Sentricon

The Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System is a subterranean termite control product developed and manufactured by Dow AgroSciences. It was introduced in 1995 as a termite baiting system, the first major alternative to liquid termiticide soil barriers. It has been proven to eliminate termite colonies, even those of the Formosan subterranean termite, or super termite.

The baiting technique employed by the Sentricon System relies on termite biology and behavior. Subterranean worker termites forage for cellulose food sources 24 hours a day, ranging abroad from their underground nest, or colony, through tunnels in the soil up to 350 feet long. When any termite finds a food source, it leaves a pheromone scent trail to summon nestmates. Worker termites chew and digest cellulose, and then regurgitate it to share with other termites in the colony.

When foraging, worker termites find Sentricon bait stations placed in the soil by an Authorized Operator of the Sentricon System. These stations are baited with a cellulose material impregnated with noviflumuron, an insect growth regulator. The termites share this bait with colony nestmates, which later die when they are unable to molt. As they die, the colony is eliminated. The Authorized Operator, who is trained and certified by Dow AgroSciences, provides an ongoing station monitoring service.

The Sentricon System has environmental benefits. Less of its active ingredient is needed to achieve control than in traditional liquid chemical treatments. In addition, in 2000, the Sentricon System received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, an environmental honor from the U.S. government.

External links

* [http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/pgcc/past.html#2000 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award]
* [http://dowagro.com/sentricon/us/difference/environment.htm Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System]
* [http://www.sentricon.com Sentricon System Web site]