Morgan Termite and Termite Extermination!

Controlling Termites

First of all, find out what kind(s) of termites are present. This probably is listed on an inspection report. Knowing that will help you to understand the control method involved.

If it is Dampwoods there usually is no chemical application needed, except to kill off some surviving members once the excessive moisture condition is corrected, which will drive them away anyhow.

If it is Drywoods the structure likely will be tarped and fumigated. This takes 2 to 5 days, depending on the fumigant used, kills all existing termites in the structure, but leaves no future protection, as the gas dissipates and is gone. Vikane is the preferred gas due to its ease of handling and shorter time of ventilation, while methyl bromide is preferred for beetle control.

If it is Subterranean Termites you would like to know what product they plan to use, and what the benefits are compared with others. You currently have 4 choices (in addition to baiting):

Organophosphates - probably last the longest, but have some odor associated with it that you might find unpleasant for a day or two, but which poses no hazard if properly applied.
These must be applied as an injection under the slab, or in trenches dug around the foundation in crawlspaces or outside.

Pyrethroids - this is newer chemistry, and benefits to you include low toxic hazard and very low odor. Some of them even are the same materials used on animals for flea or tick control, and for termites they may last up to 15 years.

There is some limited use on the surface of the soil in a crawlspace, but for the most part all pyrethroids also are applied by injecting into the soil or applying to a trench dug along next to the foundation.

New Chemistry - some new materials have come onto the market that are neither organophosphates nor pyrethroids. They are very, very low in hazard to people and pets. In fact, the active ingredient in one is the same as the chemical that is in a popular material placed on pets for flea control, sold by veterinarians.

One feature of these new products is their lack of repellency to termites. It is believed that this may enhance their effectiveness, by allowing termites to move into the "treated zone" and be killed.

Biological products - this includes a natural fungus, and when applied to surfaces the termites will contact it is supposed to infect the termites, as well as any others that these termites, in turn, come into contact with, and may kill large numbers of termites in the colony.

The advantage of such biological products lies primarily in their extremely low hazard to people or pets. They currently have not been as widely used as the other kinds of products, so industry experience with them is more limited.

There also are nematodes - microscopic, living worms that eat termites - that are sold for termite control. They pose no hazard to people, but many objective studies of them, so far, indicate they do not do well at controlling termites in natural settings, as opposed to the laboratory settings where they are studied.

You might also be tempted to try one of the marvelous magic boxes - called things like "ultrasonic" or "electro-magnetic" - and touted by the advertisers of them to be able to drive away all sorts of bugs and rodents that you don't want around. Dozens of objective University studies from around the world claim that they simply do not work, and you are probably better off not putting your faith and money in them.

Hopefully, in this short article, we have been able to unravel a few of the mysteries you might have felt about termites. Much of the protection of your home can be accomplished by those things you yourself can do - maintaining clean, dry crawlspace areas, eliminating moisture problems, checking for the mud tubes made by foraging subterranean termites, keeping wood piles away from the home.

When it comes to the application of chemicals, it is best to contact Morgan Pest Control, as our experts will have the specialized equipment and expertise available for applying the materials where they are needed.