and patios.
• Uses less insecticide than liquid treatments.
• Baits are focused and considered to be “Green” treatments.

This is a basic overview of the termite control options regularly offered by a termite and pest control company. The needs of the home or property owner will or should be taken into consideration. For example, if the structure is pier and beam and there is no access to the crawl space, a bait system may be the only solution because the limited access will prevent effective liquid treatments. These types of questions will be answered with during a termite inspection.