"Frank" wrote in message
...
On 4/10/2012 7:50 AM, Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message
...

I was under the impression Thermidor is a barrier chemical only with
professionals. My neighbor had the invasion treated with something but
then they put down bait stations to draw in termites and then put in
wood with a juvenile hormone which wiped out the nest. Been years
since
I've seen any sign of termites but now they are back in the same place
between our houses. He's got all kinds of dead wood on his property as
do his adjacent neighbors.

In that case I would be putting in a dozen or more stakes, and burying
some
twice as deep as recommended. Why? Because termites tend to borrow
deeper
to reach your home when the surface soil around it has traces of
insecticides. With access to lots of wood, termites can create huge
supercolonies. That's something you don't want because controlling them
becomes very, very difficult.

I would venture they never really completely died out in the first "kill
off" but were reduced in numbers substantially. That's based on them
appearing in the same place.

The Spectacide-type hormone baits seem to have worked well enough for
your
area in the past. I'd go with what's worked before. You can save
$100's by
doing it yourself.

--
Bobby G.





Thanks. I'm going to add the stakes too. I had figured the detector
would pop when degraded and you have confirmed this.

The stakes need to be put in where there's runoff from downspouts and such
because termites (most) need to make mud tubes for transit into your house.
That requires moisture. They can't stand exposure to sunlight so they take
the dirt with them, so to speak.

When they pop, you can withdraw them and examine them to see if it was water
or bugs that caused the indicator to trip. Termites cause a definitive
eating-away pattern on the cardboard. Water just makes the whole thing
mushy.

They come with a little green rainshield, an auger and a DVD explaining the
process. The little shields help limit water intrusion but some people
don't use them because they look tacky. We use the shields in the backyard
but not in the front. The ones in the front degrade a little faster, but
not much. When you dig a hole, make sure the stakes are packed in tight.
They are much less effective if there's a gap between the stake and the
soil.

--
Bobby G.