Termidor SC Termiticide/Insecticide - Questions & Answers

Termidor SC is the # 1 choice for ant control around the outside of your home. Termidor SC is a non-repellent insecticide that also has a transfer effect. That means that ants cannot tell that the Termidor SC is there and will walk right over it and then pick the product up on their bodies and inadvertantly carry it back to the colony, then through normal social interaction the ants spread the Termidor SC and wipe out the colony. Termidor SC only needs to be applied two times per year and is effective for a wide variety of insects including ants, centipedes, roaches, spiders, silverfish, wasps and many other nuisance insects.

The exact distance you need to be from a body of water is not specified on the Termidor SC product label. When using Termidor SC, it is the applicators responsibility to make absolutely sure that runoff or overspray cannot enter a body water. You can help ensure this by not using Termidor SC on windy or rainy days or on embankments near the water. The Termidor SC product label states that you cannot use Termidor SC closer than 5 feet from a well or cistern and we feel that same guideline should be followed for other bodies of water as well.

You would handle this situation by either removing a good portion of the soil you treated with the over the counter product and replacing it like you had suggested, or by treating everywhere else but the area you treated.  If you are going to try to replace the soil, then make sure you dig down plenty deep and remove all of the soil that may have been contacted by the over the counter product.  Don't worry, many homeowners do the same thing and call us when they realize there are better alternatives.  It should be fine.

Termidor SC can be applied anytime through out the year, as long as it is not below freezing temperatures.  Termites are active all year round in many parts of the country so anytime is a good time.  As far as treatment goes, you should read our "How To Do A Termite Treatment" article which explains how a homeowner should do their own termite treatment just as good as the professionals.

When performing a termite treatment and treating concrete slabs, the holes should be drilled about 2-3 inches away from the house, and 10 inches apart.  Typically a 1/2 inch drill bit is used.  You can fill the holes using a funnel or a one gallon hand pump sprayer with the nozzle turned so the sprayer shoots out a pinstream.  You are supposed to apply 4 gallons per 10 feet in the drill holes as well as the trench.  This is very hard to do.  Usually you would just fill the holes and then come back 30 minutes later after the soil beneath the slab has soaked up the product and fill the holes up again.  Do this 3 times and then patch the holes or use our Trebor Plugs. 

You need to read our "How To Do A Termite Treatment" article which explains exactly how to perform a termite treatment.

We would recommend using Termidor which is one of the best termiticides on the market and is the treatment of choice with professional companies.  For the activity you have inside, you would drill a hole or tear out a piece of sheetrock and treat directly into the wall voide with some Termidor in a one gallon sprayer.  For the outside treatment, you would apply Termidor around the perimeter of the structure according to the guidelines in our "How To Do A Termite Treatment" article.

We are not the manufacturer, but it is our suggestion to not apply if it is going to rain within 24 hours.  The product does need some time to bond to the soil.  We might suggest insisting that he treat on another day when there is no rain in the forecast.

You should not have to re-dig and apply the Termidor if it was a light rain, even if it was continuous.  As long as you covered the trench back up after the application and it had a few hours to set you should be fine.  If the trench was not re-covered and it was left open, then it would be receommended to re-do the treatment.

Yes, Termidor can be used inside the house, but only as a spot treatment where an active termite infestation exists.  Termidor and Bora-Care are for two different treatments.  Termidor is meant for the soil, but can be used on wood as a spot treatment.  The main benefit of Termidor is that the termites will take it back to the colony under the ground and kill the colony at the source.  Bora-Care is a wood treatment product only, but it will not take care of the termite colony below the soil; it will only kill the termites that are in the wood.

Termidor is only labeled to apply two times a year but may be applied more often if need be.  Typically most insecticides will last up to 3 months at the most depending on climate and weather patterns.

The label of a product is the law, and the manufacturer and the EPA decided on a label that does not permit Termidor to be used indoors for ants or other insect control, only termite control.  We are not sure exactly why, but the label is the law so we cannot recommend using a product against what the label says.  We do have an excellent product to place inside the home for carpenter ants called Maxforce Carpenter ant bait gel.  It is in our carpenter ant kit and has a very high success rate. 

Termidor SC is considered the best and is a newer product than Premise 75WSP.  Termidor SC will also last longer once applied which is about 10 years and Premise 75 WSP will only last 6 or 7 years.

You must find out how many lineal feet you have around the outside or your home. Unfortunately, the square footage just will not tell us how much you really have to treat. To find how many lineal you have, measure around the front, back and each side of your home. Add up the measurements and now you will have the total lineal feet. Use 4 gallons of finished solution per 10 lineal feet around the house. For Example: A home with 200 lineal feet around the foundation would require 4 bottles of Termidor SC. Most homes require at least 4 bottles. Spraying alone will not protect your home from termites. To protect your home from termite infestations, Termidor SC must be mixed with water and poured in a 6-inch deep trench that is dug around the foundation of the home. You can purchase Termidor SC on our website.

If you treated your home a year ago with Termidor SC, then you should have no worries.  Termidor SC is the best there is for a reason. There will always be termites in your yard and there is not really much you can do about it.  Most companies, and I concur, that what you should really worry about is your biggest investment, your house. Let the termites eat on the mulch. If they get close to the house the Termidor SC will do the job.

The trench around the exterior of the house only needs to be 6 inches deep.  It is not realistic to dig a 5 foot deep trench and no company would do this either.  On the inside of the basement, it would probably be a good idea to drill through the slab of the basement along the wall that is below grade and apply Termidor SC through the slab and/or treat the termites directly in the wall where the activity is.

We cannot comment on any work your pest control operator has done. We can tell you that the Termidor SC product label does recommend trenching 6 inches deep and 6 inches across. Please take a few minutes to read through the label. If you are still unsure you can contact BASF, the Termidor SC manufacturer at 1-877-TERMIDOR.

We are not sure the answer to your question.  We would recommend calling the manufacturer for this specific of a question.  You can reach them at 1-877-TERMIDOR.

One 20 oz. bottle of Termidor SC will make 25 gallons of finished solution.

Termidor SC is labeled for black widow spiders specifically but it cannot be used on play equipment. Termidor SC can only be used on or immediately around the foundation of a structure. We do not recommend using any type of insecticide on the play equipment. We do recommend sealing the holes so that spiders cannot nest there. You can treat the areas around the play equipment with a product such as Talstar P to keep crawling insects from making the play-set their home. Knock down any spider web as soon as you see them to discourage spiders from nesting in unwanted areas.