Termite Management Techniques

• Termite shields:
  Termite shields don’t prevent termite activity but bring it into the open, as it’s easier to detect their mud shelter tubes on the metal caps.
• Woven stainless steel mesh or finely graded stone particles can be installed in a concrete slab and cavity walls around pipe openings and the like, so termites can’t get through these concealed entry points.
• Composite systems, such as chemically treated plastic or fabric sheets, contain chemicals that’ll degrade over time, unlike true physical barriers.
• Reticulation systems involve piping fitted under slabs and around the edges of buildings with access points for insecticide injections.

Chemical barriers

Chemical barriers are applied under and around concrete slabs or around building piers or footings. They require maintenance and renewal. They create a zone of treated soil that may be effective for several years before it needs re-treatment.

Chemical Barriers are always better to incorporate into your new build, as it may require trenching and concrete drilling if you decide to incorporate this prevention method after construction has been completed.

Chemicals used in termite management

• Synthetic pyrethroids like permethrin or bifenthrin are generally less toxic than many of the earlier insecticides which were banned in most parts of Australia in the mid 1990s.
• Fipronil and imidacloprid are particularly effective against termites as they are non-repellant. This means the termites will travel through the treated zone without detecting the chemical and take it back to the colony, therefore contaminating other termites.

Monitoring and bait stations

This is a less toxic but more costly alternative that’ll require regular maintenance. Monitoring and bait stations use very small amounts of a low-toxic IGR that affects the termite’s exoskeleton and kills them without harming other animals or humans.

This is how they work:

1. We place a baiting station in the vicinity of the house, usually in-ground. We might place more than one termite baiting station.
2. The station is checked regularly, repositioned if needed and when termites are found, bait is added to replenish the station.
3. The termites take the bait back to their nest and spread it until the colony is eventually wiped out.

There’s no guarantee the termites will actually find the bait, so it’s generally not a good idea to use a monitoring and bait station as your only approach to termite management. We always suggest to use a termite baiting station in conjunction with other termite treatment methods and termite prevention methods.