Liquid Treatments for Termites
A few days ago, we went over a few different bait treatment products for termites and the pros and cons of each bait product. On the flip-side, however, there’s also tons of different liquid products to repel termites and keep the problem at bay (or at least aid in it, along with bait products).
If you want to learn more about liquid treatments, keep reading!
Liquid treatments (liquid termiticides) are very effective in conjunction with bait treatments, but how much do you really know about liquid termiticides? At Scout Pest Control, we are dedicated to giving you, the customer, the information and knowledge of the different treatments.
Liquid Termiticides
Liquid termiticides have been widely used to combat subterranean termites all across the world since the early 1900s, but there are lots of different termiticides that were introduced but never made it to the shelf – either due to safety hazards, chemical hazards, etc. Today, we will be going over the current liquid treatments to date and what each of them do and the different chemicals they contain that makes them as effective as they are. Of course, the different environmental conditions can greatly affect how each termiticide works, but, generally speaking, there are a handful of good liquid termiticides out there.
Termiticides fall into one of two categories:
- Repellent Termiticides
- Non-repellent Termiticides
Repellent Termiticides
Repellent termiticides are not nearly as effective as non-repellent termiticides, and typically aren’t used as much as non-repellent termiticides. Repellent termiticides contain Pyrethroids, which, in fact, are highly repellent to termites. When termites dig tunnels through the Pyrethroid treated soil, the termites turn around and find other routes around the treated soil. Thus, keeping the termites alive and not helping the situation at hand. Repellent termiticides can work, but if there is any soil that is left untreated with Pyrethroids, this leaves an open path way for termites to enter the building. To be effective, soil needs to be treated with the repellent termiticide thoroughly.
Non-repellent Termiticides
Like various bait treatment products, many termiticides now-a-days contain slow-reacting substances but are, at the same time, very toxic to the termite. That way, termites can infect other termites and spread the termiticide, and so that termites won’t completely avoid the location at all. Imidacloprid, also known as Premise, was the first liquid treatment to work in this way. With non-repellent termiticides, termites can’t easily pass through un-treated soil. Termites that are working above ground also will be killed eventually upon going back under the soil to get to their colony.
1. Premise
Premise was registered by the Bayer Corporation in 1995 and was sold in 1996. The active ingredient in Premise (Imidacloprid) is a chemical that, in short, interferes with the nerve endings of different insects. Since termites don’t detect imidacloprid, termites freely roam and dig tunnels through untreated soil, but will eventually die. They will eventually stop eating, become sluggish while trying to move, will become disoriented, and will then die.
2. Termidor
Registered in 1999 and sold in the year 2000, Termidor also contains another active ingredient that specifically triggers nerve cells. Like Premise, and many other termiticides, Termidor is lethal by both ingestion and contact, and is also slow-reacting which allows termite to termite infection.
3. Phantom
Registered in 2001 and sold in 2002, Phantom contains the active ingredient called Chlorfenapyr. Chlorfenapyr prevents the termite from producing the energy it needs to survive, and in return, causes the termite to eventually die. Phantom is similar to Termidor and Premise, but only because all three of these are slow-reacting and are both non-repellents. Death can occur within a few days to two weeks depending on exposure.
4. Transport
Introduced in 2007, Transport contains a combination of pyrethroids and an acetamiprid. While acetamiprid is in the same chemical family as imidacloprid, acetamiprid has different properties. Acetamiprid has the ability to spread out over a larger area, and in recent studies, is also proven to be highly toxic to termites.
Non-repellents in the future
More non-repellent termiticides will be produced in the coming years. Some will be variations of current products while others may be completely new and might potentially change the way termites are controlled. We will find out soon enough.
Termiticide Performance and Treatment
Various factors affect how different termiticides perform, including treatment itself. If the termiticide isn’t thoroughly treated in the soil, its effectiveness is drastically reduced. Other factors that affect performance include the length of the exposure and the amount of exposure. Soil wise, climate changes and soil conditions generally affect the performance and effectiveness of the termiticide also.
I have a few questions, can you help me?
Of course we can! At Scout Pest Control, we are always here to help you! This post most definitely will not answer all of your questions (or maybe it will), but if you have more unanswered questions, feel free to call us. At Scout Pest Control, we specialize in termite infestations, termite exclusions, rodent exclusions, termite treatments, and much, much more! Give us a call today, what are you waiting for?
