termites

[Phisherman]

OthroClor (about $40), used as a preventative measure. I don't always use the same product, though.

[gpsman]

As a former PCO I recommend and use Talstar on my own homes, strictly according to the label directions.

That isn't a bad price, either.

A maximum concentration will contain 0.20% of active ingredient (bifenthrin, a pyrethroid). A higher concentration is not "better", it's just a waste of material.

UV light is murder on all insecticides with which I am familiar, rendering them largely ineffective after only about 24-48 hours of exposure, so you'll want to hide it as much as practical.

Termites may infest a structure during the spring swarm via windowsills, so you might want to treat those.

An application of a 0.10% concentration every 60-90 days or so should offer adequate protection in Kansas, I think. -----

- gpsman

[E Z Peaces]

Bait meant a loss of time and money for me. I bought a kit of 20. The instructions said not to touch them because human odor could keep termites away. That was hard to believe, but I complied carefully. I set four, each with 2 feet of where they kept making tunnels. I checked every few weeks and never saw any sign of termites or eating.

After a year, a swarm of thousands showed that the nest was going strong, but none had bothered the bait. If they don't touch the bait, I think it's not because somebody touched it but because they aren't hungry. Years ago, my termites had probably swarmed to damp wood under the house. Now all they wanted outside was water from the mulched soil.

[E Z Peaces]

How about Termidor? It has Fipronil. Government monitoring of tests 9 years old shows it still provides 100% protection.

How about treating wood with borates? Time and UV don't affect them.

[gpsman]

I only became "certified" to apply Termidor because I had clients asking about it. I never failed to switch a client to baiting, so I never actually used it.

I doubt an application of much of anything is going to remain in place in uncontrolled environments for 9 years, and, rather than applying something with that degree of persistence, I'd prefer regular treatments of less persistent materials.

It also offers the homeowner more of a sense of security, I think.

Outside my area of expertise, so I couldn't say. -----

- gpsman

[E Z Peaces]

Here's Griffin Exterminating's page on Termidor:

I guess it reflects the opinion of these professionals who have their choice of products. They say U. S. Forest Service tests have shown it

100% effective after 8 years. They say it doesn't leech because it binds to soil. They're conservative like you. They say you can count on 5 years. (The instructions I got said to apply it in a trench. That would keep it out of the sun.)

Griffin says pyrethroids repel termites, and that reduces the kill. Termites don't avoid Termidor.

They're similar to borax, but the stuff for termites penetrates wood better. I read about them in reports of government tests against Formosan termites in Louisiana. Borates were the most effective wood treatment. They quickly eliminated a large colony for me.

[Frank]

Very interesting. Let us know how you make out with this vendor. I did not think they would sell the juvenile hormone to homeowners. The kit is what the professional used at my neighbors a few years ago.