There are a surprising number of ways people go about dealing with termites when they spot signs. The worst of the worst seem to be natural remedies. Some of them are astonishing. As an example, we don't recommend putting stacks of cardboard in your yard to catch termites and throw them in a fire to exterminate them. While you will certainly be able to eliminate some termites this way, you won't get them all. This termite "control" method only addresses the symptom, not the source. A stack of cardboard in your yard will only attract termites and inspire current colonies to generate more workers to keep up with the abundance of desirable food that seems to be accumulating. This is an all-around bad idea. There are many tips and strategies floating around on the internet that are not only ineffective, but will actually make your problem worse. Let's take a look at what works, and why it works.
The Symptom
Using the example of the cardboard trap, let's discuss the symptoms of a termite infestation. Worker termites are the only termites in a colony that will damage your property. All other termites derive their food from the workers. These workers travel as far as the length of a football field in search of food. When they enter your yard, they stay under the ground or inside the wood they are feeding on. You may find them if you pull a stump out of the ground, rake mulch up, move a wood pile, or do some other activity that exposes them. When you see them, there are a few things you should know:
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Termites look a little bit like ants, but they don't act like ants. They don't focus on one food source. While they're feeding on a stump in your yard, they can be feeding on your shed, deck, and house at the same time.
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Termites go to where there is food. If your yard has more food than your neighbor's yard, you'll have more visitations from termites.
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If an abundance of food is found a distance away from a termite nest, the termites may work to create a satellite nest. This can be done entirely under the ground without you ever seeing a termite above the ground or on the surface of wood.
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Whatever you do to eliminate termites will not impact the nest, the queen, or her colony in any meaningful way.
The Source
In the heart of her colony, the queen creates offspring. All termites start out as workers and can be further developed to take on the role of soldier, reproductive, or winged reproductive. If you hope to protect your property from damage, you need to find a way to strike at the queen and eliminate her. There are two ways termite control professionals go about doing this.
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Some modern liquid termiticides have a transfer effect. When termites pass through termiticides that have been injected into the ground, they transfer the active ingredient through the grooming process. Slowly, the ingredient works its way back to the heart of the colony and the result is colony elimination.
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In the last two decades, termite bait has taken center stage for eliminating colonies through the efforts of the folks at Dow AgroSciences, manufactures of the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. When termite workers take the bait, which is scientifically proven to be more interesting to termite workers than wood, they share it through a process called trophallaxis. Like the transfer effect of liquid termiticides, it works its way back to the heart of the colony and results in colony elimination.
Which Is Better?
There is quite a debate about which method works best. At Lake Norman Pest Control, we think they work equally as well. We have chosen to focus on the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ because it doesn't require trenching or drilling, it has no odor, and there is no need to deposit large amounts of synthetic material into the ground. With Sentricon®, discreet bait stations are implanted in the soil around a structure to provide a source of desirable food for termites. But unlike finding cardboard lying on the ground, this food source leads to colony elimination.
If you discover termites on your Mooresville property (or long before you do) reach out to Lake Norman Pest Control for effective termite control. The Sentricon® System can be deployed to prevent termite damage but it also works to arrest a current termite infestation. As workers go in and out of the structure, they'll find the Sentricon® bait, or they will come in contact with workers that have. Either way, it spreads through the colony and eliminates it. There is no better way to deal with a termite infestation.
Don't attack the symptom; attack the source. Contact Lake Norman Pest Control today for assistance.
