Termite Control: Sentricon vs. Termidor
We live deep down in termite country, and it’s time to think about extending our termite contract. Our house had a clean bill of health when we bought it earlier this summer, but the initial five year termite contract is almost up. Thus, we’re currently considering our options. Right now we have two main alternatives… The Sentricon System and Termidor.
The Sentricon System consists of a series of bait stations surrounding the perimeter of your house. The pest control company periodically monitors these stations and, once they detect termite activity, they replace the wood bait with a poison that is supposed to wipe out the colony. Sentricon is probably the most ‘green’ solution out there, but its effectiveness has also been brought into question by a number of so-called experts.
Termidor, on the other hand, is a chemical termiticide that provides a soil barrier surrounding your house. From what I’ve read, it’s far more effective than Sentricon, and not particularly dangerous to people. Termidor costs about $50 more than Sentricon up front, but the annual contract, which covers monitoring, periodic reapplication (if necessary) and repair of any termite damage is about $150 less for Termidor as compared to Sentricon.
We had Sentricon at our previous house, and we never had any termite activity (either in the house or in the bait stations). But that house was built on a slab foundation, and it was much more difficult to apply a chemical barrier in that situation — in fact, some companies refused to even treat slab houses. Our new house is on a crawl space, so you can readily access the foundation (inside and out). Thus, chemical treatment is a more viable alternative.
Does anyone out there have real life experience with either of these? Any recommendations? And please don’t say to just go without — where we live that’s just not an option.
For more information on moving, check out my Roadmap for a Successful Relocation.
Disclaimer: Discover is a paid advertiser of this site.
Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.
Modified on September 10th, 2006 - 307 Comments
Filed under: House & Home
About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!
Related articles...
» From the Archives (August 19th – August 25th)» From the Archives (August 24th – August 30th)
» Roadmap for a Successful Relocation
» Hidden Costs of Home Ownership
» Independent Contractor vs. Employee: What’s the Difference?
» Xbox 360 Followup
» 401(k) With No Match, Should You Contribute?
» Reducing Our Electrical Usage, Update #1
Was this article useful? Please sign up to receive our content via e-mail:
307 Responses to “Termite Control: Sentricon vs. Termidor”
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 » Show All
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 » Show All
Leave a Reply
Top Cards by Category
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
Bonus Miles: Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel after you spend $500 on the Card within the first three months of Cardmembership. Earn As You Spend: Get 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles for all other eligible dollars spent.
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
The SimplyCash(R) Business Card from American Express aims to help your business succeed with a generous cash-back rewards program. Many businesses can benefit from cash back categories such as U.S. office supply stores, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. gas stations. This card not only offers a low introductory purchase APR but also doesn't charge an annual fee.
The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*
- How to Become a Millionaire
- How to Get Out of Debt
- The Best Dollars I've Ever Spent
- How Our Estate Plan is Structured
- How We Paid Our Mortgage In Less than 10 Years
- Money Making Ideas
- How to Manage Your Asset Allocation with Multiple Accounts
- Consumption Smoothing - Save While the Saving's Good
- How to Save on Groceries
- How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
- Eleven Great Books About Money
- Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math
- Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS
- $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Pay Off Mortgage Early or Invest?
- How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Termite Control: Sentricon vs. Termidor
- How Much Should You Pay a Babysitter?
- Reduced Credit Limits? Share Your Experience
- Ethanol Blended Gas = Lower Mileage?
- $15,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Buying Furniture off the Back of a Truck
- Will Mac OS X Lion Kill Quicken 2007?
How to save money on insurance
- Can you afford an international retirement living?
- How to help your family after you are gone
- Will Social Security be gone before I retire?
- Refund, or no refund?
- This battle of the sexes has no winner
- What to look for when buying an energy-efficient home
- The hidden savings in a rent payment
- How to save money on vacations using social media and new technologies
- How to budget without regular paychecks
- What do you do with your windfalls?
