Pests We Treat Case Studies: Sentricon installation Barnegat, NJ to stop termites
Challenge
I was called to a residence in Barnegat for a Sentricon installation. Sentricon is a subterranean termite colony elimination system that takes advantage of termite biology and behavior. The bait stations contain cellulose treated with an insect growth regular that prevents molting. The worker termites bring the bait back to share with the colony. The affected termites die as they are unable to molt and and the colony is eliminated. As a termite specialist, my experience has been that Sentricon is an amazingly effective system. There are also plenty of independent research studies to back it up.
While the product itself is great, for technicians like me, there are always potential issues that arise when installing the bait stations. With this particular residence, there was an underground sprinkler system and large areas of concrete around the home.
Solution
Before doing any digging, I had to determine the most effective layout for the bait stations. I reinspected the home perimeter and located all of the sprinkler heads so that I could approximate the general location of the underground lines. After I inspected those areas, I laid out the units around the home in about the recommended ten foot intervals of separation. For the concrete areas close to the home, I laid out the units around them. The effectiveness of the baiting system depends on proper installation. There has to be full coverage around the home so there are no weak links. Once all unit the units were properly spaced around the home, I carefully drilled holes in the soil with an auger, carefully paying attention to my surroundings. Once the holes are drilled, when placing the bait stations, it is important to ensure that they are sufficiently below grass level so the units won't be damaged during landscaping, especially when the the soil is aerated.
To me, installing these bait stations is like installing an underground protective moat to block the home from block termites. To be candid, I hate everything about termites. It's a rewarding job to help homeowners avoid potentially costly termite damage. Whenever I install a Sentricon system, I take my responsibility seriously and do the job with the same level of care and attention to detail as if the home were mine.
