Australian Pest and Termite Control Blog

If you suspect you have a termite problem, you may hear that you need to try termite baiting. Before you get too carried away, though, your very first step should be to consult with a licensed termite control professional. While it can be tempting to try and solve the problem yourself, you may well discover that you’ve inadvertently compounded it by doing so.

Just because you can’t solve a termite problem on your own doesn’t mean you don’t want to know what’s going on in your own home, though.

If the professional you hire recommends termite baiting, then he or she is talking about using a method that doesn’t necessarily strive to only repel the insects. Instead, certain types of material will be placed around your property in order to appeal to their tastes. Paper and cardboard are often used in termite baiting, for example, because the bugs love to eat these cellulose-rich foods. As you might expect, however, the tasty snack has been treated with a control agent that is harmful to the termite’s life cycle while being completely safe for humans, pets and plants.

While the bait is sometimes placed inside your home, “stations” will often be set up at pre-set intervals outside of the house. The termites more or less run across these underground stations as they continue their never-ending quest for more food. They encounter stations full of the cellulose material, and once there’s evidence that they’ve found it, the bait can be added. Above-ground stations may be used, as well, depending on what type of termite baiting is most appropriate for your needs. In this case, the termites are more likely to find the stations quickly because they are placed directly within the insects’ path.

In addition to stopping your termite problem by killing bugs that eat the treated materials, termite baiting allows them to carry the termite agents back to their nests and spread the destruction there.

Termite baiting is not an instant solution, but in many cases it proves to be more effective than simply trying to repel the bugs. Again, you will want to consult with a licensed professional in order to determine the best approach to solving your termite problem. He or she may even suggest that you combine termite baiting with one or more other forms of pest control.

When determining if termite baiting is the best option for you, a pest control professional will help you take the following into consideration (among other factors, of course):

• How difficult would it be to implement other forms of pest control? It may be that placing the stations outside of the home is the most effective strategy due to structural issues.

• How bad is the termite problem? Termite baiting tends to solve your termite problem more slowly than some other methods, so it may not be appropriate for larger infestations.

• How much pesticide are you willing to use to solve the termite problem? Some people are less comfortable using sprays and other liquid treatments and therefore prefer to approach the situation via termite baiting.

Located in Sydney, the professionals at Pink Pest Services are licensed and certified to help you determine if termite baiting is the appropriate solution for your termite problem. Contact us for a  termite inspection or no-obligation quote.