Stations placed around a slab house
Stations are set along the perimeter at intervals suited to the foundation, with extra attention to the slab edge, the entry points and the garden side. The map is drawn against the house plan.
Serving Lafayette Parish
Termite Bait Station Monitoring in Lafayette, LA
Bait stations placed in the soil around a house and checked on a set schedule, so termite activity is found and recorded through the whole year.
- Serving Lafayette Parish
- Formosan termite swarm season
- Safety notes for children and pets
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Bait Monitoring
Termite Bait Station Monitoring: what it covers
Quick answer
Termite bait monitoring places stations in the soil around a house, checks them on a set schedule and records the result at each one. Because a colony that swarms in May was feeding all year, the monitoring runs past the swarm season and does not stop with it. The record is the main product of the work.
A bait station is a plastic or metal housing set in the ground at intervals around a house. It holds a cellulose material that termites find attractive, and in some systems a slow-acting bait material that workers carry back to the colony. The station is not a single device that solves the problem. It is a monitoring point, and the value comes from checking it again and again.
The swarm calendar is the reason the schedule matters. In Lafayette Parish the swarm season runs late April into June, and a colony that releases swarmers in May was feeding through the winter and the autumn before that. Monitoring that stops in April misses most of the year, so the plan here runs the full calendar.
This page covers how the stations are placed, what is looked for at each check, how a station that has been hit is treated and why a clear record matters more than any single visit.
- Service area
- Lafayette & Lafayette Parish
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7
- Phone
- (855) 974-4733
Warning signs
Signs you need termite bait station monitoring
Bait stations and the bait inside them are regulated products and must be handled only as their labels direct. Do not open a station yourself, do not move one and do not add material to it. Keep children and pets away from the station area, and wash hands after any contact with the soil or a station.
- Termites found inside a station on a check, with the date and the station number recorded
- Activity at a station that stops and starts again over several checks
- A station with soil or mud that has been disturbed by something other than a worker
- A cluster of stations on one side of the house showing activity while the others stay quiet
- Wood damage inside the house that appears after a run of quiet checks
Our process
How our termite bait station monitoring visit works
Place the stations around the perimeter
Stations are set in the soil at intervals around the foundation, with extra stations near wood, pier footings and any place a tube or swarm was seen. The map shows each station's number and position.
Check each station on the set schedule
Each station is opened, inspected for termite activity and closed again. The result is recorded against its number: no activity, active, or a bait change needed.
Respond to activity at a station
If termites are found at a station, the bait is changed or the station is adjusted according to the label and the plan. The owner is told which stations were active and what was done.
Review the trend across the checks
One visit tells little. The log is reviewed over several checks to show which stations keep activity and whether the activity moves, and that trend decides whether the plan needs more stations or a different method.
Keep the log for the owner
The log, with the map, is given to the owner after each check. It is the record that shows what has been found over the life of the plan and what was done about it.
Plan the seasonal calendar
The schedule is set against the swarm season and the rainy months, with closer checks in April through June and a regular rhythm for the rest of the year, so the monitoring covers the calendar and not only the busy weeks.
Why check a station again and again?
Termites find and feed on a station at their own pace, and a single check gives only one moment in a changing colony. Repeated checks show whether activity is steady, moving or gone.
A termite colony does not forage evenly. A worker group can find a station, the station can be quiet for weeks, and then activity can appear again when the colony reroutes. A check made on one day cannot tell a homeowner which of those things is happening.
Repeated checks build the picture. A station that is active on three checks in a row, and a station beside it that stays quiet, tells the technician where the colony is working. The log turns a set of quiet visits into a map of where the activity is, and that is worth more than any single result.
This is also why the record is the product. A homeowner who keeps the log has a dated account of the house's termite history for as long as the plan runs, which is the thing a future buyer or inspector is most likely to ask for.
How does the swarm calendar shape the monitoring?
The swarm season in Lafayette Parish runs late April into June, with the peak in May and June. The monitoring is set closer in that window, because a colony that swarms then has been feeding for months and the stations are the way its activity shows.
LSU AgCenter places the swarm season in late April to June, with the peak in May and June and a large peak around Mother's Day. A colony that releases swarmers in that window has been active in the soil and the wood for some time. Monitoring that stops before the season ends will not show whether the colony was working through the summer.
The rainy months add a second reason to keep the schedule regular. Wet soil changes how stations behave and how a colony moves, so a check after a heavy rain can differ from a check in a dry week. The log should note the weather on the day.
Outside the spring window the rhythm can be slower, but it should not stop. A plan that goes quiet in the autumn will not catch a colony that is still active in the winter, when the house may still be feeding the colony.
What happens when a station is active?
