Termite treatments are meant to keep your property secure from termites or to eliminate entire colonies of termites. Although they are quite effective at this, many homeowners are concerned about the safety of these treatments. In this article, we’ll go over the most commonly used termite treatments and assess their safety.
Treatments
Treatments for termites differ depending on the species being treated. Chemical barriers and baiting systems are available for subterranean termites, while fumigations and wood treatments are available for drywood and dampwood termites.
The baiting approach is the safest of these options, and it is employed to eliminate entire colonies. A piece of cellulose coated with a slow-acting insecticide is placed in the ground within a plastic container, posing no risk to almost everyone. Chemical barriers come in second place. In this treatment, a pesticide is injected into the ground to form an impenetrable barrier. There is no risk to homeowners or their pets during the installation of the barrier as long as the space is clear.
Then there are the wood treatments. Wood treatments are applied to termite-infested pieces of wood, and some measures must be followed during and after the installation process. These precautions will be recommended by your exterminator. Finally, fumigation is employed to combat large-scale drywood termite infestations. A fumigation entails erecting a tent over the structure and releasing a gaseous insecticide within the tent. You’ll have to vacate the premises, remove all food and medications from the premises, and possibly clean up afterwards. The exterminator will also explain the procedure for this treatment.
Termiticides that were utilized
The termiticides that are utilized during a treatment have improved in safety over time. For example, cyclodienes, which were widely used in the 1970s, are now highly regulated. Other termiticides, such pentachlorophenol and chlorpyrifos, are able to strike a balance between toxicity and treatment duration. For example, chlorpyrifos has a residual effect of up to ten years, which implies it only needs to be sprayed once every ten years. These termiticides, however, are still dangerous and should be handled by a specialist.
Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about your termite treatment in Cape Cod and how safe they are, or if you have a termite infestation that needs to be eliminated.
