Another Termite Question
 

My neighbor just had his house perimeter and garage treated for a
small termite infestation. The chemical used was Dragnet. I thought
that Termidor was the best chemical to use for a contact type
termiticide. Does anyone out there have an opinion on the subject.

I did Google both but can find no article that compares the two.

Norm

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:
My neighbor just had his house perimeter and garage treated for a
small termite infestation. The chemical used was Dragnet. I thought
that Termidor was the best chemical to use for a contact type
termiticide. Does anyone out there have an opinion on the subject.

I did Google both but can find no article that compares the two.

Norm

Maybe this will help:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...0/444-500.html
Try to keep abreast of this myself. My neighbor had them and
fortunately they killed the colony with a juvenile harmone treatment.
Otherwise I was seeing them in stumps in my yard.
Now they are all gone. If your colony is still around, you may want to
do something yourself.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

On 12 Dec 2006 17:05:54 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:
My neighbor just had his house perimeter and garage treated for a
small termite infestation. The chemical used was Dragnet. I thought
that Termidor was the best chemical to use for a contact type
termiticide. Does anyone out there have an opinion on the subject.

I did Google both but can find no article that compares the two.

Norm

Maybe this will help:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...0/444-500.html
Try to keep abreast of this myself. My neighbor had them and
fortunately they killed the colony with a juvenile harmone treatment.
Otherwise I was seeing them in stumps in my yard.
Now they are all gone. If your colony is still around, you may want to
do something yourself.

Frank

Frank:

Thanks .. just what I was looking for. So, his termites are being
repelled. I wonder where they will go next??? Fortunately, I treated
the perimeter of my home with Termidor 1.5 years ago. So far, I have
had no problems.

Norm

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:

Thanks .. just what I was looking for. So, his termites are being
repelled. I wonder where they will go next??? Fortunately, I treated
the perimeter of my home with Termidor 1.5 years ago. So far, I have
had no problems.

Norm

My house was never treated but at time of neighbor's infestation, there
were termites all over the place. I put out the poisoned stakes
(Sentricon?) and normally spray foundations because of ants. Now with
the juvenile treatment, there are no sign of termites. There are still
plenty of stumps and stray wood piles on his property. If a colony came
back, they would probably attack his yard first.

The repelled termites are bound to find another source of food. If they
cannot find decaying woodpiles like my neighbor has, they will look for
houses. Personally, I think it is fairly easy to detect their presence
by tunnels and swarming and it is not necessary to have the
professionals come out unless you have an infestation.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

On 13 Dec 2006 07:05:35 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:

Thanks .. just what I was looking for. So, his termites are being
repelled. I wonder where they will go next??? Fortunately, I treated
the perimeter of my home with Termidor 1.5 years ago. So far, I have
had no problems.

Norm

My house was never treated but at time of neighbor's infestation, there
were termites all over the place. I put out the poisoned stakes
(Sentricon?) and normally spray foundations because of ants. Now with
the juvenile treatment, there are no sign of termites. There are still
plenty of stumps and stray wood piles on his property. If a colony came
back, they would probably attack his yard first.

The repelled termites are bound to find another source of food. If they
cannot find decaying woodpiles like my neighbor has, they will look for
houses. Personally, I think it is fairly easy to detect their presence
by tunnels and swarming and it is not necessary to have the
professionals come out unless you have an infestation.

Frank

What do you mean by "juvenile treatment"

Norm

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:

What do you mean by "juvenile treatment"

Norm

Juvenile hormones keep the insects from maturing and they die without
reproduction.
Kills the colony.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

On 14 Dec 2006 08:55:52 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:

What do you mean by "juvenile treatment"

Norm

Juvenile hormones keep the insects from maturing and they die without
reproduction.
Kills the colony.

Frank

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?

Nothing specific for the termites except the stakes. I normally spray
foundations with Malathion and spread diazinone insecticide on lawn.
More aimed at ants than termites.
When my neighbor was infested, I saw termites within 20 ft of my house
but they never invaded and now they are gone.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?

Nothing specific for the termites except the stakes. I normally spray
foundations with Malathion and spread diazinone insecticide on lawn.
More aimed at ants than termites.
When my neighbor was infested, I saw termites within 20 ft of my house
but they never invaded and now they are gone.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

On 15 Dec 2006 09:27:31 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?

Nothing specific for the termites except the stakes. I normally spray
foundations with Malathion and spread diazinone insecticide on lawn.

Any children play on lawn?