April 9th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Thanks Jim for your imput. It has helped me make my decision. I live in a wooded area and don’t want to wait around to see if I’m going to catch anything in a trap. Also, I have a curious toddler that I know will try to pull the round Sentricon disks out of the ground. I saw the termites last year and I’m sure they will be back this year but rather wait around for them to come I will make the barrier around my house with the Termidor.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Any advice about warranties on Thermidor? The company will give me a 4-year warranty for no additional cost, and a 10-year warranty for $99/year. I live in New England where the termites are not as fierce as in other areas. Would I be taking too great a risk to just get the 4-year warranty? Money is super tight now.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Jim- You’re the only one on here selling something – Termidor. Termidor is a good product. We use it. But, we also use Sentricon, and it is just as good as Termidor. I don’t work for Dow and never have, but I have been in the business for 41 years and have used Chlordane, Aldrin, Sentricon, Dursban TC, Termidor…. you name it, I’ve used it. Sentricon and Termidor are both about 99% effective. You mention that Sentricon contaminates the soil every time it rains! What a joke. Are you a new applicator? There is nothing to leach. The bait is tightly packed in a plastic container. Nothing leaches out, and if it did, it wouldn’t leach more than a few inches. Some clients don’t want 200 gallons of pesticide injected around their homes. For those people, Sentricon is perfect. Works great. Easy on the environment. Never wears off. Period! You need to get over the fact that you are not an authorized Sentricon Dealer. It’s okay to push Termidor. It is a good product and I’ve done over 3,000 jobs with it, but don’t downgrade Sentricon. It is just as good and has saved many a home from termites.
April 12th, 2010 at 11:51 am
I live in central MD and saw a small swarm last spring (maybe 100 outside front door brick stoop, 30 inside) and again just the other day (25 to 50 outside in mulch next to front door, 20 inside). We found one mud tunnes coming in near a basement window right next to the stoop.
With these details, do you think it would be okay to just use Sentricon (with an extra station in the swarm area and both hot baited) and not spot treat with Termidor? Or do I have to at least spot treat that area and under the brick stoop. I don’t like using pesticides near the house. I like the fact that the active ingredient in Sentricon is a chiton inhibitor whereas Termidor uses a nerve agent.
Also, how effective are the above ground bait stations for putting over that one tunnel we found indoors?
Thanks!
April 12th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Sentricon is fine to use as a “stand alone” treatment. And yes, by putting an above ground station where the active tunnel is, you will immediately be getting bait into the colony.
April 12th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I was just doing a search for more info on Sentricon and found this site:
http://www.syix.com/emu/html/sentricon.html
The site inclused supposed statements from entomologists and people in the industry about how ineffective the baits are. I know a lot of you guys that sell the system will defend it, but are there any 3rd party reviews of the product other than the one famous study?
April 12th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Sentricon baits, if done right can be somewhat effective.Nothing close to Termidor . Every independent study done will back that up.Another thing is to company you choose!! Too many companies have bait station of all brands out there full of rotten wood and mud..And baits can be the best choice for prevention, with a company that will maintain them properly..
April 13th, 2010 at 10:26 am
“Every independent study done will back that up” Really, Jim. Can you please site 2 or 3 independent studies that show Termidor is more effective than Sentricon? Of all the baits, Sentricon is the only one where the manufacturer follows up to make sure the inspections are being done. However, you are correct that it is important to choose a pest professional that will do what they say and has a good reputation. Any method of termite treatment is only as good as the vendor who installs/applies it.
April 13th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
As a matter of fact Dow\Sentricon fired Terminix cause al the stations were full of mudddddd.
April 15th, 2010 at 9:43 am
The installer I want to use is very highly recommeneded. They also installed and maintain Sentricon at the White House. They use the electronic monitoring system. If they are only waving an electronic detector over the units, how can they know the condition of the wood or the interior of the trap?
April 15th, 2010 at 10:32 am
That is called the ESP system. The wood in the station rots over time with too much moisture. The ESP will sense if there are termites or too much moisture. Then, the technician will open the stations, inspect and install bait or replace the wood. If there is no signal, then everything is ok.
April 15th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Trey is going against the label: no partial treatments with Termidor allowed. Notice also the Sentricon system is not tested by the USDA Forest Service.
