In certain areas, termite infestations are so large, that even if you eliminate one colony from your property, a neighboring one will soon take its place. So the question is – can you completely eliminate termites from an area?

A research project started in 1998 looked at the population dynamics of subterranean termites, particularly of how termites behave when bait treatments are used. It is currently the largest and longest research project involving this termite species, and so far, there are five completed research phases. Phase V started in 2010 and it lasted until 2015, and the main focus of this phase was how baits affect area-wide termite control.

During Phase IV of the project, researchers demonstrated that if termites are left to their own devices, they will spread into nearby termite-free zones. So can you stop this spread from occurring? Before the year 2010, pest control specialists would monitor baiting systems either electronically or manually, and this protocol worked quite well… until they had to control termite populations in a large area. Monitoring baiting systems is a labor intensive process when you have hundreds of stations to examine.

In 2010, Recruit HD, a new type of bait became available on the market. An older study had shown that its active ingredients would remain active for up to five years. Such a bait would remove the need for monitoring, and it would prevent the disturbance that would occur by constantly checking the bait. This made it ideal for area-wide termite control.

Researchers began a new phase of their long-term study to see if this new bait was effective. What they found was that the bait managed to eliminate all termite activity for five months, which has been the longest streak since monitoring of the treated area began in 1998. It’s also worth noting that large enough colonies can have a foraging distance of up to 300 feet, and since there was no trace of infection within the treated area, it’s fair to assume that all termite colonies have been eliminated in a 300 feet radius extending from the treated area.

However, once there were signs of re-infestation, the stations were re-baited, and the area became termite free again for another 12 months. So as we can see, termite control methods are rapidly improving as time goes by, and efficiency is constantly improving while the effort and the costs of eliminating an infestation are lowered. If you are interested in the types of treatments that can be used for your infestation, or if you would like to set up a pest control appointment, contact us today.