More aimed at ants than termites.
When my neighbor was infested, I saw termites within 20 ft of my house
but they never invaded and now they are gone.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

aspasia wrote in message
...
On 15 Dec 2006 09:27:31 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?

Nothing specific for the termites except the stakes. I normally spray
foundations with Malathion and spread diazinone insecticide on lawn.

Any children play on lawn?

Instead of a tempting flippant answer:
Merry Christmas ;)
Frank

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:
My neighbor just had his house perimeter and garage treated for a
small termite infestation. The chemical used was Dragnet. I thought
that Termidor was the best chemical to use for a contact type
termiticide. Does anyone out there have an opinion on the subject.

I did Google both but can find no article that compares the two.

Norm

Well, most exterminators I know, me included, feel that Dragnet is at
the bottom of the line as termite products go. It does not seem to last
very long. Dragnet is also what we call a "repellent" type temiticide.
More of a chemical shield rather than killing the termite...any termite
that comes in contact with the treated soil for a couple of years will
die, but they actually detect it and stay out of the treated area. If
there is a break in the barrier as wide as a pencil mark, they can take
advantage of it and re-enter the structure. Due to the nature of
repellent termiticides, just treating the perimeter of a home will
probably just push them inside around a bath trap, plumbing, or the
foundation wall interior if it is a crawl space situation. As you
mentioned, termidor would be the choice to use and it has actually
changed the way we apply it over products. It does have a perimeter plus
label, such as your neighbor has done, but the difference is I still
warrant the whole house when treated with termidor, with other products
I can only warrant areas of treatment. I would guess your neighbor
had a price choice of what would be used and he went the less expensive
route. If the company is warrantying the whole structure he should make
sure they are there for the yearly inspection like clockwork, though I
would be surprised if this company will be a long term survivor in the
business if he always uses Dragnet. Now after saying all that, you
might live in upstate New York where termites are few and far between
and pretty much anything may stop the initial invasion and the same
colony now moves on to an old tree root and all parties are happy ever
after. :)

Lar

Another Termite Question
 

Frank wrote:
NSN wrote:

That I know. I was referring tothe "treatment". Which of the chemicals
did you apply?


Nothing specific for the termites except the stakes. I normally spray
foundations with Malathion and spread diazinone insecticide on lawn.
More aimed at ants than termites.
When my neighbor was infested, I saw termites within 20 ft of my house
but they never invaded and now they are gone.

Frank

Unless you are just partial to malathion, maybe trying to use it up?
Probably any other liquid insecticide you use will last longer around
the foundation...and not have the odor to boot :)

Lar

Another Termite Question
 

NSN wrote:
On 12 Dec 2006 17:05:54 -0800, "Frank" wrote:


NSN wrote:



Frank:

Thanks .. just what I was looking for. So, his termites are being
repelled. I wonder where they will go next??? Fortunately, I treated
the perimeter of my home with Termidor 1.5 years ago. So far, I have
had no problems.

Norm


I have not had a call back on any home I have treated with termidor
since it came on the market in 2000. The vast majority of the treatments
have been perimeter type treatments. Know though that most parts of the
country have anywhere from 7-14 established termite colonies per acre.
If the home is a slab foundation and the bath traps weren't treated
there is a chance that a new colony can find the interior areas without
coming in contact with the treated perimeter and get established..but
even if this happen by the time the colony gets large enough for
you/inspector to detect them they probably have foragers getting into
the treated zone thus killing them out.

Another Termite Question
 

Frank wrote:
NSN wrote:



My house was never treated but at time of neighbor's infestation, there
were termites all over the place. I put out the poisoned stakes
(Sentricon?) and normally spray foundations because of ants. Now with
the juvenile treatment, there are no sign of termites. There are still
plenty of stumps and stray wood piles on his property. If a colony came
back, they would probably attack his yard first.

Stations such as these? http://arrow-pestcontrol.com/sen1.JPG
here is what I find way too often with baiting programs, this is on the
opposite side of the wall where the previous pic was taken.
http://arrow-pestcontrol.com/sen2.JPG The tube in the light was the
original tube, the one to right of it is the newer active tube. Most
exterminators would guess the age of the new tube to be 4-6 years old at
least. The baits were placed out at this house in 1999 at a cost of
nearly $2500 with a yearly cost of under $400 this is a very common
find when inspecting homes on baiting programs.



Lar

Another Termite Question
 

Frank wrote:
NSN wrote:


What do you mean by "juvenile treatment"

Norm


Juvenile hormones keep the insects from maturing and they die without
reproduction.
Kills the colony.

