Termite Control Products


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Old 04-20-17, 06:25 PM
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Termite Control Products

Location is South Florida, warm and wet perfect for termites.

Had a underground drain leak...the kitchen drain is under the concrete slab, and the wood studed wall was severly damaged by subterrainean termites. Opened up the slab, and found the buried cast iron pipe (original construction 1955) corroded so badly the bottom basically disintegrated. I found sub termites in the soil, obviously very happy with the leaking drain and found the way up to the walls and beyond.

Now that the repipe is done and before I backfill and pour concrete I wanted to treat the soil through with a termiticide.

Looking at two products - Termidor SC, Taurus SC or Dominion SL seems to be sold in many DIY pest control stores. There is a big difference in prices. Any recommendation as to which one to go with? These are the active ingredients and their respective prices.

Diminion 2L - 27.5oz bottle $21 active ingredient Imidacloprid
Taurus SC - 20oz bottle $43 active ingredient Fipronil
Termidor SC - 20oz bottle $69 active ingredient Fipronil

Big price difference. Any thoughts? Are the more expensive products more effective and worth the additional cost?

Second question - I purchased a 20z bottle of a product for ant control five years ago called "Phantom". I have used it twice and the bottle is still 2/3 full. So when I needed to do the termite treatment I took out the bottom of Phantom because I remember it is also a termiticide. It's active ingredient is Chlorfenapyr. However I noticed the product is now "settled" into two layers - one layer of brown fluid on top and a layer of milky white fluid at the bottom. I called the company up and they said their products has a shelf life of 3-5 years the most so my product has expired. Now if it has expired what is the best way to dispose of this? This is concentrated stuff that you mix 1 gallon per 0.75oz and I have almost 15oz of it left. If it has expired and it's ineffective should I just dump all of it into the trench where the pipe is, then order new product to do the proper treatment over that?
 
  #2  
Old 04-21-17, 06:26 AM
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You already know you you have active termites and you want to just do a spot DIY treatment!
If you want this done right and not have to go through this again hire a real exterminator.
The whole building needs to be treated not just one spot.
 
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Old 04-21-17, 08:06 AM
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Incorrect speculation.

I already have a termite inspection. I have active drywood termites on exterior fascia that would require the entire building to be tented.

I have ONE interior sub termite infestation due to a leaking drain. The kitchen cabinets were removed, concrete slab cut up, pipe replaced, and pending soil backfill. Termite company will come after tenting to perimeter treat the foundation. The one two punch will get rid of both sub and drywood termites when its done. I am not doing it right now until the reroof is completed and all new lumber are installed, meanwhile I want to do a spot treatment into the trench before I backfill, install vapor barrier, install rebar, pour concrete, and rebuild the wall etc.

So yes, I am seeking advice on spot treatment in this particular context and situation.
 
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Old 04-22-17, 07:00 AM
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Fipronil would be my number 1 choice for a liquid termiticide, with Imidacloprid in 2nd place.

Nothing wrong with the generic versions of fipronil, as they are the same percentage and active ingredient and same labeled instructions. Once Termidor came off patent, then the “knock-offs” emerged. Same thing happened with Monsanto’s “Roundup”. Same thing happens in the pharmaceutical industry. Taurus SC is a fine product and I’ve used lots of it.

I would use the expired Phantom in a trench, diluted with water, in order to use it up properly.
However: I wouldn’t use it in the same trench with Fipronil as I wouldn’t want to take the chance that it has somehow become repellent as it aged. Both fipronil and Chlorfenapyr are non-repellent, but the Termidor people always told us not to combine fipronil with anything else. Do you have any sheds that you could trench around with the Phantom?

Don’t know how I missed your post several days ago as I’ve been on daily. I just saw it today; maybe I just missed it, sorry about the delay.
 
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Old 04-25-17, 05:26 AM
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Thanks PAbugman, yes I do have sheds I could use up the Phantom left overs.

I end up buying a new bottle of Taurus SC to use in the interior trench. The shed is standalone so should not interfere with the new Taurus. After my roof is redone I will have a termite co to come tent it and perimeter treat.

One thing that I couldn't make sense of, is they say on the Termidor label that it last 8-10 years after application. But then the product shelf life if unused last 3-5 years. Why is that? Once you have it diluted to 0.75 oz per gallon, put it around in soil, subject to the weather, it will protect a property from termites for up to 10 years, yet the same ingredient, undiluted, kept in a bottle, sealed with a cap, stored away from the weather, last at most half that time. Why is that? Unless the dilution process changed the chemicals?
 
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Old 04-25-17, 04:15 PM
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Good questions. I can’t really address why the concentrate doesn’t last longer although I suspect that it does last longer than what they told you; most chemicals do but for liability issues, in the event that someone use an old batch and has a failure for some reason, they may be covering themselves.

As far as the diluted termiticide, it does bond well with soil. They’ve told us that fipronil bonds better with the soil than do most termiticides. The elements that break down modern day insecticides are sunshine (the biggie) and oxygen. When it is applied sub-soil as in a termite treatment it is shielded from those elements, more so when applied within the exterior perimeter of a house as the house walls and soffit and water management will protect the termiticide nicely. Applying it under a cement slab gives it much more protection and longevity. So in the scope of one house you will have varying lengths of residual life because of structural elements and sun/shade.

Of course, in Florida you don’t have basements/crawls so the termiticide won’t be nearly as deep as it will be in the northeast with basement walls. Florida termiticide will be subject to heat and flooding much more so than in northeast. Serious rainfall and any flooding will physically move the treated sand particles. Also, sand is not as good to bond with as is soil.

Here is a good article on the termiticide testing at USForestry lab in Gulfport, MS for background info on testing.

PCT Magazine - March 2017 - The Gulfport Tests: Still Relevant?
 
 

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