Any words of advice on dealing with termites?

Question

I have confirmed today that I have a termite infestation in my house. We found a recent tube build through the crack in the foundation and some termite activity outside. Any words of advice on treatment options?

I already heard that the two major options are a liquid "perimeter" defence and bait stations that kill termite colonies. The latter seems the preferred choice of a couple of contractors I talked to. Pros and Cons?

If you dealt with this problem before, I'd like to hear anything you'd like to share. I will post updates as I get treatment estimates and proceed with exterminating the colony.

Answer 1

We just went with a pest control company after we found a bunch of the critters. Very scary when you live in a log home!

They put down poison to get a beachhead and then went with bait stations since. It seems to be working. No new damage.

Some other advice those guys gave is:
- Do not use wood mulch right up against the house.
- Make sure not to pile dirt up anywhere near the top of the concrete foundation of the house. - pick up any lose wood or dead brush laying around the yard. You want the minimum of wood-to-dirt contact anywhere near your house as possible, otherwise you are attracting the suckers and feeding them.

Answer 2

You can pickup your own bait traps at the store. I tend to use them as a preventative measure before the pests get to the house. The only damage I've witnessed at this point is some bad boards in the fence. The traps tend to last a year or so before needing to be replaced, so I personally like that over a liquid that I imagine would be washed away in a storm. You can also check the trap to get a feel for how well it's working.

Answer 3

We treated our old house using the bait traps which seemed to work well, but it did take a couple years before all the traps were empty.

EDIT

The bait traps we used were installed by a professional exterminator. He would check the traps monthly, and if he found termites he would inject a chemical poison into the ground near the trap.

Answer 4

I had one house treated with the injections around the foundation and holes drilled near pipes. That seems to work.

Answer 5

You have two mostly used solutions for this.

1) Using terminators: Whenever you are building any wooden furniture or even wooden door,etc, try to apply terminators(you will get many in the stores, which is in liquid state), and apply to the wood which you are using for building. This will prevent termites for few years but is not 100% terminator of termites, as companies pose.

2) Chemical treatment or insulation: This is a new way in which the chemical treatment is done by injecting the chemical which kills the termites on contact, into the wall. Suppose you have a window at 2 feet from the ground, then chemical treatment is done in between the window and the ground, by injecting the chemical in between. This will keep the termites away and is a proven technique too.

Answer 6

Termite bait stations are used more as a preventative measure, or for termite monitoring - to see if there's a problem. Termite bait stations are generally not effective enough to treat an existing infestation. If you already know you have a termite problem you're going to need to do a full on liquid perimeter treatment.

Liquid perimeter treatments can cost anywhere between $1-2,000, if you hire a company. Doing it yourself will cost about $250. I work for a do-it-yourself pest control supply store and we carry the DIY termite treatment supplies you will need - see here: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/termites-c-3.html.

We also have a good article that explains how to do your own liquid perimeter termite treatment, here: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/how-to-perform-termite-treatment-a-87.html.