Frank

Sentricon actually is chitin inhibitor...it keeps them from molting
properly thus killing them. The vast majority of the colony are all
workers, that all are juvenile which aren't allowed by the Queen and
King of the colony to mature, so they never will reproduce anyways. The
theory of Sentricon is as the work force dies out there is a population
crash of the colony, thus killing the colony. The downfall is that
Sentricon asks for up to 24 months to get control so if one were to call
the pest control company 6 months after the baits have been installed
they have dancing room of why termites are still active. Termidor for
example, stops the activity in a week or so and kills the colony within
3 months. If a new colony shows up in Sentricon baits, time will be
lost waiting for the 40+ termites to accumulate before the pest tech
replaces the monitors with the actual bait, then wait another 18-24
months for colony control hoping that another group from the same colony
is not attacking the house somewhere out of sight? With the termidor a
foraging termite gets into the treated zone and is dead in 3 days along
with his buddies he has contacted and in turn who they have mingled with
so no actual feeding line has actually gotten established.

Lar

Another Termite Question
 

Unless you are just partial to malathion, maybe trying to use it up?
Probably any other liquid insecticide you use will last longer around
the foundation...and not have the odor to boot :)

Lar

What would you recommend for homeowner specific treatment to cover ants
and termites?
I know insecticides like clordane are no longer available and others
are only available to professionals. Irritates me, because I have a
chemical background and have handled many toxic materials.

Thanks to my neighbor, the termite colony is gone. I don't know what
his exterminator specifically used. I know they sprayed the infested
wood and set out bait stations for the juvenile hormone. Stumps on my
property, and wood piles on his neighbor in back were infested. If
termites were to return, he's got a lot of dead wood lying on his
property. Neighborhood is such that he and a few other neighbors do
not maintain back yards, cut grass etc. One of his trees fell on my
property and he cut it up and stacked it in the back yard where it's
been laying the last 2-3 years. Doesn't bother me. One big bait
station.

Every spring, it seems, the ants come back and wife sprays kitchen and
I spray around foundation. I have malathion for trees, mainly nuts, in
northern DE. My wife worries about Lymes disease, and likes me to
treat lawn for deer ticks too.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

Frank wrote:


What would you recommend for homeowner specific treatment to cover ants
and termites?
I know insecticides like clordane are no longer available and others
are only available to professionals. Irritates me, because I have a
chemical background and have handled many toxic materials.

For ants, any general insecticide applied as you are doing it will work
for what you are trying to control, for ease they will come pre mixed
and attach to the hose. Malathian and diazinon have food crops on their
label because they will break down quickly outside. I would be surprised
if more than a week of effectiveness for Mal. and 10-14 days for Diaz.
can be expected.
If you went the way of bifenthrin or Lambda-cyhalothrin, common active
indgredients of the Home Depot type products, and are actually used a
lot in the Pest control industry, but what you will buy is a lot more
"diluted" than what a pro would use, you won't get much longer residual,
but a lot less odor so unless that is an issue doing what you have been
doing will work without any extra expense.

For termite control they really aren't helping much. Best suggestion
would be to make sure you can view several inches of your foundation and
keep wood to ground contact at a minimum around the structure.

I'll end by saying I am am amazed what can be bought over EBAY

Lar


Every spring, it seems, the ants come back and wife sprays kitchen and
I spray around foundation. I have malathion for trees, mainly nuts, in
northern DE. My wife worries about Lymes disease, and likes me to
treat lawn for deer ticks too.

Frank

Another Termite Question
 

Lar wrote:
Frank wrote:


What would you recommend for homeowner specific treatment to cover ants
and termites?
I know insecticides like clordane are no longer available and others
are only available to professionals. Irritates me, because I have a
chemical background and have handled many toxic materials.

For ants, any general insecticide applied as you are doing it will work
for what you are trying to control, for ease they will come pre mixed
and attach to the hose. Malathian and diazinon have food crops on their
label because they will break down quickly outside. I would be surprised
if more than a week of effectiveness for Mal. and 10-14 days for Diaz.
can be expected.
If you went the way of bifenthrin or Lambda-cyhalothrin, common active
indgredients of the Home Depot type products, and are actually used a
lot in the Pest control industry, but what you will buy is a lot more
"diluted" than what a pro would use, you won't get much longer residual,
but a lot less odor so unless that is an issue doing what you have been
doing will work without any extra expense.

For termite control they really aren't helping much. Best suggestion
would be to make sure you can view several inches of your foundation and
keep wood to ground contact at a minimum around the structure.

I'll end by saying I am am amazed what can be bought over EBAY

Lar

Thanks, that's about what I figured.
Frank