How long does termite treatment last? How often should I repeat it?

Termite infestations can lead to severe damage to the internal structures of your home. To ensure that your home is safe from damage from termites (i.e. white ants) you need either chemical fumigation for the house or heat “tenting.”

Modern chemical fumigation termite treatments are more than sufficient enough to kill all termites in your home and prevent them from returning. Heat treatment, similarly, will wipe out all termites in your home, but heat treatment will not necessarily prevent termites from re-infesting a building. 

Many homeowners are unfamiliar with when they got their last treatment or what exact chemical treatment they got previously, there is widespread confusion as to how long termite treatments last, and quite often the owners of the treated properties are unaware of just what treatment they are paying for.

Table of Contents

  1. How do I know my home is infested with termites?
  2. What is the main condition that determines the time and length of time in between termite treatments?
  3. Liquid termite treatments; how long will they usually last? And how sufficient are they?
  4. What are termite baiting stations and how high is their longevity?
  5. Q. Do termites pose any risk of harm to family and pets?
  6. Q: Having termite infestation regardless of a recent termite treatment? Have you been scammed?
  7. Further Resources for Termite Treatment Length

How do I know my home is infested with termites?

If you find winged ant-like insects emerging from corners of any foundation in your home or flying around on your property, chances are your house is infested. Often time’s people dismiss the termites as ants which are often in vast numbers during the same season

What is the main condition that determines the time and length of time in between termite treatments?

There are multiple factors to be considered, not only one. The pest management official you hire should be a professional and should have a good amount of experience which would deem him highly educated in the area and also will play a part in how thorough this professional is with the treatment they apply and how well they apply it.

The density of the colony of termites also determines the effectiveness of the treatment as the bigger the colony, the harder it will be to guarantee one hundred percent eradication of the pests. A professional pest management official will be more than capable of evaluating and giving you a sufficient treatment plan as well as an overview of how sever the treatment plan will need to be. There are different types of treatments as well when it comes to terminating termites. The two most common are:

  • Liquid treatments.
  • Baiting stations.

Liquid termite treatments; how long will they usually last? And how sufficient are they?

Liquid treatment usually can last up to a few years. 5 years is an average time period for many treatments. If you find termites in your house regardless of getting a treatment done recently, it is probably because they found a hole in the chemical barrier. This is usually why thorough annual inspections are encouraged. Also the laying of pesticides in soil will prevent any surprise visits from the white ants.

What are termite baiting stations and how high is their longevity?

Bait stations will require maintenance all year round. These are another form of termite treatment. The stations are strategically placed around your property. Rather than the termite colonies infesting your property, they ‘take the bait’ and during foraging find these stations and bring them back to their colonies instead of damaging your home. This reduces any risk you may have of termite infestation.

Obviously the stations will need to be continuously put under evaluation for replacement and depending on your environment and its conditions replacements may be need to be put in more often than on average.

Q. Do termites pose any risk of harm to family and pets?

Registered pesticides pose no significant hazard, whether it is to humans, pets or the environment when applied of course according to label directions. Extensive tests take place to observe any adverse effects on the health of people who may potentially encounter them. If any health problem may arise, despite the negligible health risk, instant contact should be made with ones physician.

Odorless treatments have come into market to consider the needs of more sensitive clients, however if the chemicals are still a problem, are irritating and people with termite infestation are still apprehensive of the pesticides than a suitable recommendation would be bait stations which have proven to be a good replacement.

Q: Having termite infestation regardless of a recent termite treatment? Have you been scammed?

More times than not, you haven’t been cheated. It’s not necessary that your treatment exterminate any living termite in a 5 mile radius. Termite control is treatment of living creatures. Pests they may be but they aren’t something one can simply ‘fix’. The service differs from electrical work and plumbing etc. even experienced professionals with some of the best treatments at hand can fail to keep the pests out no matter how knowledgeable they may be.

Termites are very small regarding size therefore they can get through some of the tiniest gaps in nooks and crannies that you may not even know existed! Small areas in the soil that are left untreated can play as breeding grounds. Unlike other services such as plumbing or electrical work, termite control involves living creatures and one cannot program them to stay away.

Every firm has an intention to keep away the termites for good by creating an endless; barrier without any holes, made of chemicals however in actual practice this impenetrable barrier is close to impossible. If one considers baits, then even they aren’t the perfect prevention. It can take months for the termites to even find the strategically placed stations and their control is more or less a very hard achievement

There are many companies who actually consider these environmental conditions and actually consider flaws in application. Pesticides cannot expire within 5 years however if another termite infestation takes place, the company in charge of the pest management professionals often gives re-applications of the termite controlling chemical completely free of cost.

Further Resources for Termite Treatment Length

  1. Subterranean Termites: A Homeowner’s Handbook – University of Nebraska Lincoln
  2. Tenting a House for Termites: Preparing a House for Heat or Chemical Fumigation – MyTermiteTreatmentCosts.com
  3. Structural Pest Control Questions and Answers – State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation

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