Soil treatment for termites involves using some contact insecticides around your house and yard to create barriers. The subterranean termite control process is divided into pre-construction plus the post-construction treatment.
Soil treatment for termites applies some termite insecticide like fipronil or imidacloprid on the structures like the house or wall foundations and wood.
However, you may termite-proof wood through pressure-treating using chemical insecticides or spraying. Also, you may place termites baits at appropriate locations in the yard.
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However, for Drywood, Dampwood, or Formosan termites, I recommend undertaking fumigation or use one of the approved termite killers. Below I’ve discussed how you can treat the soil for termites.
A. Pre-Construction (or Pre-Treat) Termite Treatment
Termites will cause significant damage to your home, and sadly this isn’t covered in the homeowner’s insurance. These damaging insects will hide in furniture and walls until they’re mature.
Here’s how you should do the pre-construction (or Pre-Treat) termite soil treatment to protect your structure at the initial construction phase.
1. Borate Pre-Treat on exposed wood
Pre-treat all the exposed wood studs on your house and nearby structures. Use a wood preservative or insecticide like Boracare as the termite prevention ability will last the treated wood’s lifetime.
- Dig a 6 inches (deep) by 6 inches (wide) trench in the soil around the house or structure to be pre-treated for termites.
- Next, use the insecticide to soak the soil in the house foundation’s hole as directed in the product instructions. But I would recommend using a bucket (5 gallons) as opposed to a sprayer bottle.
- Mix up the soil in the termite treatment trench using a suitable shovel.
2. Pre-Treat Foundational walls
For this, you’ll need to use a termiticide such as Termidor SC to pre-treat the foundation walls at their soil level for termites. But pre-treat the soil before pouring the slab – for new construction.
- Use Termidor SC to pre-treat the concrete slabs, and this would work better if you apply the insecticide under the selected concrete slab – this is before pouring.
- But for a slab that’s already installed – you’ll have to inject the chemical termite killer via a drill hole. Therefore, the insecticide will still pre-treat the soil underneath.
3. Termi-mesh Barrier and Sentricon Baiting
The Terms-mesh termite barrier that homeowners can apply on their piping penetrations before pouring the concrete to lay the slab.
Terms-mesh is a closely-knit mesh (made from stainless steel) that lasts for a long time, and hence the termites won’t easily penetrate it to eat your house and nearby structures.
- However, Termi-mesh is mainly offered as an additional termite control service instead of a stand-alone offer by the exterminator companies.
- Next, install the sentricon baiting around your structure’s perimeter. This will be done only after you’ve completed all the landscaping. Also, ensure to continually (yearly) monitor the baiting system.
B. Post-Construction (or Post-Treat) Termite Treatment
You may apply the termiticides on the wood or soil after the construction process is complete. The soil treatment insecticides can come in the form of baits or liquids.
1. Wall Foundations or Pipes
The process may also involve rodding or trenching the soil around the wall foundations or pipes and piers.
- Dig narrow trenches outside & inside the structure’s (chimney or piers) foundation before injecting your termiticides into the soil.
- Conduct a termite inspection (both outside and inside areas) on the house and other structures. You may engage a termite inspection company (but consider termite inspection cost).
2. Crawl spaces
- For crawl spaces, treat the soil with Termidor SC through the dug holes or trenches. For this, you’ll also need to dig 6 inches (deep) by 6 inches (wide) trenches around wall footing, foundations, trench, piers. Pour and mix up the insecticides with the soil.
- To treat the basements for termites, drill some equally spaced holes on the floor and inject the termiticide insecticide into the underlying soil.
3. Vertical Barrier
You can establish a vertical termite barrier by applying insecticide in the hole (6 inches deep) via rodding, trenching, and trenching along with the foundation elements like pillars, pilasters, and chimney bases.
- Avoid applying the insecticide into your drainage system if there is a danger of reaching the foundation drainage, french drains, or drain tile.
- If the structure footing is exposed, you’ll need to be applied next to (not under) the footing. Also, ensure you termite treat the soil around strictures like all the conduits and sewer pipes.
- Caution, concrete slabs may provide other entry points for termites such as plumbing outlets and bath traps – which may render your previous termite treatment ineffective. Therefore, conduct good drilling as this will readily.
4. Wood treatment
This requires you to apply the termiticides on your wood, preventing or controlling a termite infestation. Some of the methods for a termite treatment on wood include pressure-treatment.
- Pressure-treating the wood and the soil around it makes your structures to be termite and carpenter ants resistant.
- The treatment involves the application of a chemical preservative through the use of high pressure.
- Also, wood spraying using an effective termiticide allows the wood to be protected on its surface, but this chemical won’t get deep into its pores.
5. Foundation Termite Treatment
Treating the foundation for termites will also involve applying the termiticides on the house or wall foundations and elements.
It helps build a barrier via positioning the termiticides in the brick walls or concrete block – between the walls where you find a space.
Treating and drilling the house foundations enables the termiticides to penetrate the concrete footings that could have crevices and cracks.
Conclusion
Soil treatment for termites with different termiticides, including liquid termite to create a termite barrier plus you may use other termite killers and termite baits.
Termiticides have active ingredients such as 7.9% bifenthrin that’ll both repel and kill termites – both instantly and have a more prolonged residue effect killing both fleas (check flea foggers), ticks, and ants.