Pestech Baiting

Termite bai*ng

Some tricks of the trade

Creative Pest Solutions

Overview

•  Why monitoring & bai*ng? •  IG placement (outside demo / discussion)

•  AG placement (inside demo / discussion)

•  Moisture and bai*ng

•  Termite biology

•  Amount of bait taken (and Winter feeding)

•  Is there a magic bullet?


Why Monitoring?

•  Economical compared to other op*ons – Cheaper installa*on cost compared to chemical barrier treatments which are typically very expensive to install.

•  Makes “Business Sense” for Pest Controllers – Sell a full service contract to maintain contact with your customer base and expand referrals


Why Monitoring?

•  Proven Science – When used correctly a monitoring system is a perfectly legi*mate, scien*fically proven method to protect a property from termite aPack

•  Simple to install, maintain and monitor – Compared to chemical barriers, monitoring sta*ons are much simpler to install


Why Monitoring?

•  Can be used instead of or as a supplement to a chemical barrier – Monitoring sta*ons may be used in areas not suitable for the installa*on of a chemical barrier •  Site gradient, soil type •  Construc*on type •  Construc*on issues

•  No harsh chemistry around the home – Very low toxicity – Very low environmental impact


Why Bai*ng?

•  Colony elimina*on – Baits are bePer at elimina*ng the colony, unlike many chemical op*ons which don’t always control the colony

•  Another “tool” to control termite infesta*ons – There are many circumstances when chemical treatments cannot be used that are bePer suited to bai*ng


Why Xterm?

•  Newest bait formula*on on the market – Higher loading than other baits means less bait consump*on required to get control

•  Proven performance – Highly palatable – Fast ac*ng compared to other baits

•  High quality components

•  No contracts or annual renewal fees


Bait Placement IG installa*on

•  Perimeter placements – Review site orienta*on, gradients and construc*on – How far apart to place bait sta*ons

•  Hot spots – Gardens – High moisture areas (AC, drainage, leaks from guPer, etc)

– Taps, u*lity entries to building – Other wood sources (trees, fences, etc)


Bait Placement IG installa*on

•  Why is the dripline important? – Bait sta*ons on or outside the dripline will get more hits than inside the dripline due to moisture levels

– Also along sides of paths / driveways

•  Walk around conference venue discussing bait placement


Bait Placement AG installa*on

•  Place at the feeding front

•  Place a bait at each feeding front

•  Not the best loca*ons – AC units – Near fans – Areas of high sunlight


Bait Placement AG installa*on

•  Difficult sites (poor access, small applica*on areas) – Adapt bait sta*on – Use cartridge on its own – Empty cartridge •  Use pellets in bag •  Use bait as paste in squeeze boPle

•  Discuss bait placement in conference venue (assuming different termite aPack scenarios)


Prepara*on Moisture is cri*cal

•  Termites generally require a minimum moisture 24% to maintain con*nued feeding on a food source – Already present in food source or brought in by termites

•  Need to maintain moisture – Top up on inspec*on if required – Keep wrapper on, on 5 sides, if concerned


Prepara*on Moisture is cri*cal

•  Different baits have different moisture requirements – Depends on physical and chemical nature of formula*ons

–  But more water ≠ bePer feeding –  Xterm label rate: Water 0.5 : Bait 1 –  Exterra label rate: Water 4 : Bait 1

•  Demo with different amounts of water added to Xterm


How to baits work?

•  All baits contain Chi*n Synthesis Inhibitors

•  CSIs block the produc*on of chi*n and the shedding of the old and crea*on of the new chi*n membranes •  As liPle as 1% of workers moult each day but more effec*ve on faster moul*ng early instars.

•  Peritrophic membrane (in gut) contains chi*n and may be shed regularly.


How to baits work?

•  What happens to termites that have eaten bait? •  Workers & larvae will die when they try to moult

•  Queen egg produc*on will slow, any eggs will not be viable

•  May effect peritrophic membrane leading to starva*on (faster control)

•  High mortality levels can lead to rapid colony collapse due to microbial aPack


Biology

•  Lower termites (baits work well) – Coptotermes, Schedorhinotermes, Heterotermes

– Single colony, single queen, trophyllaxis •  Schedorhinotermes mul*-‐nesters (difficult to control all colonies in an area)

– Food generally processed quickly – Queen and brood highly reliant on workers


Biology

•  Higher termites (baits have moderate performance) – Nasu5termes, Microceratermes – Food processed more slowly – Higher tolerance to toxicants – Longer lived soldiers and reduced or no adult moul*ng


Performance How much bait is required?

•  Bait taken ≠ Bait eaten – Bait is taken back to the nest for consump*on – Bait may be stored for later consump*on •  Especially in Winter

•  Record bait consump*on – Apply a know quan*ty of bait – Record how much bait has been taken •  Use dry weight (ideal)


Performance How much bait is required?

•  Demo – Guess how much Xterm has been eaten

•  Minimum amount of bait required varies by species – General rule: Nasu5termes > Coptotermes > Schedorhinotermes •  Depends on nest size and season •  Scheds can be very variable even during Summer

– Coptotermes acinaciformis •  Xterm: As liPle as 20g •  Chlorfluazuron: 10 *mes as much (200g)


Performance Winter feeding

•  Effect of cooler temperatures / Winter – Termite metabolism slows down •  Require less food •  No moul*ng •  No or liPle brood

•  Termites may take more bait (but store it in the nest)

•  Baits appear to take longer to work Creative Pest Solutions

Is there a magic bullet? (The answer is no)

•  APractants – CO2 – Wood and fungal extracts – Pheromones and pheromone mimics (2-‐phenoxyethanol)

•  Phagos*mulants – Pheromones / Termite secre*ons (Hydraquinone) – Amino acids – Carbohydates (sugars) – Sports drinks


Tips for AG bai*ng success

•  Thorough inspec*on •  Locate ALL feeding fronts (and entry points) •  Place bait at ALL feeding fronts •  Keep moisture levels up in bait

•  Know your enemy!


Pestech Baiting

Environment

Transcript of Pestech Baiting