April 18th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Sentricon seems to be the best bait stations available. However, bait only can not guarantee termite control. You have to use a liquid (like Termidor), or a liquid plus bait. Termidor AND Sentricon combined would be an incredible treatment. To the best of my knowledge, I have not seen any evidence vindicating that termites are attracted to cellulose, which leaves the effectiveness of a bait only treatment up to luck. With a liquid, or a liquid plus bait, you can rest assured that termites will be eliminated from your home.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Actually, Sentricon is a stand alone treatment. Some companies my do a spot liquid treatment to get a “jumpstart” on the termites, but it is not required, nor recommended.
April 19th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
But what would guarantee that termites will find the bait stations? I have seen the work of companies who do bait only termite treatments, and while it does work at times, it also has a much higher retreat percentage than a Termidor treatment does. There is not evidence that termites are attracted to cellulose. If they were, they would not build exploratory mud tubes. The chances of a termite finding a bait station three inches in diameter placed ten feet apart is pretty slim, whereas with a liquid treatment that is done properly, a termite can not enter the house without ingesting or absorbing the Termidor. A conventional treatment done with Termidor is the best termite treatment you can have done to your home. Not to take away from Sentricon, as I have stated I do believe they are probably the leading bait stations and they do work excellent once termites find them, but you must use liquid along with the bait.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Termites forage randomly and continuously until one of the worker members of the colony find the underground wood. Once it has been found, pheromones are sent to other members of the colony. You state, “There is no evidence that termites are attracted to cellulose.” That is like saying humans are not attracted to food. Termites are constantly foraging to find cellulose (wood). Termites only build exploratory mud tubes when they can’t find wood directly.
Termidor works the same way. A chemical barrier is injected in to top portion of the soil surrounding a structure, but termites are usually foraging way below this layer of soil – especially in the winter. So how do they find the Termidor? They do so, by foraging up, down and all around until they randomly come into contact with it. Works the same way with baiting. Did you ever place a wood tomato stake in the ground and wait? Sooner or later, termites find it – a tiny 2 inch piece of wood inserted in the ground. Amazing, isn’t it?
April 20th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
“That is like saying humans aren’t attracted to food.” You sure proved me wrong with all that evidence! It sounds to me like you either work for Dow or some shady company who RIPS PEOPLE OFF BY DOING BAIT ONLY “TERMITE TREATMENTS.” How do they find the Termidor? I’ll tell you how. Termidor, when applied properly, is treated at a flow rate of 4 gallons per 10 linear feet in a 6 inch deep trench. That is enough to soak down to the footer of the house. On a house that has a basement, a 4 foot rod is injected all the way into the ground, the soil is saturated, then the trench is filled at a rate of 4 gallons per 10 linear feet. Read the label Jay.
Lets use some common sense here. If termites ARE attracted to wood, why would you want to attract them within 3 feet of your home with a bait station? A big colony will have an upwards of one million worker termites. They will not all feast on the bait station, as some will tunnel right past it. They are not attracted to wood. You are right that in once they find some wood they like they will call the other termites over with phermones, absolutely. But, like you said Jay, they find cellulose by “forging.” That means they could completely miss a bait station and get inside your home! Read your own comments.
Here is the bottom line everybody: If a termite company wants to do a bait only termite treatment, don’t walk away from that company, run from it. Like the technicians before me have posted, a bait only treatment has a much higher retreat percentage than a liquid or a liquid plus bait treatment. Having somebody come by once per quarter and check bait stations will not give you an absolute answer to whether or not termites are in your crawl space. You have to use liquid if you want a proper termite treatment.
Yes Jay it is amazing. It is amazing they can find a 2 inch thick tomato steak. What’s also amazing is how much damage they would have done to your home before they found it.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:50 am
I have 41 years experience. I don’t work for Dow. I have done over 10,000 termite inspections and treatments in my career. We do more Termidor jobs than Sentricon jobs every year. I have no axe to grind. If you’re going to get personal, do it to your spouse, not to me. I have over 60,000 clients and there is a reason. My experience and reputation. Since you don’t have any experience with Sentricon, you have no idea of the control rates. I can tell you from a lot of experience that Termidor control rates are around 99% and Sentricon is around 98%. Pretty darn close.
HERE is the bottom line everybody: If a termite company Only tries to sell you a Termidor treatment or ONLY a Sentricon treatment, Beware. Every home is different and it needs to be evaluated individually to determine whether a bait system or liquid treatment is right for your particular property. Also, experience is very important. Find a company who has been around at least 15 – 20 years.
