Termites feed mainly on wood (doors, beams, furniture, windows…) and cellulose (textile, cardboard, paper…). In Andalusia, all the structures and constructions affected belong to the species Reticulitermes sp., better known as subterranean termites since they move and access homes through the ground or walls. Therefore, the first signs of attack appear in the lower parts of the doors located in basements and ground floors of dwellings, mainly in the bathrooms, kitchens and doors leading to gardens or patios.

Characteristics of termites

The following castes can be distinguished within a termite colony:

• Workers: In general, we can observe, and in great numbers, some small “white ants” are the workers. They are the only ones responsible for the damage. They consume and digest cellulose which they are then able to regurgitate to distribute to the other members of the colony; this process is called trophalaxy. They are constantly searching for food, without periods of rest and moving in all directions in a random search. They are also the ones who build the cords of land.
• Soldiers: They are less numerous, white and have a hypertrophied head with 2 large jaws. They are in charge of protecting the population against the enemies (mainly ants). Their hypertrophied head does not allow them to feed themselves and it is the workers who feed them by means of trophalaxy.
• Neotenics or secondary breeders: These are longer than the workers (5-6 mm.) and have two small wing outlines on their backs. They are capable of moving through the galleries created by the workers, and if the colony divides they can form a new colony.

The breeding pair:

At the origin of a termite population, there is a pair of reproducers. It is made up of a dark-coloured king, who is capable of moving and has not yet lost his wings, and a wingless queen, who is equally dark but whose abdomen is variously coloured brown. This abdomen is hypertrophied (from a few millimetres to several centimetres) and harbours a reproductive system capable of creating several thousand eggs a year. The queen is unable to move around and therefore unable to feed herself. Like the rest of the population, she is fed by the workers.

Once a year, the swarming:

Visible and often spectacular demonstration of its presence, the swarming generally occurs once a year (from January to May, depending on the species and area) at the time when the populations are already well established. At this time, hundreds of primary breeders fly out of the holes created by the workers. These reproducers are winged and dark in colour. Their flight is very short. At the whim of chance, pairs are formed and, the most fortunate ones, who find a cavity in the wood where they can nest, will be able to reproduce and create a new population.

With the exception of winged breeders, all other termite breeds are aptera, i.e. they are wingless. They move and communicate thanks to specific substances that they leave behind and that their congeners recognise. These are the track pheromones. There are also alarm pheromones, segregated in case of danger and intended to alert the rest of the population.

Termites are therefore social insects that communicate: they not only exchange food but also the information that tells them both the way to find food and the warning of the presence of a danger.

Termite development.

Like most invertebrates, termites grow in stages. At the end of a growth period, when the external skeleton (cuticle) becomes too small, it gradually detaches itself and a new, larger shell is immediately formed. This process is called moulting. Termites moult approximately ten times before they reach their final size.

OBSERVATIONS OF TERMITE DAMAGE IN A WOODEN STRUCTURE

Woods attacked by termites generally do not present visible symptoms on the outside as they always leave a small film that remains intact.

Meanwhile, the interior of the wood is consumed in lamellas in the direction of the fibres and no sawdust remains are visible from the outside. In the event that they pass through the external film (surface wood, wallpaper, paint,…), they quickly take care of covering the hole with a mixture of soil, saliva and excrement.

Thus we see nothing but a small dark spot sometimes the size of a pinhead. Generally speaking, termites attack all cellulosic materials, mainly wood. They devour furniture stuck to the wall, door frames, skirting boards, carpentry in general and double partitions, but also cardboard and books.

Termites move around the structures and consume the wood for which, if necessary, they pass through the soft materials such as plaster or polystyrene. They also use the cracks in the concrete or the joints between the stones or bricks to make a path.

In cases where they cannot pass through them, small dark brown tunnels are built inside which they move towards their target. These cords are built with small particles, a mixture of saliva, soil and excrement. It is not unusual for these constructions to appear as “stalactites” or “stalagmites”. They live on the ground, constantly taking refuge in a closed and dark environment.

Diagnosis is sometimes difficult and requires the technical knowledge of a professional, accompanied by the Termatrac, a movement, humidity and temperature radar.

In Gimasur, we carry out two types of termite prevention and control treatments. The Sentritech bait system and the chemical injection treatment. One system or the other will be advised depending on the type of attack, as well as the characteristics of the house.

THE SENTRITECH SYSTEM ALWAYS ACTIVE, TOTAL ELIMINATION OF TERMITE MOUNDS – 100% GUARANTEE

The Sentritech system is the most effective and innovative system on the market to tackle the termite problem. Its principle of operation is based on the diffusion of an insecticide product to all individuals in the colony: hexaflumuron. This insecticide used has a delayed effect, distributed in the form of bait or food, containing a special formulation that will be consumed by the working termites. Little by little, through the phenomenon of trophalaxy (food exchange), it will cause the whole colony to be intoxicated and die.

The product used is an insect growth regulator: hexaflumuron which inhibits the synthesis of chitin, the main component of the insect exoskeleton. Thus, when the termite moults, the new cuticle is not formed and, without this protective skin which also serves as its skeleton, the insect cannot live.

NON-TOXIC: The product is specific for insects and has no effect on man (neither adults nor children), domestic animals or other vertebrates.

In this way, the product has a relatively slow action, which leaves enough time to spread the insecticide throughout the colony.

NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: The quantities of insecticide product used are very small and are only placed in those places where there is clearly an infestation.

