E-4
DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY
household & public health insectse
TERMITE CONTROL BEFORE AND AFTER CONSTRUCTION
Gary W. Bennett, Extension Entomologist
Termites are social insects with several types of individuals in a colony, each type serving the colony in a different way. Winged reproductive forms swarm from mature colonies to disperse and establish new colonies. Worker termites, the ones that damage wood by eating the softwood layers, are white and soft-bodied; they feed the other forms in the colony and expand the nest size. Soldier termites with enlarged mandibles (teeth) are responsible for protecting the colony from intruders.
Termites need wood for food and soil for moisture. Wood in contact with soil, then, is ideal for termite development. But if this does not occur, the insects may build "shelter tubes" to bridge or span foundation walls and other masonry that separate wood from soil. They construct these tubes on the walls or inside them in voids or cracks. Occasionally, when a leaky roof or pipe provides moisture, termites are established without solid contact.
Infestations develop in soil, and the termites enter the building through structural wood or foundation walls adjacent to the soil. In cases of houses built partly or completely on slabs, infestation is through expansion joints, cracks, and utility and sewer openings.
Whether pretreating at the time of construction or treating an existing structure, the basic principle of termite control is to break the connection between wood and soil. This is done by laying down a chemical barrier to eliminate all possible points of entry. In view of the rather elaborate equipment
required and the complicated nature of the process, it is strongly suggested that the homeowner consult a professional pest control service.
PRETREATMENT
Homes and other buildings can be pretreated at time of construction to protect them against termite attack. Pretreatment is relatively inexpensive and highly desirable, especially in buildings constructed completely or partly on concrete slabs. Slab buildings are very susceptible to termite attack, and once they are infested, treatment is difficult and expensive.
For effective pretreatment termite proofing, much of the chemical barrier may need to be under concrete slabs. Obviously, it is much easier to lay a chemical barrier before the concrete is poured than it is afterwards.
Areas Needing Pretreatment
For effective termite prevention, pretreatment is needed in four areas during construction:
1.	Treatment of the entire soil surface under any area to be covered with concrete, including garage floors, entrance platforms, and filled porches.
2.	Re-treatment with additional amounts" of chemical to the soil beneath those areas which lie adjacent to foundation walls, beneath interior walls, around sewer and utility openings, and at other possible points of entry.
3.	Treatment of footings and backfill outside foundation walls and inside walled areas where there is a crawl
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907