Termite Baits and Traps

The termite is quite the incredible insect. Unlike other household pests, termites have the potential to do some serious damage to the actual structure of one's home. Like many insects, termites are hardwired to dwell in areas that are closest to the proximity of their two needs: food and water. Food they get from the wood in one's house and the water is usually taken from household piping and other plumbing. These are good things to keep in mind when dealing with a termite infestation of any kind. Because when one does have termites crawling around the house one of the best ways of dealing with them is to use termite baits and traps instead of a physical method such as a termite backhoe.

Using Termite Baits and Traps

The best way to make sure termites don't start eating away at the foundation of one's home is to take prevention methods. Any kind of dripping faucet or leaky pipe should be fixed. Also, any place or part of the house that collects or pools water should be cleaned. Check that the wood in the foundation of your home is not touching soil. In the yard, make sure to clear rotting stumps or wood debris.

If the termites are already inside the house than it is time to use baits and traps. Termites are not lone creatures; in fact they exist in large groups called colonies. These colonies can have up to thousands of termites all working together for one common goal. That goal is mainly food and water. So if one is spotted, one can surely bet that many more are not too far behind.

Keeping this in mind will help one maximize their use of baits and traps when dealing with termites. Placement of traps and baits is extremely important when trying to eradicate a termite infestation. When beginning, start placing the bait or trap in small condensed spaces. Examples include crawl spaces, attics, closets and other such spots in the home. By placing these weapons against insects in tight spaces one is forcing the termite to come into contact with it. Termites are likely to move around the trap or bait if they are positioned in open spaces. If one is able to locate the colony, then placing the bait or trap near it will do considerable damage to the termite. Try and spot the part of the house where termite are entering this will help locate where the colony resides. Note that many termites burrow underground and chances are they underneath the house. This is especially the case when dealing with subterrean termites.

How Baits Work

Using baits and traps are both easy to use and efficient. They take little effort to set up and one can basically forget about them as they need little effort to maintain. Baits are small contraptions that trick the termite into believing there is food within. What is really inside is a poison that kills termites. The purpose of the bait, is not simply for a termite to be duped, is to give the termite a poison that it will bring back to the colony. Since termites take whatever food they find or forage back to their colony, the bait will administer the poison to countless termites once it's been taken by a single worker termite. Traps are similar in set up and make. Though, instead of spreading poison to a whole colony they simply kill the termite unfortunate to step into the trap. This is why it is important to keep termite baits and traps near colonies because there is a chance the termite might die from the poison before he gets back home.