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I live in South Dakota. Found live termites feeding in a couple beams and studs while gutting my basement for a remodel last spring. I removed all visable damage and insects and proceeded to remodel the basement. I also gutted a good part of the main level and found no insects nor signs of insect damage. The attic is unfinished and gets below freezing during the winter. Have not seen insects or damage there either. This spring, while doing some light remodeling to our attached garage on a slab, I found what looked like old termite damage (fairly severe) in wood plank siding underneath steel siding that is about 15 years old. I saw no live termites and the mud/sawdust tunnels looked old to me though I am no expert with termite damage.
I have 4 very young children so safety is a concern when considering the right treatment. One company, Presto-X, has recommended Sentricon. Their website offers liquid treatment also but the tech I talked to says Sentricon alone should suffice. He will inspect the house next week. I have also called EcoLab. I believe they do both treatments too. I meet with a representative tomorrow.
Can you give me any advice on either of these two companies as far as their reputations and what questions to ask them? Anyone have personal experience with termites in my region? Thanks. scott
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Both are primarily commercial pest control companies (ie food processing plants, hospitals, warehouses, etc). However, both are solid companies with good reputations.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Jay,
The maintenance manager of my office building (govt building) has worked with EcoLab. I got Presto-X’s name from our county extension agent. Both were highly recommended for commercial use but I wasn’t sure how much residential experience they have and whether it matters…?
Any particular questions I need to ask of either of them or can I trust that they will cover the available options thoroughly and treat me fairly in whatever treatment they recommend?
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Tyler is right about Termidor being better than Sentricon or any other bait. But if I”m reading correctly he is saying termites are not attracted to wood lol…Termites are attracted to wood, that’s what they eat…like I have said baits or great for prevention. I recently sold a Termidor treatment on a house that had active termite tubes on almost every joist, the company I was bidding against was going to do a bait only with NO spot treatment..This customer asked me if I could do baits too.I told her that I could not in good conscious do baits on a home with that much activity..Two hours later I was checking another home with no activity, I recommended baits as a prevention
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:20 pm
For another opinion, I would go to the National Pest Management Association site (you can google it). Look for a local company in your area. If they are a member of the association, they probably have a good reputation and have been around awhile.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I don’t belong to the state or national pest assoc..They seem to be controled by the 2 biggest contributers , that being Orkin and Terminix. And every member is in good standing for recommendation as long as the dues are paid.
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I don’t know how much dues are, but there are over 4,000 members of the National Pest Management Assn. All of them get regular updates on laws, regulations, product innovations, training and business matters. Orkin and Terminex are only two of the members. If you aren’t a member, Jim, you should be. It will help to make you a better pest management professional. Small price to pay for a wealth of information.
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Jay,
When I checked out the NPMA, I found only Orkin and one other company who’s name I didn’t recognize for SD. Neither EcoLab nor Presto-X were shown as members even though you said they are solid companies. Why would two large reputable companies choose not to be members if it’s a reputable organization.
I’m not trying to dispute the reputation of the organization, I’m just wondering.
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Sorry to say but I don’t concider ecolab a reputable company. I have been sent in to clean up to many of there messes
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Well, I think Presto X is owned by another company, now. Their former president (Ward Combs) is a past president of the NPMA. I don’t know much about Ecolab, but they might be under a larger name too. You might give the smaller company whose name you didn’t recognize a call for a free inspection and free estimate and see what they say. Won’t cost you anything.
Good luck!
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Jim,
I appreciate your comments on Termidor. It sounds like you are an honest man if you didn’t sell that person a bait only treatment!
Let me clarify my statements… I know that termites are attracted to wood once they find it, especially a soft wood that holds moisture. What I meant by not being attracted to it is that I have not seen evidence that they can sense wood before they bump into it. Theoretically, termites could possibly tunnel past a bait station and never find it. That’s why I prefer a liquid or a liquid PLUS bait. However, when they do find the station, it will attract other termites by way of phermone interaction amongst the colony. I hope that makes sense.
Keep up the good work Jim!
