Here is a brief outline of planned termite management activities over the next few months.
Hopefully this week or next we will finish the installation of new monitoring traps in all of the red zones areas, including the newly discovered infestation on Emma St./Pine Dr. I am currently working on a second set of letters to the
new red, blue zones and surrounding residents of that area.Once all the trap installation is completed, this will leave us with only about 6 weeks remaining in the season to make 2 or 3 rounds of checking all the traps before November. This will be vital for three reasons: 1) developing a 2D distributional picture of where termites are currently, 2) developing a quantitative picture of the intensity of current termite activity, and 3) obtaining termites which I can use for lab studies during the winter months.
During November we will be doing a few trial runs of the “yard wood clean up week ends” with the city providing bins. This is planned for the block between Clarence and Clark and also for the Emma-Pine area. I will also be setting up the mulch feeding preference study in November.
We have identified a half dozen dead termite-infested trees that will need to be removed during the fall/winter period.
In December I will be summarizing the season’s findings and putting together a report and letters to residents.
In January we are planning be a series of public meetings to address residents in the various termite affected areas.
January through March I will be doing lab studies to identify an alternative
active ingredient to use for TTR and also trying to isolate and culture the fungal pathogen, Antennopsis.In the March-April period I will be requesting experimental permits from the PMRA for new actives to use in TTR.
In May the new season starts. Termite Management Staff