An active station is a finding, not a failure. The bait is changed or the station is adjusted as the label and the plan direct, and the owner is told which stations are active and what was done about each.
The first step is to record the activity exactly: the station number, the number of termites seen, whether they were workers or other stages and whether the station was disturbed. A consistent record makes the trend easier to read on later checks.
The response depends on the product and the label. Some systems replace the cellulose monitor with a bait that workers carry back to the colony, and the monitoring then checks whether that bait is taking. Others move a station to a different spot if the activity is at the edge of the house.
Activity at several stations on one side of the house suggests the colony is working from that direction, and the plan may add stations or look more closely at the soil and the structure on that side. The owner is told what that means and what the next check will look for.
What should an owner do to help the monitoring?
Keep the station area clear, do not move or dig up stations and keep wood and mulch away from the foundation. Report any disturbance or any new sign in the house, with a date.
A station is a small plastic or metal housing set in the ground, and it can be knocked over by a mower, a child or a digging dog. If a station is damaged or moved, tell the company, because a moved station can give a false quiet result.
Keep the mowing line and the landscape beds away from the stations, and do not place stacked wood, cardboard or pots over them. Each of those can block a station or give termites cover near the house.
Keep the log with the house papers. A dated record of checks and findings is valuable when a question comes up about the house later, and it is the easiest thing to lose.
Options
Types and options for termite bait station monitoring
Stations placed around a raised house
Raised houses have pier footings and a skirting line, and the stations sit between the piers and along the outer foundation. The check includes any stored wood or landscape timber that sits in the yard.
Lafayette Parish
Why termite bait station monitoring is different in Acadiana
The swarm season in Lafayette Parish runs late April to June, with the peak in May and June, and the monitoring is set closer through that window.
Formosan termites are established in Lafayette Parish according to a 1999-2001 Louisiana survey, so the stations are checked for that species as well as for others.
Wet months change station behavior, so the log records the weather on each check.
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If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent termite bait station monitoring, send the form and we'll call you back.
Where we work
Termite Bait Station Monitoring across Lafayette Parish
- Bait Monitoring in Lafayette
- Bait Monitoring in Scott
- Bait Monitoring in Carencro
- Bait Monitoring in Broussard
- Bait Monitoring in Duson
- Bait Monitoring in Youngsville
- Bait Monitoring in Milton
- Bait Monitoring in Breaux Bridge
- Bait Monitoring in Sunset
- Bait Monitoring in Cecilia
- Bait Monitoring in Arnaudville
- Bait Monitoring in Cade
- Bait Monitoring in Maurice
- Bait Monitoring in Grand Coteau
- Bait Monitoring in Saint Martinville
- Bait Monitoring in Rayne
- Bait Monitoring in Leonville
- Bait Monitoring in Church Point
- Bait Monitoring in Erath
- Bait Monitoring in Crowley
- Bait Monitoring in Delcambre
- Bait Monitoring in New Iberia
- Bait Monitoring in Opelousas
- Bait Monitoring in Abbeville
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Related
Related services
Termite Swarm Inspection
An inspection of the house and nearby trees after termite swarmers or shed wings appear, during the late-spring swarm season.
Liquid Termite Soil Treatment
A liquid termiticide barrier placed in the soil around the foundation, where termites cross from the ground into the structure.
Formosan Termite Control
Inspection and treatment for Formosan subterranean termites, a species a Louisiana survey lists as established in Lafayette Parish.
Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs
A check for the water problems that wet the soil and wood at a house, and a plan to fix or refer each one, from outdoor faucets to roof and pipe leaks.
Guides
Read before you book
Are Formosan Termites in Lafayette Parish?
Yes, according to a 1999-2001 Louisiana survey published through the LSU repository, which lists Lafayette Parish among the parishes where Formosan subterranean termites are established.
FAQ
Termite Bait Station Monitoring FAQs
How often are the stations checked?
The schedule is set in the written plan and is closer during the swarm season from late April to June. The log will show the dates of each check so you can see the rhythm.
Can I check the stations myself?
Keep an eye on them and report any disturbance, but leave the opening and the response to the company. A station opened or changed at the wrong time can give a misleading record.
Will bait solve the problem by itself?
Bait is a method and not a guarantee. Whether it works depends on the colony, on whether the stations are taking the bait and on the trend across the checks. The log is how the result is judged.
What if a station shows activity in the middle of winter?
Report it and keep the record. Winter activity matters because it shows the colony is still working, and the plan will be reviewed for that season as well.
Can bait monitoring be combined with a soil treatment?
Yes, and some plans use both. The inspection decides which method suits which part of the house, and the plan explains how the two work together.
Is there a charge for monitoring?
Calling is free. Any charge for stations and checks is agreed in writing before the work begins, and no figure is given on this site or over the phone before that.