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TDAKS® products are easy to use but from time to time users ask questions.
If you have a question then fire away and I can answer it here for others to see.

What is the difference between white ants and termites ?

None. They are the same home destroying creature.
Someone in the past observed they were light in colour and 'thought' they were ants.

Is it true that 1 in 4 homes will be attacked by termites ?
Unfortunately, yes although this figure is based on 'reported' attacks. When you consider
the number of attacks that are hidden ( that is, not reported ) the real figure could be 1 in 2.
Would you willingly report termite damage knowing the devaluation it would cause ?
The old myth about termites and sunlight.
A great many references are made to termites being light averse, photophobic etc.
At the same time as making statements like these some manufacturers still incorporate
clear windows in their detector designs. You would imagine that these 'light averse' creatures
wouldn't go anywhere near these obvious sources of sunlight. It's just an old tale based on
the observance of termites dying out in the open exposed to sunlight. The actual reason for
their demise is the fact that they dried out, no longer having the protection of their humidity
and temperature controlled environments.

Inground termite detectors.
Will in ground detectors ATTRACT TERMITES towards my home ?
While it's true that some makers suggest a 6 metre spacing this is purely to reduce the overall
cost of a set of expensive detectors. The suggestion that they can attract termites over
distances great than 3mm has never been 'independently' scientifically proven.
Why shouldn't termite detectors be installed 6 metres apart ?
These huge multinationals telling people that their inground detectors can actually attract
termites have done a great job of shooting themselves in the foot. From time to time I get
buyers asking 'Will your detectors attract termites towards my home ?'. Makes me wonder just
how many people don't ask and have convinced themselves ( with help ) that termites will
come galloping towards their home if they install inground detectors.
I can guarantee that no inground detector can attract termites. Ever since they were first
introduced 30 years ago ( despite advertisers hype ) the great downside of inground detectors
is that they simply can't attract termites. Given that a termite is genetically geared to seek
out food on the surface it's not surprising that they find inground detectors by chance alone. They
'find' inground detectors the same way you would 'find' a tree in a forest by running around while
wearing a blindfold.
CO2 attraction ?
Based on one dubious test it was shown that 'statistically' more termites were attracted
to CO2 when given a choice of two pathways. No explanation was provided as to why
nearly half the termites were NOT. A company then patented a compound that created
a source of CO2 inside in ground detector stations. Several years later a major manufacturer
of in ground monitoring devices bought the patent rights with the view to dominating the
marketplace. Their own rather dubious field test proved concusively that termites were
attracted to the treated to the treated food sources as opposed to those without this 'magic'
compound. The area in which this test took place was was generally dry so the food sources
containing this CO2 mimic needed to be watered. It's little wonder that termites populated
food sources containing water as opposed to the dry non-compound sources.

Why aren't other systems as easy to inspect ?
Around 30 years ago the first commercial inground detector systems were developed. At this
time the intent was that only licensed pest controllers could gain access for inspection
and treatment. These systems were primarily developed by chemical companies as a
means to distribute termiticides through these specially licensed controllers. The inground
detectors were 'locked' and could not be inspected by the property owners themselves. This was
a very handy way for chemical manufacturers to corner the market. After primary patents
had expired every man and his dog began marketing similar devices. While many were
no longer locked they were still based an original assumption that termites were light averse.
There are other termite detectors with clear windows but none as easy to inspect. The big
timber detectors are a perfect example and I myself produced them years ago. Due to the
dark zone they were too difficult to inspect 'at a glance'. One maker added white beads
but they would become discoloured too quickly. I also stopped making big timber detectors
because they could rot too quickly in some soils and the entire detector needed replacing.
Treatment time.
Treatment via 'active' in ground detectors.
Although handing 'treatment' over to an experienced pest controller is recommended,
this may not be affordable for many. Once you have an 'active' in ground detector the 'treatment'
method is quite simple. Note that all actions should be delicate so as not to panic the little
home wreckers.
Remove window to identify the species. In some cases there may
be Microtermes in residence. Microtermes = relax.
If a worrying species...

1. Cover the opening asap with a few layers of moistened tissue or cardboard.
2. Set down a plastic container with a hole the same size as the in ground detector's top.
3. Add the mixed CSI ( Nemesis, TermatriX or similar ).
4. Cover with a loose fitting lid and place a plastic bucket over it all with a weight on top.
5. Keep replacing the CSI until activity ceases. The usual inspection/top up interval
is 2 weeks. If the activity is strong then weekly inspections are recommended..

Treatment using a CSI
Treating activity via an active in ground detector.
We recommend our application device but you can make your own.

Just use any container with a hole in the bottom and filled with the CSI mixture.
Remove detector's inspection window, add a little mixture to the opening and place your
container filled with the rest of the mixed bait over the inground detector.
Cover the container and stabilise it. Check weekly and top up if necessary.
Treating other areas directly ( where termite activity has been found )
Applying bait directly to an infested area.
1. Establish an exposed area of activity.
You can dig out a small area or drill a 5mm hole. If you observe active termites
then get ready for ACTION. If not wait until the next day to observe whether or not
the area has been repaired by termites. If so get ready for ACTION. If not then
try to establish another active site.
ACTION=The following.
Pour 200ml clean water into the sachet, seal and knead. Keep adding water 10mls
at a time until the mixture is like a whole lots of large crumbs.
Push a small amount of mixed bait into the active area.
Now you can relax a little as the termites will be occupied with consuming the bait.
Make a hole in one side of the pouch and fix it against the active area.
If in a vertical application, simply lay the pouch over the active area, protect it from movement
and cover it with something easily removeable ( say foil ) to prevent direct sun strike.
If horizontal, you can tape the pouch in place and cover it as above.
Check weekly and replace bait if necessary.
Can I apply Termite Dusts to an inground detector ?
Using dusts ( like Termidor® or Intrigue® ) in ANY inground detector is not recommended
and can easily prove to be a waste of money. Manufacturers of dusts recommend that a
minimum of 15,000 termites need to be treated 'directly'. This simply can't be achieved
by puffing dust into an inground detector. The active constituents of the dusts are not
self replicating and must directly adhere to a termite body to become effective. Any dust
that simply settles won't adhere to any termites and they will not eat it. Termites will eat it
off each others' bodies because it is part of a grooming process to prevent the build up
of fungi. The same restrictions apply to the use of dusts to treat termites active inside
a home. Simply puffing dust into a hole where you see termites is another great way to
burn money. There is no way you can affect enough termites by puffing dust into a tunnel
that is 2mm wide at the most.
How can I kill the Queen termite ?
That's easy. You find the nest and keep digging until you find the biggest termite you
have ever seen and kill it. There is no other sure fire way but what most people don't know
( because no one mentions it ) is that the Queen is not the only egg layer in a colony.
When eggs hatch they go through many instar ( moulting ) stages until they become one of
many termite types. Just how they become a particular type ( caste ) of termite is unknown but
one of these castes is a supplementary reproductive. Termites haven't survived for millions
of years by having colonies of millions depending on just one Queen to lay eggs. These
supplementary reproductives can't lay eggs while the King and Queen suppress them
by a means not yet understood but can venture forth when required to help populate satellite nests.
They can also commence egg laying within the central colony if the Queen dies.
Those nests inside the walls of peoples' homes have supplementary reproductives belting out eggs
just like the Queen in the main colony.