Termite Traps

[ferco]

We inherited a termite trap system when we bought our house and the contract is now up for renewal. Are these things any good ? The new company wants $350 to install new traps around the outside of the house (the old ones are no good, he says) and a quarterly maintenance of $60.

Anyone with any experience with these gadgets ?

 

[braumeister]

If you're in an area where termites are a serious concern, that can be very good and inexpensive insurance. Termites can do an incredible amount of damage in a short time with no visible sign until it's too late.

 

[rgarling]

Are you saying that the company that had been receiving $60 quarterly maintenance for the existing termite traps, decided that they were "no good" as soon as the contract expired? If so, I would look somewhere else.

 

[Texas Proud]

What the heck is a termite trap

If it is what I think it is all it is is some kind of wood in a tube... they do nothing until termites actually attack that wood...

Maybe your wood is rotten...


Unless you think there is some reason to worry about termites, I would not... just do some basic inspections of your foundation etc. and look for signs of them...

 

[Donzo]

A termite trap and termite baiting system are the same. They are plastic tubes with holes - inside is a piece of wood that is treated with a slow working pesticide like Termador. The termites take this slow killer back to the nest - works very well - I have the "traps" and pay a similar amount. When they were first put in - the wood was gone in less than a month! That was replaced and it now goes untouched. Termites start new colonies every spring - better safe...

 

[Animorph]

Can't do without them here. I pay a similar amount. It comes as somewhat of a guarantee, if additional measures are needed to eliminate active termites that service comes free. So for my yearly payment I get the bait tubes, monitoring, and elimination. That has included extra bait boxes indoors and a conventional bunch of holes around the perimeter of my garage with pesticide. Check to see if you have the same coverage for that cost.

 

[TromboneAl]

Why can't you just buy these things at Home Depot?

 

[Nords]

We inherited a termite trap system when we bought our house and the contract is now up for renewal. Are these things any good ? The new company wants $350 to install new traps around the outside of the house (the old ones are no good, he says) and a quarterly maintenance of $60.
Anyone with any experience with these gadgets ?

Yeah, our next-door neighbor.

They've been paying Terminix for literally decades. Once a week the guy comes out to the property and buzzes each of the traps with a remote control. He doesn't actually open them, but rather just waves a remote control at them. The remote makes a sound that indicates something (I have no idea what) and the guy is in & out in less than five minutes. You're paying $20/month for roughly 20 minutes of maintenance. Sounds about right.

Have you checked the old traps? My impression is that they're little plastic buckets with pieces of wood in them. If termites start chewing the wood then the guy replaces the wood with poisoned bait... within the week, anyway. Assuming his remote control tells him to. But I can see how all the moving parts in that system might wear out and require a $350 replacement.

When we discovered termites in our house four years ago, we went next door to tell the neighbor. While we were there she noticed a tunnel on the outside of a potted plant on her lanai. She broke it open and a bunch of termites ran out.

The termites had never touched any of the Terminix traps.

But our neighbors are the kind of people who feel better paying someone else to assume the liability of termite damage to their house. It's part of the reasons that they're both still working.

Why can't you just buy these things at Home Depot?

[insert punch line about "trained professionals" here...]

 

[LRDave]

In the SE US, the old saying goes: "There are two kinds of houses - those that have/had termites and those that are going to get termites."

Most of what you read on the interwebs (not written by someone that wants to sell you termite inspection/treatment/prevention/bond) suggests that the foraging habits of them pesky critters are so varied that traps or indicators are pretty much worthless.

 

[Lsbcal]

We inherited a termite trap system when we bought our house and the contract is now up for renewal. Are these things any good ? The new company wants $350 to install new traps around the outside of the house (the old ones are no good, he says) and a quarterly maintenance of $60.

Anyone with any experience with these gadgets ?

I'd see this situation as a reset and have competing contractors come out to give me bids. Sometimes competitors will give you info or make interesting conflicting statements that will help in your search for the truth.

Perhaps there is some local info on Yelp? You might look these things up on the web. Perhaps some government agency has a report out there on effectiveness or better treatment options.