Termite pretreatment is used before home construction to discourage infestation by subterranean termites. While dry wood termites attack and infest a home from above, subterranean termites come through the soil. While they don't usually form colonies within the wood, as do dry wood and damp wood termites, they can do enormous damage to home foundations. Therefore, a range of techniques are used to ensure they never get the chance in the first place.
Prevention, Not a Cure
Termite pretreatment is a preventive measure. There are two basic tactics: toxic, non-toxic barrier techniques. Each has advantages, though the method of toxic pretreatment is losing ground as people consider the implications of saturating their home foundations with insecticides that affect people as well as termites. A final technique involves creating a physical barrier between all wood and all subterranean termites.
The Physical Barrier
A physical barrier can be created by using a combination of fine steel mesh, a layer of coarse aggregate, such as sand and small gravel, and a plastic film impregnated with a substance like sodium borate which is non-toxic to humans. The three-stage combination is put in place under the slab or the dug foundation. Wherever possible, wood is kept out of all contact with the soil.
Non-toxic Treatments
Non-toxic and toxic treatments are also both used on the actual structure and the wood which might come in contact with subterranean termites. The most common substance used for non-toxic treatments is currently the same sodium borate used in the films that help create physical barriers. Sodium borate is a non-poisonous desiccant--it dries things out. It also interferes with the ability of termites to digest wood, killing off the symbiotic internal organisms that allow termites to get food value out of cellulose. Wood can be pretreated with sodium borate, or well drenched with it during construction. This creates a chemical barrier that will resist termite attacks.
Toxic Pretreatment
Until it was banned in 1988, chlordane was the most popular toxic chemical pretreatment. It is very slow to break down, and remains in the soil and the structure of the home for decades. After the ban, chlorpyrifos and diazinon became popular. They continue to be used as pretreatments and as pest control chemicals, but are becoming less popular. The combination of non-toxic and physical barrier methods is increasing in professional use.
Evaluating the Costs
If you are arranging for the construction of a home, either for your own use or as part of a commercial venture, the use of pretreatment should be seriously considered. Pretreatment, especially non-toxic pretreatment, adds to the value of a home. Dealing with subterranean termites after construction is difficult, expensive and often far from fully successful. But putting chemical and physical barriers in place before the house even goes up, and integrating them safely into the very fabric of the building and the building site, you have increased the odds of a termite-free future for the home.
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