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Termite Bait Systems are also Offered by TORCO™
There are several different baits on the market that add to the arsenal of tools available for managing termite populations and protecting structures. Baits work on the principle that foraging termites will feed on a treated cellulose material, which eventually kills the termites and possibly the colony. The toxic material in the bait must kill slowly enough to allow foraging termites to return to the colony and spread the bait through food sharing (called "trophallaxis").
Bait Advantages
- Bait products are easy to use and simple to install.
- Baits cause less disruption to the environment.
- Baits are advantageous for people with odor sensitivities or allergies and for structures with sub-slab heat ducts.
Bait Disadvantages
- Bait programs are expensive.
- Bait products take longer to function, taking months to a year.
- Once the bait program is complete, there is no residual benefit.
More about Bait Systems
Baits control a colony locally—either eliminating it or suppressing it to the point that it no longer damages a structure. To be successful, the products must be non-repellent, slow-acting, and readily consumed by termites. There are three main types of bait products available: 1. Ingested toxicants or stomach poisons; 2. Biotermiticides or microbes; and 3. Insect growth regulators (IGRs). Each type has unique features and is used differently in termite control programs. Ingested toxicants have the quickest effect, though dose dependency and learned avoidance may limit this type of product to termite reduction in localized areas. Biotermiticides, derived from fungi, bacteria, or nematodes, are injected into active gallery sites. They then develop on the infested foraging termites and spread among the colony. Suitable temperature and moisture, early detection, and avoidance are factors that determine this treatment's success. It may provide localized area control or, with optimum conditions, may suppress a colony.
Among the insect growth regulators are juvenile hormone analogs (JHAs), juvenile hormone mimics (JHMs), and chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSIs). These products disrupt the termites by causing a specific response or behavior within the colony or by blocking the molting process. Note that all insects, including termites, have an exoskeleton made primarily of chitin. To grow, they must periodically shed their chitinous exoskeletons and form new ones. This process is called molting. A chitin synthesis inhibitor slowly builds up in the termite and, the next time a molt occurs, prevents proper formation of the cuticle. IGRs are the slowest acting of the bait types but have greater impact on the colony.