December 2007 / Vol.4 / Issue 12

Hello and Welcome to the December Greenpest News. Each month we aim to provide you with some useful information, keeping it short, sweet and pertinent.

Contents

1. Pest Talk
2. Customer Question of the Month.
3. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

Seasons greetings to everyone and wishing you a termite free and prosperous new year!  This month’s newsletter will be somewhat briefer mainly due to the fact that your author is feeling just a tad lazy during the Xmas break… and would like to enjoy some of the public holidays too.

This month we are going to revisit a topic that was discussed in our August 2005 newsletter.   This will be fresh information if you are one of the many new subscribers, and for those of you who do remember the article, we have added some interesting updates.

At least once a week, we get asked, “Why don’t we simply pre-load the Green Termite Baits with termiticide?”  It sounds like a great idea to just put in the poison right at the beginning and leave it for the termites to eat, but in reality it has several drawbacks that are not immediately apparent.  Since April 2007 we have had access to a fantastic new product called Termidor Dust® produced and marketed by BASF.  One of its unique features is that the termiticide (Fipronil) is impregnated into an alpha-cellulose bait matrix (dispersant) which is fully consumable by the termites.

It would appear at first glance to be an ideal product for pre-insertion into a bait.  Theoretically, they eat the bait and when they get to the Termidor Dust, they eat it too.  In a laboratory this approach would most likely work.

However, the exterior landscape around your home is a harsh environment for a termite bait.  Factors that affect the bait are:

• Humidity.
• Heat.
• Absorption of ground water.
• Bacterial activity.
• Plus an assortment of other microbial activity that leads to decay.

Interestingly enough, all of the above factors improve the way a Green Termite Bait works to attract termites.  They improve the natural decay process.  Since the Green Termite Bait is made from solid radiata pine it decays over a 3 – 5 year period; actually improving with age.  Their effectiveness at attracting termites is improving because termites prefer decaying timber (easier to digest) as well as the fact that termites are sensitive to trace amounts of decay gases that are released in the soil from the rotting timber.  Termites can ‘home in’ on a piece of timber that is rotting in the soil or on the surface.

This explains why it is very unlikely for scouting termites to pass up or miss a nearby Green Termite Bait.  When the baits are placed 2 – 3 metres apart around the perimeter of your home, termites will usually strike at one or both baits as they approach your home in search of food, which now returns us back to the topic.

If the bait was preloaded with Termidor Dust, will it still kill the termites when they strike the bait?

The answer is probably not, simply because the active ingredient (Fipronil) would have biodegraded and broken down into other basic and harmless molecules.  The biodegradation is caused by the 5 factors mentioned above.  The packaging label for Termidor Dust clearly states, ‘Store... in a dry, cool well ventilated area out of direct sunlight.’  Plainly, the variable conditions inside a Green Termite Bait installed in a garden or lawn, subject to absorbed moisture from rain and heat from sunshine, are counterproductive to a long life for the termiticide.  It may be fine for the first few months, but the life of the bait is expected to be 3 – 5 years and there is no way that the termiticide will last that long without serious biodegradation.

If the termiticide was pre-installed inside the Green Termite Bait, then you would need to replace the whole bait every 3 – 6 months to ensure the integrity of the termiticide, and that would be an expensive exercise!

When we treat an active bait with Termidor Dust, you have many advantages.

• The Termidor Dust is fresh and potent.
• The termites are well established with an eating pattern inside the bait.
• You have a chance to identify the species of termite and know whether they are high risk or not.
• Since you know the date of treatment, you can monitor the results a month later.

You see, if the bait was pre-treated, you may never even notice if the termites have been and gone.  Was it successful?  You probably wouldn’t know.  Nor would you know that it needed replacing.  If you don’t replace it, then the old (used up) bait becomes a weak spot in your perimeter interception and defence.

Plainly, there are many good strong logical reasons supporting the benefits of freshly applying the termiticide to a bait only once it becomes active.  Here are some other reasons why we don’t pre-apply the termiticide:

• It’s not legal.  To make it legal one would have to run many tests for both safety and efficacy over many years before the product would pass registration with the APVMA.
• It would double the price of the baits to start with.
• When you take into consideration that many of the baits will see out their life without a termite attack; then it is simply a waste of money.
• If a pre-poisoned bait was dug up and chewed by a curious dog, it may present a hazard.

There are several reasons why we don’t supply the termiticide in the kits.

• Not everyone wants to treat the baits themselves and the termiticide would add considerable cost to the kit.
• Laws actually prohibit the decanting of termiticide (and all registered poisons) into smaller packages without authorisation and correct labelling.
• Termidor Dust is registered and patented by BASF and they are presently the only ones who could supply the dust in smaller more affordable packages.  For a range of reasons, it’s unlikely that they will do this anytime in the near future.

Most termiticides are packaged in quantities that are affordable to pest controllers simply because they use the product all the time.  It simply isn’t viable for a home owner to buy the product for a one off use for two reasons:

• It’s not economical.
• Without correct training, misused termiticides are ineffective which in turn can lead to:
• False sense of security.
• Increased risk of termite damage.
• Unreasonable legal claims against the manufacturer of the termiticide.

To sum up, it is not a good idea to pre-load a Green Termite Bait with termiticide.  The Green Termite Bait System is perfect the way it is.  It’s simple and effective:

• Install the baits and check them once a month.
• Treat the baits when they become active with termites - destroy the nest in 2 to 4 weeks.

Over the past 11 years, this simple system has achieved a better than 99.5% success rate at protecting homes from termites.  It’s the backbone of our Termiproof warranty.  We have complete confidence in it and we know you can trust in it too.

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Customer Question of the Month.

Question:

Hi,
I see you always mention Termidor dust and not the Termidor liquid.  Is there any reason, or are they just as good as each other?
Cheers, Lindsay. ELIZABETH VALE SA

Answer:

Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for your question.
Termidor Dust is our preferred method and the best method.
Termidor liquid was used prior to Termidor Dust which was released in Australia in the middle of this year.  The liquid is still used in some cases when the dust is not suitable.  However, the dust is specifically registered for use within a termite baiting station.  When it's used correctly, it is more effective than the liquid.
However, we may revert to using liquid Termidor to treat the soil around and under a Green Termite Bait (via the bait) under the following circumstances:

• The bait has not been checked by the home owner regularly and there is little left to treat.
• The bait has been disturbed (by accident or ignorance) and we have few or no termites to work with.
• The bait is overly moist and dust flow from hole to hole is restricted.

When our technicians are looking at each individual bait that is active with termites and ready for treatment, they use Termidor Dust unless they feel that the liquid is more suitable.  Once again you are getting the benefit of their experience.  It’s just another reason why we advise calling a professional to treat your baits rather than attempting to DIY.

Cheers,
Jerry

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The Greenpest News is Published by J & A Furnell Nominees P/L; Shop 23a Franklin Square, 60 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Jerry Furnell. The reader is encouraged to seek further information from appropriate government and statutory departments before taking any action based on this material alone.

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See you again next month.

Always... At your service,

Jerry Furnell
Green Pest Control & Green Termite Bait Systems.
Phone 1800 6 12345.

Copyright 2007 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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