April 27th, 2010 at 12:11 am
We found a swarm in the front room of our split level home (on the level which is below ground) and there is also evidence they’ve eaten the drywall paper in the same area. At the back of the home we have a tiled screened in porch area (on the same level as the swarm and about 4 feet below ground level). The techs have said that the foundation of the home is before you step out onto the tiled-in porch and if we use the Termidor treatment they’d have to drill into the tiles (splitting them) to get the liquid along the porch area/foundation (about 10ft by 10ft). They said putting the Termidor into the ground outside the porch would still leave the two interior porch walls exposed to termites and they’ll of course gravitate toward those yummy walls. If this liquid stuff works for 100 yards or so, couldn’t I put some liquid 10 feet out from the foundation,4-6 ft down in the ground, and still keep the termites away from my 2 “exposed” foundation walls? (This is a very reputable company in our area and they sell both but basically said I can ruin my tile porch or go with the bait Sentricon system but after doing a lot of reading I’m not so sure what to do anymore.) Thanks!
April 27th, 2010 at 6:39 am
That would work in the long run (10′ out). Termidor is the only idiot proof termite control on the market.You can sometimes use a 1/4 inch drill bit? Maybe short or long rod the area also?
April 27th, 2010 at 8:58 am
So, since originally posting on this site, i’ve had two companies come out and look at my home. Just to recap, when we remodeled our home in the spring of 2009, we found termites and a small amount of termite damage in the middle of our basement on two support posts and a few framing members. We removed the damaged wood and floated a floor leveler over the area where the old posts were removed. (The new support posts were set on the concrete slab whereas the old ones went through the slab and into the soil below). This spring, when remodeling our attached garage, I found what looked like extensive but old termite damage.
During their respective inspections, no live termites were found in our home by either pest control company. Company A is recommending spot treatments with termador only to the areas where termites and termite damage was previously found. They are not recommending treatment around the entire house. The spot treatment will cost around $300. Company B is recommending a Sentricon bait system all around the house at a cost of $1500 over two years. Company B claims they still use termidor for the control of other insects but stopped using it for termite control in favor of the sentricon system because it is safer for the homeowner.
My question is – if we are not finding fresh damage or signs of live termites anywhere, are we kidding ourselves to think that perhaps the termites have simply left the area and found a different place to feed or should we assume that since we had them at one time, we will have them again if we don’t do something about it now?
Then, if we need to do something about it now, what treatment is the most sound – spot treatment with termador or the full sentricon system or should we get a third opinion? As strange as it may sound, I think I would feel better about spending the money if we knew we had termites currently feeding on the house. We just hate to spend it on a problem that MAY? have gone away with the remodeling that we did…
Your help is appreciated.
Scott
April 27th, 2010 at 9:19 am
A spot treatment with termidor is better than a spot treatment with anything else , but it’s still just a patch on a future problem. Termites don’t normally leave on their own. In your case I would suggest a bait system if there is no current sign of activity but you know they are there..I would also suggest checking other companies cause Sentricon is the most expensive but not the best. Look for a company using Exterra Or Advance that does monthly or bi-monthly service. Not quarterly or tri-annually, you are wasting your money with any span more than bi-monthly!Stay away from the big rip-offs like Terminix and Orkin.. But if you want the problem solved quickly and not have to worry for 10-15 years do Termidor exterior plus treatment.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Jim,
So, I’m a bit confused by your post. At first, you say you suggest a bait system (not necessarily Sentricon but some type of bait system) but later, you say to do a termidor exterior plus treatment. Would it be correct of me to assume that your advice for treatment would be (in order of preference): 1) full Termidor exterior treatment, 2) use of bait system, 3) spot treatment with Termidor?
My concern with the Termidor treatment is that the damage is centralized in the middle of our basement which led the technician to believe that the termites were located under the basement slab so treatment around the block foundation would do no good (except for around the attached garage where damage was found). His spot treatment for the basement would be contained to the area where the posts were removed.
My concern with the bait system is that, if the termites are indeed under the basement, why would they venture out into the yard to the bait stations unless they can no longer gain entry into the basement because we sealed up their entry point where the infected support posts were removed? Also, what would drive them to the surface when, for at least 4 months of the year, the top 36″ of the ground is frozen solid? Wouldn’t they just stay down deep where their tunnels can remain active all year long?
