A. Termites

are amazing insects. They are very social creatures as each colony has

a queen whose job it is to lay eggs as often as possible; reproductive

termites who become future queens; soldiers who defend the colony; and

worker termites who supply the entire colony with food. The food the workers

supply to the rest of the colony happens to be small bits of cellulose

found in firewood, fence posts, paper, tree stumps, your garage, my house,

etc.

This caste

system, though, is the weak link of the average termite colony. Over the

past 10-15 years, scientists have figured out ways to effectively kill

the worker termites or stop them from feeding. Once this happens, you

can starve the queen, the reproductives and the soldiers. Kill the egg-laying

queen of a colony and you stop future generations of termites.

But it is not

always easy to kill the worker termites. They are very smart. The worker

termites forage for new food sources constantly and randomly. They are

active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The worker termites can travel

as far away as 400 feet from their colony to exploit a food source. What's

more, it is common for them to develop multiple food sources for the colony.

They may come to your garage on a Monday and then go to your neighbor's

log pile the next day. This trait is an excellent survival mechanism.

The first thing

I would do if I were you would be to call a trained pest management professional.

These technicians know where to look for termite activity in and around

your home. You saw them at your garage, but they may be in other locations

near your home. It is best to be proactive when dealing with termites.

Schedule an annual PMP inspection.

There are two

distinct methods of dealing with termite infestation. One method that

has been used for years is the repellent strategy. A PMP injects chemicals

into the soil around your home in an attempt to create a barrier that

repels the foraging termites. This method works so long as the barrier

is complete. The trouble is, the PMP does not have x-ray vision and can't

actually tell if the chemicals have thoroughly saturated all of the soil.

What's more, the chemicals used today in the liquid treatments degrade

over time.

The newer technology

is one that kills the worker termites. Bait stations and stakes are inserted

into the ground at certain intervals around your home or garage. The chemicals

in these stations do not poison the soil. The worker termites typically

find the stations and ingest chemicals that have been cleverly hidden

in termite food with the stations and stakes. Over time, the worker termites

die. So long as these stations are maintained by a PMP, your home and

garage will have superb protection.

One chemical

company makes a system that combines the old technology with the new.

It is a liquid that is injected into the soil around your home. This liquid

is not a repellent. The termites unknowingly pass through treated soil,

and suddenly their jaws become paralyzed. They immediately lose their

ability to feed, which means they immediately stop eating your garage.

Note: This liquid treatment can also degrade over time. If you want permanent

protection, you must have periodic applications made around your home.

Which system

works the best? It is hard to say. If it were me, I would definitely want

a system that has the ability to kill the colony. I also would want a

system that has been proven to work through independent testing. It is

also a good idea to ask very pointed questions about warranties. Ask what

is and what is not covered under any warranty. Be sure what the PMP says

is in writing.

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