Pennsylvania…Home Sweet Home. Roughly translated, Pennsylvania means “Penn’s Woods”. It has been called home by William Penn, the Quakers, and many generations of Pennsylvanians since. The heavily wooded land that was given to William Penn by King Charles II was rich in hunting ground and farmland for the early settlers. Unfortunately, Penn’s Woods also came loaded with more. The soil was rich with subterranean termites.
Importance
Americans are known to go to great lengths to protect their homes. We hire alarm companies, place locks on all of our doors, install early fire detection, keep tree branches away from home, and take other safety precautions to make sure our homes are safe.
Termites cause about five billion dollars-worth of damage to homes in the United States every year. Unfortunately, home owner’s insurance does not help to cover the cost of those repairs in most cases.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are a secretive pest that actually lives in the soil. They randomly forage looking for wood that has fallen to the ground. Once the wood hits the ground it’s game on! Each termite colony is equipped with thousands of scouts. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week these scouts are charged with the task of finding new food sources. Once they find a suitable source, they lay a pheromone trail connecting the colony to the food.
Termite Baiting
The colony has one primary task; gather enough food to feed its 60,000 – 1,000,000 members. Since termites are basically blind (they can make out some light, but that’s it) and can’t use logic, they can’t tell the difference between a fallen log and your home.
Understanding the foraging behavior of the termite scouts was a key element in the development of termite baiting systems. These systems provide today’s homeowner with options when choosing how to prevent or solve their termite issues.
Termite control professionals can install a termite baiting system around your home. By strategically placing termite bait stations, the professional gives termite scouts something to look for, and when they find it, it’s game over!
How it Works
The stations are filled with a bait that is scientifically proven to be preferred by termites over real wood. The active ingredient in the bait is an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). The IGR is designed to harden the shell of the young developing termites. Young termites need to molt (think of a snake shedding its skin) to reach maturity.
Worker termites share the food they gather with the entire colony, from the young termites to the Queen. Once the IGR is consumed, the outer shell of the young termite hardens and they are unable to molt. The young termites die off because they can’t complete their maturation cycle. This breaks the natural life-cycle of the colony, eventually causing colony elimination.
Whether you install a termite baiting system to eliminate an ongoing termite problem, or as a way of preventing termite invasion, Tomlinson Bomberger’s termite baiting system will give you the peace of mind and protection you are looking for. If you’d like to learn more about Tomlinson Bomberger’s termite baiting services, please contact us here.