The SENTRIBOX HD REG authorisation is available and accessible to the interested party. 17-30-08895, SENTRISOL HD REG. 16-30-08351, Certificate-CTBP, Safety Data Sheets and a doctoral thesis called “Study on the use of Hexaflumuron for the control of underground thermals” where the 100% effectiveness of the Sentritech System is demonstrated.

The methodology established and guaranteed by Sentritech consists of three different stages:

STAGES	DESCRIPTION
STAGE I	INSPECTION – INSTALLATION: Detailed inspection of the property and installation of the SENTRIBOX stations on the affected wooden structures and SENTRISOL stations on the ground.
STAGE II	CONTROL: Regular visits, with an approximate frequency of 3 months for the extermination of the colony through the SENTRITECH stations. Both the system stations and the “area to be protected” will be checked.
STAGE III	MAINTENANCE: Once the previous stage has been completed, visits will be made during the periods of maximum risk which will coincide with the periods of maximum activity of the termites. 2 times a year on the 2nd year, and 1 time a year on the 3rd-4th and 5th year.

• Stage 1: Inspection – Installation

Objective: To locate the points of attack and risk of the termites and come into contact with the colony in order to allow future intoxication.

Means: Use easily controlled and checked workstations together with a Termatrac radar detector..

Procedure:

1. Preparation of an action plan.

2. Identification of appreciable damage and areas of potential termite risk, at least in the visible part. This inspection will be complemented by the use of the acoustic or humidity detector.

3. Inside wooden structures, SENTRIBOX HD stations will be placed in specific points of attack or activity of termites, if possible. In this case we would place stations in all the door frames attacked in the small construction, as well as in the different points that we can find activity at the time of installation.

In the exterior and interior, SENTRISOL HD stations will be placed in the earth and floor area, making a perimeter fence in the construction.

4. Regular controls of the stations installed, as well as periodic detailed inspections of the whole “area to be protected”.

The stations are installed according to specific technical recommendations and taking into account the social and biological behaviour of the termites.

Depending on the type of construction and the nature of termite activity, two types of station can be used:

SENTRISOL HD: these are placed on the ground, generally outside and are distributed appropriately.

SENTRIBOX HD: they are generally placed indoors and installed directly on termite tracks.

Detecting all the activities of the termites in a structure is an essential step to obtain the good results of the SENTRITECH system. An electronic acoustic termite detector is available for use on TERMATRAC wood.

• Stage 2: Control

Objective: To spread the insecticide product within the colony by using the workers.

Means: Distribution of the product by means of baits placed at the disposal of the termites at the points where they are active.

When an attack of termites is detected, the cellulose impregnated in Hexaflumuron enters the trophic chain of the termites. To increase consumption, Self Recruitment is used which consists of collecting the detected termites and relocating them in the new baits. Once they pass through the bait with insecticide and return to the colony, these individuals easily communicate the location of the bait to the rest of the colony using the track pheromones.

Procedure:

1. In all those SENTRITECH stations where activity is detected, insecticide baits will be placed (laminated and textured cellulose impregnated with hexaflumuron), which will be replaced by new ones as they are consumed by the termites.

2. The SENTRITECH stations will be controlled periodically in terms that will vary according to the activity developed by the termite colonies but if the consumption is high, every 3 months.

3. Detailed inspections of the “area to be protected” will also be carried out during this phase.

4. During this phase the number and placement of the SENTRI TECH stations will be adapted to the termite control strategy and behaviour.

5. This set of actions will be maintained until the control of termite colonies affecting the “area to be protected” is complete

The SENTRITECH methodology will be constantly adapted according to the characteristics of the termite colony (estimated size, radius of action, level of activity…) and the particularities of the construction.

• Stage 3: Maintenance.

Objective: To ensure maintenance of the treated area.

Means: Periodically check stations with inert elements and “sensitive” areas prone to the development of subterranean termites.

When the control phase is over, maintenance is the guarantee that regular long-term monitoring will be carried out throughout the protected area. The external workstations remain in the same place where they were installed; their inspection and a control of the structure are carried out at least twice a year. Thus, any possible infestation by a new building colony will be quickly detected before it is installed in the structure. If necessary, a rapid poisoning action is carried out.

Procedure: Regular controls of the SENTRITECH stations together with detailed inspections of the “area to be protected”.

These checks will be carried out twice a year in the second year, and once a year in the third, fourth and fifth years in order to guarantee protection in the area in question until the end of the fifth year of treatment.

100% guarantee of the Sentritech system

After signing the contract, the customer will be given a written guarantee certificate, signed and sealed by Gimasur Ambiental, S.L. (authorised applicator), Sanitrade (national distributor) and Cortega (worldwide manufacturer).

CHEMICAL BARRIER TREATMENT AGAINST TERMITES

The aim of this treatment is to create a barrier that acts as an insecticide. To do this, TP8 and TP18 biocides are used, based on active substances such as Fipronil (Termidor), which do not smell and are not detectable by termites, and are very effective in the short/medium term. The effect of the treatment is very long lasting and effective, immediately solving the propagation of the problem inside the house.

These treatments require protective insecticides to penetrate and spread inside the walls and floor, as well as in the wooden structures. For this purpose, an injection equipment with M.B.I. piston pump is used. As the elements to be treated will be doors, windows, walls and floors, this biocide injection treatment is recommended, carried out by drilling holes every 20-30 cm, or by skewering in virgin wood with the pores free.

The Termite Treatment is so effective that a 5 YEAR GUARANTEE is offered, that is, if there are occasional reinfestations in the treated areas, the necessary treatments are carried out until they are controlled, FREE OF CHARGE.