Scott
April 27th, 2010 at 10:50 am
This is a perfect scenario for Sentricon. We once baited a home where we had to place the stations 50 feet away from the home because of a large Italian Marble back patio. We started getting hits in the stations about 4 months later, and by the next year, the termites were completely gone and have been ever since (about 8 years). Someone asked earlier how the termites would forage out to the stations from under the basement floor. That is what they do, they continuously forage seeking out cellulose and moisture. In fact they will forage out 1,000 feet from the main colony – about the length of a football field.
April 27th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Jay,
so what makes them come to the surface and build tunnels when those tunnels will freeze up during the winter months? Won’t that make the tunnels unusable during those months; thus, they won’t be able to reach their food source through them? Do they just abandon that food source during the winter and find another one?
Obviously termites have a unique intellect that I do not understand but others have touched on – why would they make more work for themselves and build surface tunnels to the bait stations in a cold climate when they can stay deep and have a year-round food source with your house? Are they attracted to the warmth of the surface during the summer months and, if so, what makes that more attractive than the warmth of your home?
Sorry – probably over-analyzing the situation but, the arguments for each type of treatment (liquid injection and bait stations) have their strong points and their flaws from what I’ve been reading. Just want to make sure that I choose the right one as I don’t have surplus cash to spend unwisely.
Scott
April 27th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Sorry bout the confusion.But but now that I understand you live in an area with long bad winters I would say no baits. To short of an inspection season. Termidor all the way.
April 27th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Scott- The termites don’t need to come to the surface or to build tunnels. The Sentricon Stations are about 1 foot underground, where the termites are foraging. Termites only build the tunnels to stay in the dark when they need to forage above the surface- like when they forage into the basement of a home or up an exterior foundation. Otherwise, they are usually foraging underground. It just takes one of them to find the wood in the station underground, then they leave pheromones to attract the other termites. There is a reason why all the larger local companies in every market use Sentricon. It works! If it didn’t, we wouldn’t risk our reputations or the cost of callbacks using it. Don’t let the naysayers influence you. It is over 98% effective, which is about the same as Termidor. However, sometimes, people don’t want holes drilled through their stoops or tile floors or don’t want 100s of gallons of pesticide injected around their homes. In those cases, Sentricon is the obvious choice. It works, it’s green and the cost is very similar to a liquid treatment.
April 27th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Jay,
I appreciate your input on this. You may have mentioned the state(s) you work in but could you repeat for my benefit what hands-on experience you have with using baits in cold climates as far north as zone 2-3 (I live right close to the SD/ND border).
You’ve been helpful to me so I hate to put you on the spot – I’d just like to know if you yourself have actually used sentricon baits in this far north of a climate and had the results you are claiming? If so, may I ask if the results are the same, better, worse than those observed in a warmer southern climate?
Scott
April 27th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Scott- Our company is more in line with Cincinnatti. If you go to the Sentricon website, you could probably find an authorized operator in your part of the country who could give you more localized information. In terms of experience, I have worked personally for 41 years. I have worked with Chlordane, Aldrin, Dursban TC, and many others, as well as Sentricon and Termidor. I have inspected over 10,000 homes for termites and also chaired the Wood Destroying Insect Committee for the National Pest Management Assn. My company has treated over 30,000 homes for termites in the past 50 years.
April 27th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Scott, the climate you are in would not be the best place for baits.Baits are ok in a area that can be checked at least bi-monthly year round. If you do not have the extra cash , do the spot for now and save for the exterior treatment later. Your home is warm year round and even when the termites will not come close to the baits in the winter they can come up in the middle of your home to feed.
April 27th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Scott,
You’re safest bet is going to be a full treatment with Termidor. Within 90 days, all termites in or around your house will be dead. Jim is right in that the bait stations need to be checked every month. If they are not, the wood will grow fungus which repels the termites. Either use baits that are monitored monthly or go with a liquid.
Jay talked about that house that took 4 months to get a hit and one year to control the termites… you need something faster than that. A termite that passes through Termidor will only live about 3 days and will infect other members of the termite colony, thereby rendering the ’second kill.’
I’m not taking away from baits, but a liquid treatment will be much more in your favor. The Termidor is a very safe product as well. It has the same active ingredient (Fipronil) as Frontline Flea and Tick control, which is safe to apply directly to your animals skin.
