The Top 6 Reasons Termites Are NOT Taking Your Bait
Termite baiting has been around for some time with a number of companies producing their own
baits. Each one claims to own the magic bullet in wiping them out. Yet we have heard over the
last 12 months from our colleagues in the field that Termites are just not taking the bait.
If Termites do not take the bait, the work we do as pest managers increases with additional
visits, resulting in potentially unhappy customers.
Looking into this further, we are constantly asked, “have techniques changed since termite
bait became available?” and “are we doing it right?” So, with the launch of our newsletter, we
wanted to get stuck into this concept of termite baiting and open this up to Pest Managers for
feedback.
Top 5 reasons Termites are not taking your bait!
1. The mixed bait is either too wet or too dry. Even after following instructions on the
label, as you always should do, the manufacturer says the bait needs to be either slightly
wetter (in dry seasons) or dryer (in wet seasons)!
2. Contaminated liquid is used to mix bait. The water type used by manufacturers can
have a negative effect on the bait. Using spring water, distilled water, tank water, tap
water or blue Gatorade can mean the effectiveness of the bait can vary.
3. Are your Termites disturbed? Termite disturbance can result from the actions of
the Pest Manager when installing bait or by the occupants of the property constantly
checking or poking holes in the area looking for dead termite bodies. Make sure you take
care and tell your customers to leave the bait alone!
4. Is your bait tasty to Termites? Mixing the active ingredient with your standard mix
does not necessarily mean the termites will consume it. Manufacturers spend time and
money in research to create palatable bait. Is it the product or is it what we do with it
that makes the bait unpalatable? We are told nicotine is a repellent, for example. We’ve
also been advised to use latex gloves when mixing and using the bait. So where are you
keeping your gloves?
5. We put it in the wrong place! Is it possible we put the bait in the wrong place to get
Termites feeding on it. Can it be placed anywhere termite activity is or do we need to
locate the bait on the “feeding front”?
6. Mounting the ground station properly. Did we use the wrong sealant to mount the
above ground station? The favourite is “No More Gaps” but is there a better product?
Hopefully these tips and questions have you thinking about how you bait your Termites. Is the
solution as simple as putting your gloves into a plastic container? Or does the answer involve a
more complex bait approach?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Termite Baiting! Tell us what you think the issue is or
how you solved that problem job or fill us in about anything relating to baiting termites:
