Termites are destructive, so they're one pest you don't want to put off dealing with. They can do so much damage to your home that it's often a good idea to work with a termite control service to eliminate and control the pests. Your termite service might use termite bait, which is a popular type of termite treatment. Here's why termite baits are so effective.

Bait Uses Natural Termite Behavior

Bait is effective because it uses the natural foraging behavior of termites to spread the pesticide through the colony. Bait is placed in underground bait stations around your yard. When termites are out hunting for food, they find the bait and carry it back to the colony like they do any other type of food. This ensures the pesticide is carried to the colony to eliminate the termites and queen for the most effective control.

Termite Bait Is Slow-Acting

Unlike some liquid termite treatments that kill termites on contact, bait is slow-acting. This is an advantage because it gives the termites time to carry the pesticide back to the nest and spread it among other termites. Termite bait is often a growth inhibitor that kills young termites as it keeps them from molting. When the older worker termites die off, there are no newer workers to take their place so the colony starves.

Growth inhibitors are slow-acting but effective. Your termite control service might use other types of bait that work in a different way, so you may want to discuss the type of pesticide that will be used so you know what to expect.

Bait Stations Also Monitor The Colony

The termite control service will place several bait stations in your yard and even surround your house with them. The stations are checked every few months for activity. Once termites stop taking the bait from the stations, the termite service knows the termite colony has been eliminated or reduced.

Your termite service will probably leave the bait stations and continue to monitor them as long as you maintain your contract. This allows them to catch new termite activity as soon as it happens. You want to make an effort to control termites on an ongoing basis when you own a home so you can protect the value of your property. If you eliminate a colony once, that doesn't mean new termites won't come back.

Termites can even invade from a colony located on your neighbor's property, but when you use bait, it doesn't matter where the termites live, they'll take the bait back home and gradually kill off the colony.

Reach out to professionals at a company like Good News Pest Solutions for termite control services.