April 27th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Tyler, these companies that do bait checks quarterly and tri-annually are just RIP_OFFS . Several manufactures have said to me that the label change from monthly and bi-monthly to quarterly and tri-annually was only done because the larger companies wanted a way to cut back on service/manpower.I have seen multiple hits in the first month a few times. I have more often than not seen it take 3 – 5 years to get the first hit.During that time the termites are still eating your home.. The climate Scott is in it should not even be legal to sell baits, or maybe only in a VERY sensitive area.
April 27th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Jim- you are welcome to your opinion. Sentricon works in all climates. In fact it is protecting the White House right now and that is in a “Northern” climate. As for the service intervals of baiting (and more specifically, Sentricon), quarterly works just fine. In fact, within a couple years, Sentricon will be labeled for annual (once a year) inspections, rather than quarterly. This is done after extensive field training and approval by the EPA.
April 27th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I’ve got a third company coming to the house tomorrow. They only do Termidor. I asked if they’ve ever done the baits and they said that they’ve researched it and felt that they were not as effective in a northern climate as Termidor.
I have to say, i’m leaning towards the termidor. I’ve yet to hear anything bad about it other than the fact that holes have to be drilled. fortunately, in the case of my home, we have only a 20′ concrete driveway and 15′ concrete patio to drill through – the rest of the house is surrounded by landscape beds and easy to drill/inject into. I don’t think the concrete disturbance will be too bad. My only concern is whether the exterior treatment will take care of any termite colonies that might be located directly under the middle of the basement slab. Do you guys think internal drilling/injection is necessary around the areas where the support posts were found to have termites and termite damage or, since we have seen no sign of re-entry into the basement for a year now, is it safe to assume that the termites are foreaging outward and the external treatment will be sufficient?
This forum discussion has been very valuable so I thank all of you who have shared your insights and experience with me.
scott
April 27th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
There is very little way to know where the termites are tunneling since most of the activity is underground. In the old days, we used to always drill and treat under the basement slabs, but Termidor has proven to be effective by only treating the exterior and maybe the garage slab if it is attached to your home. You are smart to do your homework. Whichever way you choose to go, you will be ok. Good luck!
April 28th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Jay you seem to have a lot of knowledge for someone so hell-bent on Sentricon. There are situation where each one is better at times. For prevention baits can be a better choice. But for active termites nothing is faster than Termidor!! Studies show Termidor is 99% effective in 90 days, I have never known of a failure. Sentricon is 98% effective over a 5 (five) year period. Let’s see, 90 days for Termidor, 5 YEARS for Sentricon…NO competition!
April 28th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Scott,
The exterior should be enough, but you might want to have a bath trap installed if there are any bath tubs in your basement. You can find amazing testimonies online about homes and barns that were infested with termites, and an exterior only treatment with Termidor solved their problem.
Termidor is faster and more effective, plus the annual renewal will be a lot less because the treatment is (in most cases) maintanence free once it is in the ground. Unless you have a well, cistern or pond withing 25 feet of your home, go with Termidor.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I’ve gotten a couple of quotes now from two Termidor treatment companies. The prices quoted were $10/lin ft from one company and a total of $1920 from another. Would any of you tell me what the going rate would be to inject termidor around a total of 184 linear feet of house foundation including approximately 60 linear ft that is concrete(driveway, back patio and along inside wall of attached garage)? The rest of the foundation is easy to access and is just lawn and landscaping. Also, what would the annual maintenance cost be? One firm’s annual charge would be 10% of the original injection cost (around $190) and the other didn’t specifiy because, originally, we had only gotten a quote for spot treatment and not treatment of the entire foundation.
Thanks. P.s – I have ruled out the Sentricon system for our northern climate. Just don’t feel like it will be as effective for us as termidor.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Scott- We would be a little lower than either of those quotes, but regional pricing is different. Up your way, their prices are a little higher because they are more seasonal and have a much smaller window to bring in revenue. Yet, they need to pay their overhead year round, so they need to price a little higher. We would probably be around $1,000 + $100 renewal for Termidor. Sentricon would be around $900 + $300 renewal.