Termite Inspection Orange County Termite Terry Pest Control

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

What everybody ought to know . . . About Local Drywood Termite Treatments

In this article, you’ll learn some very important information about localized drywood termite treatments that you’ll find invaluable the next time you need a termite treatment.

    Over the years, home and business owners have been bombarded with radio, newspaper and television ads from various termite companies that claim that their localized drywood termite treatments are equivalent to fumigation. However, many of the products that these companies use have no published research or reliable efficacy data to back up their claims.

    To answer concerns of home and business owners and to help clear up confusion, the Structural Pest Control Board awarded contracts to the University Of California to conduct evaluations on six products that are regularly used for localized drywood termite treatments. Dr. Mike Rust of UC Riverside was assigned to conduct the lab studies and Dr. Vernard Lewis of UC Berkeley was to direct the field studies.

    Now, let’s take a look at some of the information found in their published reports.

The Lab Study Results

    The lab test results from Dr. Rust are particularlyinteresting. In his first study, small pieces of wood were treated with six different drywood termite control products. Drywood termites were placed in a petri dish along with freshly treated wood samples and the lab staff regularly counted the number of dead termites.

    In this study, you can see how some products work faster than others. Termidor, mixed at the ratio of .125%, and Optigard foam gave 100% control after only one day of exposure. Other products gained full control after 7, 14 or 26 days. Three of the products tested gave results of 83.3% to 88.9% after a month.

    In his next study, he treated wood samples with these same products, but let them sit and age for 30 days before exposing these samples to termites. Even after aging for 30 days, Termidor at .125% and Optigard foam gave 100% control in one day. The most interesting bomb shell to come out of this test was that wood treated with 10% Timbor, XT-2000 orange oil and Premise foam performed no better than untreated wood! Apparently, these products lose their effectiveness soon after application.

    What do these test results mean to you? You now have scientific proof on how these products perform and you now know that you need to insist on having your termite treatment done using Termidor at .125% or Optigard foam. You have also learned which products to avoid.

The Field Test Results

    In Dr. Lewis’ field test, he drilled and injected these same six products into randomly selected pieces of wood. These pieces of wood were kept at ambient temperature for three months and then dissected to establish results.Termidor is the only one of the six products tested that got 100% control. Timbor came in at 99% control, Bora-Care at 98%, Optigard Foam and XT-2000 Orange Oil at 81% and Premise Foam at 41%.

    One big point you need to note is that if the areas are properly drilled and treated, most products will do a decent job of controlling termites. However, if you are going to have a local treatment performed on your home or business, you should insist that your technician use products that have the best proven results.

Field Test Results On Real Homes

    In the next portion of his tests, Dr. Lewis wanted to demonstrate product performance in the field and his team selected 43 homes from 14 cities in the state. These homes were located as far north as Sonoma and as far south as Lo Jolla.

    The homes chosen represented a wide assortment of real-world termite treatment scenarios. Drywood termite infestations were found in many different locations, including garages, attics, decks, areas behind drywall and crawl spaces.

    A portable acoustic emission (AE) device that detects termite feeding was used to determine the presence of drywood termites. All infested wood members were then drilled and injected with six different termite treatment products. The products used in the tests were Bora-Care, Optigard foam, Premise foam, Termidor SC, Timbor and XT-2000 orange oil. In addition, two untreated checks were included: treatment with water only and no treatment.

    Three months later, all treated areas were re-tested with the acoustic emission device. Dr Lewis wrote in his final report, “The efficacy of products among treatments when compared to untreated checks was unremarkable after the 3-month post-treatment inspection and the high variability masked treatment effects. With the exception of Timbor and the untreated checks, most products demonstrated at least a 90% reduction in AE counts post-treatment. However, the reduction in AE counts, as measured by the change or difference between Pre- and Post-treatment AE counts was not significantly different when compared to water injected boards and untreated checks.”

The Bottom Line

    During a live presentation on his studies, Dr. Rust stated that there is no substitute for whole-house fumigations. He said that if fumigations are performed correctly, they are the most effective way to completely eradicate drywood termites. But, localized drywood termites still have their place in certain situations, such as apartments or condos where fumigation is not practical or possible to do. The other points that he really emphasized are that if you are going to have a localized treatment performed, careful inspection and detection of termite infestations are very critical. Also, any localized treatment must be followed up with regular inspections and treatments as needed.

Have a termite problem?

    If you have termites and you’re not sure of how to take care of them, call us at (949) 631-7348 and we’ll be happy to schedule an inspection at your convenience. With our inspection, you’ll learn a lot of valuable information, discover your options and then you can decide which treatment plan best fits your needs.