1. Termite
bai*ng
Some
tricks
of
the
trade
Creative Pest Solutions

2. Overview
• Why
monitoring
&
bai*ng?
• IG
placement
(outside
demo
/
discussion)
• AG
placement
(inside
demo
/
discussion)
• Moisture
and
bai*ng
• Termite
biology
• Amount
of
bait
taken
(and
Winter
feeding)
• Is
there
a
magic
bullet?
Creative Pest Solutions

3. Why
Monitoring?
• Economical
compared
to
other
op*ons
– Cheaper
installa*on
cost
compared
to
chemical
barrier
treatments
which
are
typically
very
expensive
to
install.
• Makes
“Business
Sense”
for
Pest
Controllers
– Sell
a
full
service
contract
to
maintain
contact
with
your
customer
base
and
expand
referrals
Creative Pest Solutions

4. Why
Monitoring?
• Proven
Science
– When
used
correctly
a
monitoring
system
is
a
perfectly
legi*mate,
scien*fically
proven
method
to
protect
a
property
from
termite
aPack
• Simple
to
install,
maintain
and
monitor
– Compared
to
chemical
barriers,
monitoring
sta*ons
are
much
simpler
to
install
Creative Pest Solutions

5. Why
Monitoring?
• Can
be
used
instead
of
or
as
a
supplement
to
a
chemical
barrier
– Monitoring
sta*ons
may
be
used
in
areas
not
suitable
for
the
installa*on
of
a
chemical
barrier
• Site
gradient,
soil
type
• Construc*on
type
• Construc*on
issues
• No
harsh
chemistry
around
the
home
– Very
low
toxicity
– Very
low
environmental
impact
Creative Pest Solutions

6. Why
Bai*ng?
• Colony
elimina*on
– Baits
are
bePer
at
elimina*ng
the
colony,
unlike
many
chemical
op*ons
which
don’t
always
control
the
colony
• Another
“tool”
to
control
termite
infesta*ons
– There
are
many
circumstances
when
chemical
treatments
cannot
be
used
that
are
bePer
suited
to
bai*ng
Creative Pest Solutions

7. Why
Xterm?
• Newest
bait
formula*on
on
the
market
– Higher
loading
than
other
baits
means
less
bait
consump*on
required
to
get
control
• Proven
performance
– Highly
palatable
– Fast
ac*ng
compared
to
other
baits
• High
quality
components
• No
contracts
or
annual
renewal
fees
Creative Pest Solutions

8. Bait
Placement
IG
installa*on
• Perimeter
placements
– Review
site
orienta*on,
gradients
and
construc*on
– How
far
apart
to
place
bait
sta*ons
• Hot
spots
– Gardens
– High
moisture
areas
(AC,
drainage,
leaks
from
guPer,
etc)
– Taps,
u*lity
entries
to
building
– Other
wood
sources
(trees,
fences,
etc)
Creative Pest Solutions

9. Bait
Placement
IG
installa*on
• Why
is
the
dripline
important?
– Bait
sta*ons
on
or
outside
the
dripline
will
get
more
hits
than
inside
the
dripline
due
to
moisture
levels
– Also
along
sides
of
paths
/
driveways
• Walk
around
conference
venue
discussing
bait
placement
Creative Pest Solutions

10. Bait
Placement
AG
installa*on
• Place
at
the
feeding
front
• Place
a
bait
at
each
feeding
front
• Not
the
best
loca*ons
– AC
units
– Near
fans
– Areas
of
high
sunlight
Creative Pest Solutions

11. Bait
Placement
AG
installa*on
• Difficult
sites
(poor
access,
small
applica*on
areas)
– Adapt
bait
sta*on
– Use
cartridge
on
its
own
– Empty
cartridge
• Use
pellets
in
bag
• Use
bait
as
paste
in
squeeze
boPle
• Discuss
bait
placement
in
conference
venue
(assuming
different
termite
aPack
scenarios)
Creative Pest Solutions

12. Prepara*on
Moisture
is
cri*cal
• Termites
generally
require
a
minimum
moisture
24%
to
maintain
con*nued
feeding
on
a
food
source
– Already
present
in
food
source
or
brought
in
by
termites
• Need
to
maintain
moisture
– Top
up
on
inspec*on
if
required
– Keep
wrapper
on,
on
5
sides,
if
concerned
Creative Pest Solutions

13. Prepara*on
Moisture
is
cri*cal
• Different
baits
have
different
moisture
requirements
– Depends
on
physical
and
chemical
nature
of
formula*ons
– But
more
water
≠
bePer
feeding
– Xterm
label
rate:
Water
0.5
:
Bait
1
– Exterra
label
rate:
Water
4
:
Bait
1
• Demo
with
different
amounts
of
water
added
to
Xterm
Creative Pest Solutions

14. How
to
baits
work?
• All
baits
contain
Chi*n
Synthesis
Inhibitors
• CSIs
block
the
produc*on
of
chi*n
and
the
shedding
of
the
old
and
crea*on
of
the
new
chi*n
membranes
• As
liPle
as
1%
of
workers
moult
each
day
but
more
effec*ve
on
faster
moul*ng
early
instars.
• Peritrophic
membrane
(in
gut)
contains
chi*n
and
may
be
shed
regularly.
Creative Pest Solutions

15. How
to
baits
work?
• What
happens
to
termites
that
have
eaten
bait?
• Workers
&
larvae
will
die
when
they
try
to
moult
• Queen
egg
produc*on
will
slow,
any
eggs
will
not
be
viable
• May
effect
peritrophic
membrane
leading
to
starva*on
(faster
control)
• High
mortality
levels
can
lead
to
rapid
colony
collapse
due
to
microbial
aPack
Creative Pest Solutions

16. Biology
• Lower
termites
(baits
work
well)
– Coptotermes,
Schedorhinotermes,
Heterotermes
– Single
colony,
single
queen,
trophyllaxis
• Schedorhinotermes
mul*-­‐nesters
(difficult
to
control
all
colonies
in
an
area)
– Food
generally
processed
quickly
– Queen
and
brood
highly
reliant
on
workers
Creative Pest Solutions

17. Biology
• Higher
termites
(baits
have
moderate
performance)
– Nasu5termes,
Microceratermes
– Food
processed
more
slowly
– Higher
tolerance
to
toxicants
– Longer
lived
soldiers
and
reduced
or
no
adult
moul*ng
Creative Pest Solutions

18. Performance
How
much
bait
is
required?
• Bait
taken
≠
Bait
eaten
– Bait
is
taken
back
to
the
nest
for
consump*on
– Bait
may
be
stored
for
later
consump*on
• Especially
in
Winter
• Record
bait
consump*on
– Apply
a
know
quan*ty
of
bait
– Record
how
much
bait
has
been
taken
• Use
dry
weight
(ideal)
Creative Pest Solutions

19. Performance
How
much
bait
is
required?
• Demo
–
Guess
how
much
Xterm
has
been
eaten
• Minimum
amount
of
bait
required
varies
by
species
– General
rule:
Nasu5termes
>
Coptotermes
>
Schedorhinotermes
• Depends
on
nest
size
and
season
• Scheds
can
be
very
variable
even
during
Summer
– Coptotermes
acinaciformis
• Xterm:
As
liPle
as
20g
• Chlorfluazuron:
10
*mes
as
much
(200g)
Creative Pest Solutions

20. Performance
Winter
feeding
• Effect
of
cooler
temperatures
/
Winter
– Termite
metabolism
slows
down
• Require
less
food
• No
moul*ng
• No
or
liPle
brood
• Termites
may
take
more
bait
(but
store
it
in
the
nest)
• Baits
appear
to
take
longer
to
work
Creative Pest Solutions

21. Is
there
a
magic
bullet?
(The
answer
is
no)
• APractants
– CO2
– Wood
and
fungal
extracts
– Pheromones
and
pheromone
mimics
(2-­‐phenoxyethanol)
• Phagos*mulants
– Pheromones
/
Termite
secre*ons
(Hydraquinone)
– Amino
acids
– Carbohydates
(sugars)
– Sports
drinks
Creative Pest Solutions

22. Tips
for
AG
bai*ng
success
• Thorough
inspec*on
• Locate
ALL
feeding
fronts
(and
entry
points)
• Place
bait
at
ALL
feeding
fronts
• Keep
moisture
levels
up
in
bait
• Know
your
enemy!
Creative Pest Solutions