TERMITES
Termites! The very word strikes fear into the hearts of homeowners. Termite control is definitely not a do-it-yourself project. Fortunately, pest control professionals have the tools to stop termites from damaging a home and to protect the home from future attack.
Although there are thousands of known termite species, there are only a few that are of concern to the professional applicator. These can be broken into two main varieties, drywood termites and subterranean termites.
DRYWOOD TERMITES
Drywood termites are found mainly around the warm, coastal areas of our country. Structures along the coasts of Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and California are particularly susceptible to drywood termite attack.
Although named drywood termites, these termites can't live in completely dry wood since they rely on the moisture in the wood for their source of water. Drywood termites live in small colonies consisting of a few hundred individuals. Like all termites, the colonies are divided up into different castes. At the center of the colony is the queen who is responsible for producing the eggs that ensure the continuous viability of the colony.
A king termite is often found accompanying the queen although his presence is not necessary for colony success. Other caste members include soldiers who guard and protect the nest, reproductives who can establish new colonies, and workers who eat the wood and feed the rest of the colony.
Most drywood termite colonies become established through exposed wood ends accessible from cracks and crevices. Signs of an infestation include finding small hard fecal pelletson the floor or other surfaces and seeing winged termites, especially on windowsills.
A real problem is infestations in hidden areas like attics and wall voids. There is no substitute for a thorough inspection of the entire structure when a drywood termite infestation is suspected.
Control and Prevention of Drywood Termites
The most common method of treating a structure for drywood termites is fumigation. The problems with fumigations are that they are inconvenient, the structure must remain empty for several days, they are expensive, and they leave no residual protection against future infestations.
The best way to eliminate and prevent drywood termite infestations is to treat the wood with a borate such as Armor-Guard or Shell-Guard. The application of a borate makes the wood toxic to termites while having no adverse effect upon the inhabitants. We recommend using Shell-Guard for treating active infestations and Armor-Guard for protecting un-infested wood from future attack. But remember, only those wood members that have been treated will be protected. That's why a thorough inspection is so very important.
New homes can be permanently protected against drywood termites by applying a 15% Armor-Guard solution to all exposed wood surfaces during the construction process. The most efficient time to perform a new construction treatment is when the framing and sheathing is completed but before the insulation, electrical systems, and mechanical systems are installed.
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES
In most areas of the country the term termites refers to subterranean termites. As their name implies, subterranean termites spend most of their time in the soil, typically two to four feet below the surface.
Workers, soldiers, reproductives, along with the king and queen make up a subterranean termite colony that can consist of several hundred thousand termites.
When foraging, workers spread out from the nest, usually just beneath the surface of the ground, looking for food.
They feed on cellulosic materials including the wood in a home. Since there are many thousands of feeding termites in a colony, subterranean termites can do a substantial amount of damage in a fairly short period of time.
The first indication of a termite infestation is usually the presence of mud tubes going up walls, piers, or other vertical surfaces.
Termites make these tubes in order to maintain a moist environment. Since they have soft bodies they rapidly lose water when exposed to dry air and the mud tubes give them protection from both predators and dehydration.
Another sure sign of a termite infestation is a termite swarm within the home. Many people mistakenly identify swarming termites as flying ants but it's easy to tell the difference if you know what to look for.
Notice that the ant has a narrow waist whereas the termite's body is fairly straight back to the abdomen. When termites swarm in the thousands, a homeowner's first impulse is to run for the can of pesticide and spray them down. There is no reason to do this since all of the swarming termites will be dead in an hour or so anyway. The best way to handle them is to vacuum them up. The next thing to do is to call a pest control professional for a termite inspection. You can be sure that if you have swarming termites in your home you also have a mature termite colony feeding on your wood.
Preventing Subterranean Termites
The first thing to remember is that subterranean termites are attracted to moist wood. Removing conditions conducive to termite infestations goes a long way in preventing termites from attacking a home. This includes:
- reducing the moisture level in basements and crawlspaces,
- removing scrap wood from around your home and moving firewood at least 25 feet away from the foundation,
- eliminating any wood to ground contact,
- keeping gutters free of leaves and debris,
- fixing water leaks as soon as you find them.
Chemical Controls
The most commonly used method of termite control is to poison the soil around a structure, thus imparting a chemical barrier that prevents termites' access to the home. However, soil treatment chemicals are of environmental concern and often gaps in the barrier provide termite entry points. Recently, termite baits have been developed that claim to eliminate entire termite colonies. There is no doubt that some of these baits work but it may take several months for the termites to find the bait and for the bait to take effect. In the meantime, the termites will continue to feed on the home.
A better solution, and one that can be combined with both soil treatments and baits, is to treat all wood that is accessible to termite attack with a borate such as Shell-Guard or Armor-Guard. Termites are able to digest cellulose because the protozoa that lives in their gut converts the cellulose into sugars that the termite can absorb. Borates kill these protozoa which results in the termites starving to death. When wood is treated with Armor-Guard or Shell-Guard the borate components accumulate in the feeding termites who then spread the borate to other members of the colony.
Borates designed for treating wood come in two forms. Dry powders, like Armor-Guard, are borate salts that are dissolved in water and then applied to wood. Borate / glycol concentrates, such as Shell-Guard, are mixed with an equal amount of water before use. There are several advantages that Shell-Guard has over Armor-Guard. First and foremost is that subterranean termites will not tube over more than a few inches of wood treated with Shell-Guard. The borate / glycol combination is more toxic to termites than the pure borate salt. Apparently, termites can detect the highly toxic zone imparted to the wood by Shell-Guard and rather than expose themselves, they go elsewhere. Since the efficacy of Shell-Guard is greater than Armor-Guard, it will eliminate an active infestation quicker and more completely. Lastly, the glycols enable the borate to penetrate deep into the wood, thus getting into termite galleries within the wood member.
Because of these differences, we recommend that the less expensive Armor-Guard be used to protect new or un-infested wood and Shell-Guard be used to eliminate existing infestations and to impart a barrier that termites will not tube over. Refer to the labels for complete application instructions for either Shell-Guard or Armor-Guard.
FORMOSAN TERMITES
Formosan termites are a variety of subterranean termites that have invaded several southern and southwestern states. They are voracious termites whose colonies may contain over a million individuals. They also tend to establish aerial infestations with nests called cartons that have no contact with the ground. That is one reason they are so difficult to control. Wood properly treated with Shell-Guard will be protected from Formosan termite attack but it is important to realize that only those members that have been treated will be protected.
Shell-Guard and Armor-Guard work together to provide a cost effective, complete range of application options for remedial and preventative termite treatments. Homeowners should talk to their pest management professional about all of the available options for controlling termites.
Professional applicators, check our Distribution page for product availability near you and be sure to read all pesticide labels for complete treatment details.
