Baiting

Baiting is a promising technology of termite management in building construction. Various chitin synthesis inhibitors are used as active ingredient and the same is used through food matrix or as dust. Over a span of application time, this technology proves worth to eliminate termite from an area. Baiting technique is almost proved against lower termites including Reticulitermes and Coptotermes. Pilot experiment of this system against Reticulitermes santonensis proved success in Paris. Bait toxicants were divided bait toxicants into three groups viz.,

(i) the metabolic inhibitors,

(ii) biological control agents, and

(iii) insect growth regulators (IGRs).

Placing bait including active ingredients of toxicants result into consumption of the same by individuals of colony near any affected or unaffected structure resulting into slow or fast death. Activities of slow poison baits help in irradiating large number of termite individuals as the lethal effect get sufficient time to be spread to the larger number of individuals of a colony. Quick effective baits may kill individuals fast and accumulation of dead termites may act as mark of danger to the other nest mates resulting in avoidance of bait station. Even though active research in ongoing regarding this excellent alternative management process in many developed countries, in India and other developing countries this method is yet to be included in termite management programs.

Bait trapping - indigenous preparation with PVC pipes