Are Your Termite Bait Stations Effective If Your Termite Company Never Checks Them?

You know the old saying about “a watched phone never rings”? The same rings true when you expect your termite bait stations to work even if your termite company never checks them. Termite bait stations serve as a signal for termite activity. They are a means to alert you that termites are around and looking to nest. Within the industry, the term used to signal termites are entering the bait stations is called “getting a hit”. It’s crucial your termite company check them in order to determine if your termite bait stations are getting hits. To help understand the importance of checking your bait stations, it is important to know how bait stations work.

How termite bait stations work

There are two types of termite bait stations which are most often used. These are the Advance bait stations and the Sentricon bait stations. Mosquito Squad of Columbia uses the Advance termite bait stations. With the Advance bait stations, you can see they are working as our Mosquito Squad Termite Technicians keep you informed if any termite activity is found during the monitoring of the stations. Of course, cost is always a concern, and Advance bait stations are just as effective as the Sentricon stations that the “big” companies use and only costs about half the initial installation price.  The “big” termite and pest control companies like to use the Sentricon stations to minimize labor, fuel and product cost.  They only monitor their stations once a year whereas Mosquito Squad of Columbia monitors the Advance termite bait stations every three months.  Usually, when other companies monitor their stations, they do not inform the customer if any activity was found. 

Mosquito Squad of Columbia believes in communication with the customer, so that when activity is found in our stations, the customer is informed.  Since we monitor the stations this closely on a routine basis, we will know whether you have termite activity and then we will add termiticide to the bait station. Advance bait stations are equipped with wood and a bait cartridge filled with cellulose which will keep the termites in the station longer than Sentricon bait stations. This is because it takes the termite longer to eat and digest the cellulose within our bait stations. Tiny amounts of insecticide are deployed like edible smart bombs to knock out populations of termites foraging in and around the structure. Foraging termites will consume the live bait and share it with their nest mates resulting in a gradual decline in termite numbers. Some bait stations may actually eliminate entire termite colonies.

Bait station technology has really evolved. The bait stations of yesteryear only monitored termite activity and required follow-up with a liquid termiticide to keep the termites from penetrating the alert system set forth by the stations. Our stations provide both. Our bait stations begin protecting your home the moment they are put into place.

Termite prevention and control is a very complex topic and no two properties are alike in terms of what termite prevention method works best. One home may only require bait stations and another may require a more intensive treatment such as liquid termiticide. It’s crucial to hire a company that seeks to maintain a termite-free environment on your property through ongoing monitoring and re-baiting as needed.

Mosquito Squad of Columbia is offering a thorough termite Inspection of your home or business.  Using state-of-the-art LED camera and video technology, we are able to show you images of what the technician actually observes. This allows us to recommend the solution to protect your home. We will show you images of these areas so you can make a more informed decision regarding prevention, treatment, and repairs. Our services cost about 40% less than the big named termite companies in our area.

Your home is likely to be the single-biggest investment you will make in your lifetime. Our termite service can ensure that your home is protected against the damages inflicted by termites.