Termite Baiting
The John French System of Baiting and Termite Eradication
History
In the early 1970s the only successful way of controlling termites was by spraying chemicals which are no longer on the market. Today, thanks mainly to the work of John French, the alternatives are not only safe for us and the environment, they focus on getting rid of the problem.
John French had studied Forestry in Aberdeen, Scotland and Forest Entomology in the University of Sydney, before acquiring his PHD at the Oregon State University.
In 1972 he joined the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Melbourne, in the wood division.
Shortly after he started, a nurse, who had a son with leukaemia, called needing to get termites out of her house without using chemical sprays.
This was the impetus that started John looking for non-toxic solutions to termite problems.
John has spent a great deal of his time with the CSIRO developing and refining his method of termite control through baitboxes.
In 1989 he went to America and shared his knowledge. From that visit a lot of the new termite baiting systems have been developed.
Robert Cameron of SA Pest Free Naturally, first met with John in Melbourne at a workshop John was giving on the control of termites through bait boxes on 11th November, 1996. Robert was extremely impressed with John’s work and came back and started practicing this form of termite control in the field in Adelaide.
Robert and John have kept in contact ever since, sharing information and findings on termite control.
Through this association, SA Pest Free Naturally has developed the John French System of Termite Prevention and Eradication.
The System
- Area inspection – the house surrounds are searched for termite activity and colonies.
- Venus Termite Traps – placed strategically around the building to warn of termite activity in the area.
- Colony Eradication – Depending on whether or not the colony can be found it will be directly eradicated or controlled through traps.
As John French continues to further research and develop termite eradication, the process and systems will continue to evolve and improve.
Robert Cameron of SA Pest Free Naturally, is committed to continued testing and improving of the systems used by SA Pest Free Naturally to protect and eradicate and control termites for the benefit of his clients’ homes, their health and our environment.
We built our house 14 years ago with a standard anti-termite barrier in the foundation slab. We also engaged Termite Free Naturally to eradicate the termites on our block because the surrounding area had a lot of termite-ridden trees. We had one termite attack into a staircase, but the entry point was established and the termite colony eradicated by Termite Free Naturally using one of their termite eradication traps. We have had our house surrounded by Termite Free Naturally’s trap system ever since and have had no further problems.
We have regular annual inspections by Termite Free Naturally and regularly inspect the traps ourselves to see if there is any termite activity. So far there has been none. We cannot speak highly enough of Termite Free Naturally’s professional and customer-oriented approach.
We recently heard noises in our bedroom ceiling space and thought they might be termites. We contacted Termite Free Naturally and they went into our roof space to have a look. Our problem was not termites but rats! Termite Free Naturally put rat baits in the ceiling space and the rats took them and perished outside our house. This had nothing to do with termites, of course, but shows how concerned and obliging Termite Free Naturally are for their regular clients (including older clients like us).
Richard Blandy – Norwood
Richard Blandy,
