Use termite bait only when you have live termites feeding happily inside timber or a monitor.
Putting termite bait somewhere you’ve seen termites, hoping they might come back is a waste of termite bait.
This video shows how you can get the same result using aluminium cooking foil and tape.
How to bait termites feeding inside timber
Termites will only take bait if they can get to it in safety from inside timber they are already eating.
Here’s how…
Make a small hole (5mm) into the timber where it is hollowed out and feels thin and soft. Use a small-bladed screwdriver or a vegetable knife— NOT A DRILL AND BIT.
Wait a minute or so. If termites are inside, soldiers usually come to the opening to guard it until workers can repair it. If there is no sign of life, leave it open and come back in an hour or next morning. If the hole is repaired, you know they are still active and ready for baiting.
Using a sheet of aluminium cooking foil and duct or gaffer tape, make a pouch or pocket big enough to hold the contents of a tub of the bait to place over the hole (re-open and enlarge it to 10mm just before you put the pouch in place).
The bait is easier for termites to harvest than hard timber so they begin taking it in preference. Check every 7-10 days and replenish as necessary.
A cache of termite bait made from aluminium cooking foil and tape can be fixed to most places where termites are busy inside.
Termites enter the bait through the small hole you made initially
How to bait termites feeding inside a Termitrap
Once you see their “we’ve arrived” signal it’s time to begin the termite baiting process.
Water is added to the termite bait which soaks in and takes on the appearance of mashed potato. The pouch is then affixed to the top of the Termitrap. Termite workers can then enter directly into the bait and begin conveying it back to the nest.
Fully illustrated instructions explaining the steps are in the carton.
Eventually, there will be no more live termites to be seen, indicating the termite colony is dead. The time taken and the amount of bait eaten will depend on the size of the termite colony and the number of Termitraps you are feeding.
