Termite Control: Liquid VS. Bait

The most destructive insect in the United States is the subterranean termite. These wood-destroying insects cost U.S. property owners billions of dollars each year in repair costs, and billions more to exterminate these pests and arrest the damage being done. But it does not have to be this way.

You can actually stop termites before they enter. The two ways that work best are liquids and baits. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of these two processes, and see which works best.

Liquid Barrier Termite Control

This process, which creates a barrier of termiticide in the soil around a structure to kill termites that pass through, has been the industry standard for controlling termites for many years. This method is extremely effective, but it has two drawbacks.

First, it is necessary to bore holes and trench around the foundation of the structure and this can sometimes be problematic.

Second, some liquid barriers do a good job of killing termites, but they do nothing to destroy the colony that is sending workers to breach the barrier. When the liquid barrier slowly wears out, worker termites will eventually find a way through.

At American Pest, we realize that liquid barriers can have drawbacks. That is why we use Altriset®. This eco-friendly product doesn’t just kill termites, it also works to kill the colony that is attacking.

Chlorantraniliprole, the active ingredient in Altriset®, causes a paralysis in the jaw muscles of worker termites, slowly making it so they can no longer eat. Those workers then carry and spread Chlorantraniliprole to other workers in the colony, causing them to starve and die.

This can work its way all the way back to the colony and kill the queen. Without a queen, the colony dies.

Altriset® is also proven to last longer than other termiticides, sometimes as much as twice as long. So, the barrier created stays effective longer. In the battle against termite workers that never stop foraging, this is essential for success.

What is most amazing about Altriset®, compared to other termiticide barriers, is that it doesn’t affect other beneficial insects. You don’t have to worry about honey bees or earthworms dying off because of your termite treatment. Altriset® is completely safe for the environment. And, if you’re looking to protect a new home, Altriset® is the perfect product. It can be put into the ground before construction, without trenching, and protect a home for years.

As a monitoring system, Sentricon® bait stations are put around the perimeter of a structure and checked periodically by our service teams. When the bait, which is scientifically proven to be more desirable than wood to foraging termites, is taken, we are alerted to the issue and can take appropriate measures to arrest the threat quickly.

When termites strike, the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System is employed to fight back. Worker termites take the bait and bring it back to their colony.

Like Altriset®, the Sentricon® bait works its way back to the colony and kills the queen, but it works in a different way. The active ingredient in Sentricon® doesn’t just cause termites to lose their ability to eat; it kills them.

Studies have shown that this bait system is the most powerful way to eliminate colonies because of this slow-acting agent slips by the defenses of a termite colony through the natural sharing of food/secretions.

Homes that have the Sentricon® System installed also have an effective barrier. Sentricon® acts like a shield because it uses the worker termites’ incessant foraging behavior against it. When food is found, many termites will continue to forage, ensuring that they will eventually find the bait and share it with other workers, and eventually with the queen herself.