Will Sentricon hurt my plants

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The Sentricon termite colony elimination system is our preferred method for treating homes for subterranean termites.  Small green bait stations are installed into the soil approximately every ten feet around the foundation.  These stations are serviced once a year to record feeding activity, replace eaten bait, and perform any necessary maintenance.  It only takes a few worker termites feeding on the bait to eliminate the entire colony after it is passed along from termite to termite when they interact with each other.  Once the colony is eliminated a new colony may soon move into the area and the bait stations continue to provide protection for your home because they contain enough bait to potentially eliminate several colonies.

Sometimes the bait stations are installed in close proximity to trees, bushes, and other vegetation including vegetable and herb gardens. Some conscientious customers have asked questions about this, inquiring if the bait in the stations can leak out and hurt the nearby plants or affect other insects like honeybees that may feed on nearby flowers.  

I can say unequivocally that there has been no evidence of the bait contaminating nearby plants or affecting insects that visit those plants.  The active ingredient in the bait used inside the Sentricon stations is in a pesticide group called insect growth regulators (IGRs).  IGRs are considered some of the safest pesticides to use as they only affect undeveloped insects that contact or feed on them.  Once they are in the insect’s system, IGRs prevent undeveloped insects from developing into fully formed adults.  In the termite colony, once all the undeveloped termites die the colony quickly collapses.  The adult workers don’t live very long and once they die there are no workers left to replace them. Without workers the soldiers and reproductives (king and queen) will soon starve because they rely on workers to bring them food.  Even if by some chance the active ingredient leaches from the bait into the soil it will not have any effect on nearby plants or the insects that visit them.  If a pet or child dug up a station and ate the bait inside it will not cause any more harm than eating a piece of paper covered in dirt and fungus.  The fungus naturally found in soil is more detrimental than the bait.  Even if you took the bait mixed it with sugar water and fed it to a honeybee it will not affect that bee because it only works on developing insects.  Please don’t actually do these things!  I’m just trying to illustrate my point that the bait contained inside the Sentricon stations is safe around nearby plants and animals.

The Sentricon termite bait system is the most environmentally friendly termite treatment available.  It is the only termite control product that has been awarded the Presidential Green Chemistry Award.  Because of this, combined with its effectiveness and ease of installation, Terminix Service, Inc. prefers to use the Sentricon system to protect your home from termites.